AST/ACME requires the following of suppliers and external providers:

1. that all processes, products, and services to be provided to AST/ACME are accompanied by relevant technical data (e.g. specifications, drawings, requirements, work instructions) as required by AST/ACME;
2. the following must be approved by a supplier/provider employee who is competent and possesses the authority to give such approval before being received by AST/ACME;
   1. products and services;
   2. methods, processes, and equipment;
   3. the release of products and services;
3. supplier/provider employees must be competent to provide services to AST/ACME based on third party certification, prior experience, or documented training;
4. must communicate with AST/ACME via email, phone, or other means as necessary;
5. must allow control and/or monitoring of the external providers’ performance to be performed by AST/ACME;
6. supplier/provider must allow verification or validation activities required by AST/ACME, or its customer, at the external providers’ premises at periodic intervals or as necessary;
7. design and development control must be implemented by supplier/provider for all services and/or products delivered to AST/ACME;
8. must be open to fulfilling special requirements as required by the customers of AST/ACME that are necessarily flowed down to suppliers/providers of AST/ACME;
9. must be open to tests, inspections, and verifications (including production process verification) that may be required by AST/ACME;
10. must be open to the use of statistical techniques for product acceptance and related instructions for acceptance by AST/ACME as relevant;
11. suppliers/providers of AST/ACME should:
    1. implement a quality management system;
    2. use customer-designated or approved external providers, including process sources (e.g. special processes);
    3. notify the AST/ACME of nonconforming processes, products, or services and obtain approval for their disposition as relevant to the services offered to AST/ACME;
    4. notify AST/ACME of changes to processes, products, or services, including changes of their external providers or location of manufacture, and obtain the AST/ACME’s approval as relevant;
    5. flow down to their external providers applicable requirements including customer requirements;
    6. provide test specimens for design approval, inspection/verification, investigation, or auditing as relevant;
    7. retain documented information, including retention periods and disposition requirements;
12. must allow reasonable right of access by AST/ACME, their customer(s), and regulatory authorities to the applicable areas of facilities and to applicable documented information, at any level of the supply chain;
13. must ensure that supplier’s/provider’s own employees are aware of:
    1. their contribution to product or service conformity;
    2. their contribution to product safety;
    3. the importance of ethical behavior.