{"id":3740,"date":"2018-04-30T16:30:43","date_gmt":"2018-04-30T21:30:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/questrmg.com\/2019\/03\/27\/hurricane-preparation-assessing-your-vendors\/"},"modified":"2020-01-29T11:06:09","modified_gmt":"2020-01-29T17:06:09","slug":"hurricane-preparation-assessing-your-vendors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/questrmg.com\/hurricane-preparation-assessing-your-vendors\/","title":{"rendered":"Hurricane Preparation: Assessing Your Vendors"},"content":{"rendered":"

One aspect of preparing for a hurricane<\/a> that businesses often overlook is their vendors. All of the other businesses, suppliers, and service companies that keep your business running are going to be affected on different levels by the same storm that you\u2019re preparing for. To properly prepare for a hurricane, you need to prioritize, contact, assess, and plan for the impact of not having access to those vendors.<\/p>\n

Step 2: Prioritize Vendors<\/strong><\/h3>\n

When assessing your vendors, the first step is to figure out which vendors and suppliers you absolutely need to do business. For instance, a grocery store needs to know that the shipping companies that deliver product are going to be able to do so in the wake of a storm. The critical vendors are the group 1. The second group is going to be any company that you need access to when they are needed. For instance, your computer service company if you don\u2019t have one in-house or a company who repairs refrigeration units when they break. Any service providers that are business critical need to be group 2. Group 3 will be any company you use that aren\u2019t critical to business continuity. These would be services like a uniform or linens company. Group 3 are services you can do without but still continue business.<\/p>\n

Step 2: Categorize Vendors <\/strong><\/h3>\n

Now that you\u2019ve gathered the information about your most critical vendors, you need to take into consideration a few factors:<\/p>\n

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  1. Are they going to be affected by the same storm you\u2019re preparing for?<\/li>\n
  2. Do they have a continuity plan?<\/li>\n
  3. Is there an alternative vendor in case they can\u2019t fulfill their purpose?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    By assessing these factors, you can now categorize your vendors. For instance, you could have a \u201cred\u201d group that consists of critical vendors that are likely to encounter the same storm you are. A \u201cyellow group\u201d of vendors you need but won\u2019t be affected by the storm and vendors you might not need. A \u201cgreen\u201d group would consist of vendors that you don\u2019t need immediately and vendors that won\u2019t be affected by the storm.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Step 3: Communicate with Vendors<\/strong><\/h3>\n

    The final step in assessing your vendors is properly communicating with them, especially the most critical \u201cred\u201d group. You want to ensure that these vendors all:<\/p>\n