400 Supplier Invitation Letter

- 0 - <<Insert Date>>

<<Insert Date>>

<<Insert Supplier Mailing Address>>

Dear <<Insert Supplier Greeting>>:

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) spends more than half its budget acquiring goods and services from you, our suppliers. Therefore, we view our supplier relationships as critical to both our own success and yours. To ensure that we enable the future success of these relationships, I am requesting your help.

I have contracted with Michigan State University (MSU) to conduct a supplier perception survey with a limited subset of our suppliers. Because of your relationship with VA, I am requesting your participation. Within the next two weeks, your company will receive an email addressed to << Insert Supplier’s Email Address>> from MSU Professors Ragatz and Sandor; containing a link to the survey. If the << Insert Supplier’s Email Address>> email address is incorrect, please contact <<VA Contact Person>> by e-mail at <<VA Contact’s Email Address>> or via phone at <<VA Contact’s Phone Number>> and provide <<him/her>> with your preferred individual’s e-mail address along with the incorrect e-mail address.

The time and energy you invest in responding will directly impact our improvement efforts. We value our relationship with <<Insert Supplier Company’s Name>> and want you to know that your responses will be held in strictest confidence. Only personnel at Michigan State will see your reply. Professors Ragatz and Sandor will report only summary results and analysis to me, so your feedback will be anonymous. Please be candid in your response and not simply provide me with what you think I want to hear!

The survey should take less than 15 minutes to complete. I recognize that individuals within your company may have differing opinions about our business relationship. Please provide me with the prevalent opinion about our relationship and describe significant differences of opinion in the comments section of the survey.

I am very serious about improving VA’s supplier relations and contract management performance. Your insight into our practices will prove invaluable and will enable me to enhance our supplier relationships, eliminate unnecessary costs and provide value added services. I know that you share my passion and commitment to continuous improvement. Let me know how we are doing!

Thank you in advance for your time and effort in completing the survey.

Sincerely,

OUO