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Approved Vendor List (AVL) Template for Electronic Components

An approved vendor list tells buyers where they may buy and keeps unqualified sources out of production. This template gives you the document header, approval criteria, source table, status definitions and signature block, ready to export to PDF or Word.

Fill in

Company name

AVL document number

Revision

Effective date

Commodity or scope

Customer approval required

Approval criteria

Re-evaluation frequency

AVL owner

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Approved Vendor List (AVL) Template

Approved Vendor List

Company: Acme Electronics Ltd Document number: AVL-ELEC-0007 Revision: C Effective date: 2026-10-20 Scope: Passive components AVL owner: Supplier Quality Manager

Purpose and Use

This list names the manufacturers and suppliers authorized for purchase of the items below. Buyers may only place orders with vendors listed as Approved or Conditional. Any change requires approval as described in this document and a revision to the ERP approved manufacturer data.

Approval Criteria

ISO 9001 certificate or equivalent audit, authorized distributor or direct from manufacturer, traceable lot and date code, RoHS and REACH declarations, successful first article or sample approval.

Customer approval of new sources: No, internal approval only Re-evaluation: Annually, or sooner on a quality escape, PCN, ownership change or delivery failure.

Approved Sources

Internal P/N	Description	Manufacturer	MPN	Approved supplier or distributor	Status	Approved on
					Approved
					Conditional
					Approved
					Approved
					Under evaluation
					Approved

Status Definitions

Approved: may be purchased without further review. Conditional: may be purchased with stated restriction, such as authorized distributor only or 100 percent incoming inspection. Under evaluation: no production purchase until approval. Disqualified: do not purchase. Record reason and date.

Change History

Rev	Date	Change	Reason	Approved by
C	2026-10-20

Approvals

Prepared by (Buyer) / Date

Supplier quality / Date

Engineering / Date

Quality manager / Date

A starting-point format, not legal advice. Adapt to your quality system, customer flowdown and any export control requirements. Keep the controlled copy in your document system and mirror the approved manufacturer data in your ERP item master.

Enforce the AVL inside your ERP

Optional: ask for a review of how approved manufacturer data is held and enforced in your ERP.

Optional. The tool and every export work without this. No spam.

How to use the template

Fill the header fields and approval criteria, then export. Add one row per manufacturer part number and approved source, not just one per supplier, because approval often depends on the specific part and channel. Mark each row Approved, Conditional, Under evaluation or Disqualified. Store the signed copy in document control, then make sure the same approvals exist in your ERP item master so the system enforces what the document says.

One row per MPN and source pair for components.
Record why a source is Conditional, for example distributor only.
Keep disqualified entries on the list so they are not re-added by mistake.

AVL, AML and what the standards expect

People use the terms interchangeably but they differ. An approved manufacturer list (AML) names the manufacturers and part numbers permitted for a component. An approved vendor list names the suppliers or distributors you may buy from. ISO 9001 clause 8.4 expects you to control externally provided products and services with criteria for selection, evaluation and re-evaluation, and AS9100 and IATF 16949 add flowdown and counterfeit prevention expectations. Whatever your system, define the criteria, record the evidence and review on a schedule.

Common mistakes

The AVL goes stale when it lives only in a spreadsheet. Another failure is approving a distributor but not restricting grey market buys, or allowing buyers to substitute an unlisted MPN when stock is short. Tie the shortage process to the AVL: an unlisted alternate should trigger engineering review, not an urgent PO. Also log the evidence for each approval, such as audit date, certificates and sample results, so the list stands up in a customer or registrar audit.

Include re-evaluation dates on each source.
Require engineering sign-off for any new MPN.
Check authorized distributor status at the manufacturer's website.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between an AVL and an AML?

An AML lists approved manufacturers and part numbers for a component. An AVL lists approved suppliers or distributors you may buy from. Many teams combine them into one table with manufacturer, MPN and source columns, as this template does.

How often should an approved vendor list be reviewed?

At least annually for most quality systems, and sooner on triggers such as a quality escape, a product change notice, a change of ownership or repeated late delivery. Your customer contracts may require a specific frequency.

Can a buyer add a new source without approval?

Not in a controlled system. New sources should be evaluated against the criteria and approved by the roles you define, often supplier quality and engineering, before the first production order. Emergency exceptions should be documented.

Should the AVL be in the ERP or a document?

Both. The document is the controlled record with approvals and evidence. The ERP holds the manufacturer and vendor links per item so purchasing is guided by the same data. Keep them in sync through a defined change process.

If you want the AVL enforced inside your ERP, for example blocking POs to unapproved sources, we can review how approved manufacturer data is structured in your system.

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