---
title: "Supplier PPAP: how to request, review and approve"
description: When to request a supplier PPAP, how to choose the submission level, what to check in each element, and the most common reasons PPAPs get rejected.
image: https://factoryqa.com/hubfs/fqa-og-res-supplier-ppap-guide.png
---

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Supplier quality

# Supplier PPAP: how to request, review and approve

When to request a supplier PPAP, how to choose the submission level, what to check in each element, and the most common reasons PPAPs get rejected.

FactoryQA quality teamOctober 25, 2026

The Production Part Approval Process (PPAP) is how a supplier proves its production process makes parts that meet all your requirements, at the planned rate, before you accept parts for production. It started in automotive (AIAG) and is now common across aerospace, medical and industrial supply chains.

## When to request a PPAP

- A new part or a new supplier
- A change to the design, material, process, tooling, location or sub-supplier
- Tooling that has been inactive for a long time
- After a serious quality problem, to re-prove the process

## Choose the submission level

The AIAG manual defines five levels, from a part submission warrant only (level 1) to everything reviewed at the supplier's site (level 5). Level 3, with the warrant, product samples and complete supporting data, is the usual default. Ask for more for critical parts and new suppliers, less for simple catalogue-type parts, and state the level on the purchase order or request.

## What to check in the package

- **Dimensional results.** Every characteristic on the ballooned drawing measured, at the right revision, with actual values rather than "OK".
- **Process flow, PFMEA and control plan.** They should describe the same steps and characteristics, and special characteristics should be controlled.
- **Measurement system analysis.** Gage R&R for the gages that check key characteristics.
- **Capability studies.** Initial process studies for special characteristics, meeting your acceptance criteria.
- **Material and performance test results** from qualified labs, and certificates for special processes.
- **The part submission warrant**, signed, matching the drawing revision and the parts submitted.

## Common reasons PPAPs are rejected

- Drawing revision on the warrant does not match the samples
- Characteristics missing from the dimensional report
- A PFMEA and control plan that do not match each other or the process flow
- Gage R&R or capability results that miss the criteria, with no reaction plan

## Make the decision clear

Approve, interim approve with conditions and a deadline, or reject with specific reasons. Record the decision against the part and supplier so receiving and purchasing know what they can accept.

Quality Plans in FactoryQA: the APQP chain from ballooned drawing to PPAP.

In FactoryQA, suppliers submit through the supplier PPAP portal without a login. In [Quality Plans](https://factoryqa.com/products/quality-plans) each PPAP submission gets a workspace with the 18 AIAG elements preset for its level, live records linked as evidence, and the PPAP AI Reviewer scores readiness before you submit. Our [Supplier Quality Services](https://factoryqa.com/supplier-quality-services) include PPAP services and PPAP training for suppliers.

Keep reading

## More from Resources

[Supplier quality**Counterfeit parts prevention for manufacturers**What AS9100D clause 8.1.4 asks for on counterfeit parts, and the sourcing, receiving, quarantine and training controls that keep suspect parts out.](https://factoryqa.com/resources/counterfeit-parts-prevention)[Supplier quality**Controlling outsourced special processes**How to control outsourced special processes such as heat treat, plating, welding and NDT: qualified sources, complete orders, evidence and supplier audits.](https://factoryqa.com/resources/controlling-special-processes)[Supplier quality**How to plan and run supplier audits**How to choose which suppliers to audit, prepare a risk-weighted checklist, score findings consistently and turn every finding into a tracked corrective action.](https://factoryqa.com/resources/supplier-audit-guide)

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