I agree with most of you. Also, it is very important to be clear and specific on what’s your need for the project. Make sure you do a good research and comparison before you chose your vendor. Also, for the major component of the project, we have to approve more that one vendor to back-up for any mistake. From my experience, validation and approval for vendor take a lot of time so it is good to do your testing and approval all at one time., and then prioritize your list accordingly. Product training is a good idea for vendors and suppliers as well. It is good that they have a solid understanding of your product. visits from time to time and meeting help to improve the relationship better than just emails and phone calls.