Continuity
Supplier checks that keep programmes running
A supplier that fails in a crisis can halt a programme as surely as a closed road. A few simple checks reveal most of the risk.
Concentration risk
List the suppliers on whom more than one programme depends. Single points of failure are common, and they are rarely visible until one fails.
Ask where each supplier's own stock comes from. A local vendor may rely on the same port and corridor you are trying to avoid.
Integrity and exposure
Check ownership, sanctions exposure and links to parties to a conflict before contracting. Those links can damage access and reputation even when the supply itself is sound.
Agree continuity in writing
Contracts should state what happens when a supplier cannot deliver: notice periods, substitution rights and who bears the cost. A continuity conversation before a crisis is far easier than one during it.
More on continuity
Reading a corridor before it closes
Most route closures give warning. The signs are in fuel prices, queue lengths, border notices and the behaviour of drivers who use the road every day.
Ports, chokepoints and the cost of a longer voyage
Disruption at sea reaches inland programmes through delay, cost and scarcity. Planning starts with knowing which port and which passage your supplies depend on.