Confirm the dependency and scope
Identify exactly what has stopped: stock, transport, cloud/SaaS, contractor, telecoms, payment provider or another service. Record the provider status and expected duration if known.
BUSINESS PLAYBOOK 06 // SUPPLIER FAILURE
A CRITICAL SUPPLIER HAS FAILED.
SWITCH DELIBERATELY.
Know which external dependency can stop the critical service first, the point at which you switch, and whether the alternative is actually usable before the incident.
ACTION ORDER // REDUCE CONFUSION
CONTROL THE FIRST HOUR.
Use the documented minimum operation rather than improvising under pressure. Record decisions, ownership and the next review point as the incident develops.
Use the agreed alternative
Apply the pre-defined switch point. Contact the alternate supplier or workaround and protect scarce stock, capacity or licences for the minimum operation.
Manage the knock-on effects
Update customers, reschedule work and monitor secondary dependencies. Record costs, delays and contractual issues for later recovery and review.
DECISION POINTS // WRITE THEM DOWN
DON'T WAIT FOR THE CRISIS.
Pre-agreed thresholds reduce hesitation and stop a degraded situation from drifting without ownership.
CRITICALITYWhich supplier stops the service fastest?
Map suppliers to the specific critical service they support rather than treating every vendor equally.
SWITCH POINTWhen do you stop waiting and change route?
Set a time, stock level or service threshold that triggers the alternative.
ALTERNATIVEIs the fallback genuinely ready?
Check account approval, pricing, capacity, compatibility, delivery area and lead time in advance.
DATA / ACCESSCan you retrieve your information if a SaaS provider is unavailable?
Keep appropriate exports, records and exit information outside a single provider where feasible.
RECOVERYHow do you return to the normal supplier?
Reconcile orders, duplicate requests, data changes and temporary contracts before switching back.
OFFICIAL ROUTES
CHECK THE SOURCE.
Use current provider, regulator and official guidance during a real incident. GPN is the planning layer, not the authority controlling the incident.
OFFICIAL SOURCEGOV.UK // BUSINESS CONTINUITYGovernment continuity guidance includes supplier and contractor changes among the dependencies plans should keep current.OFFICIAL SOURCENPSA // SUPPLY CHAIN GUIDANCESecurity and continuity expectations for suppliers, incident management and recovery.OFFICIAL SOURCENCSC // BUSINESS CONTINUITYCritical-service mapping, technology and supplier dependencies, workarounds and restoration order.