Supply relationship evaluation:: The relationship assessment process (RAP) and beyond

Summary In this article we argue that the common purchasing and supply management practice of evaluating supplier performance may be inappropriate in situations of supply partnerships, as it focuses on evaluating the performance of the supplier rather than the supply relationship. We explore a conceptual framework for supply relationship evaluation, discussing lessons from past attempts to develop relationship evaluation models, focusing particularly on the so-called Relationship Assessment Process (RAP) model (Lamming et al., 1996). The article critically evaluates the RAP model, discussing experiences of implementation from 1995 onwards. Building on the reflections on RAP, we propose a new conceptual framework for supply relationship evaluation. This is constructed on the basis of a synthesis of literatures grounded predominantly in industrial marketing and purchasing (IMP), and purchasing and supply management (PSM) research, and thus adopts a network rather than a dyadic perspective on relationship evaluation. We conclude by discussing the implications of the proposed framework.