PICS Auditing
Optimizing Supply Chain Sustainability

“The practice of supply chain management is longstanding, yet most companies know virtually nothing about the operating practices of the companies they engage,” begins Jeffrey Muto, VP, Global Marketing at PICS Auditing. “This critical lack of insight makes it nearly impossible for companies to manage the operational risk within their partner networks,” Muto adds. Supplier and contractor performance data in areas including health and safety, environmental, financial viability, quality, cor-porate social responsibility, and other sustainable business practices are now coming to light through solutions like PICS, an Irvine, CA-based software company whose platform powers the supply chain sustainability efforts of the world’s biggest and most successful companies.

“Every day, supply chain partners unwittingly operate in ways that are materially detrimental to the companies they represent,” said Muto. “Our solution enables our clients with clear views into where such risks exist—informing better go-forward hiring and partnering decisions.” The PICS solution provides configurable insights to client users based on role and areas of interest, with everything calibrated to the unique operating realities of each client, be they regulatory, operational, or geographic. The company is investing heavily in predictive analytics that will leverage a combination of lagging and leading indicators to forewarn clients of impending risk.

The PICS DocuGUARD product provides all necessary vendor profile information to ensure that a client’s minimum qualifications to perform work on supply materials are being met.

InsureGUARD captures data and verifies that vendors are carrying requisite insurance coverage to indemnify clients in the event that an incident occurs.

AuditGUARD is a dynamic offering that allows for multiple audits to be performed on a vendor, enabling clients to gain a deeper view into how their partners are working proactively to perform more optimized in key operational disciplines.

EmployeeGUARD brings all three products together, but applies them at the individual level—ensuring that the individuals doing work on behalf of the vendors are qualified. Employees are evaluated on training, licenses and certifications, background checks, drug and alcohol screens, and other criteria.

We are building the connections that build the world

According to PICS, what began as a client-specific solution has evolved into a massive global network. “A supplier may have come into the PICS platform via a relationship with a hiring client such as BASF, but once they’ve completed the process, they become discoverable by all PICS clients,” Muto stated. “The average contractor in our network has been engaged by three PICS clients—making us the fastest industrial sourcing platform in the world.”

What’s next for PICS? In the words of Muto, “We are growing rapidly, across every key metric, sector, and geography. And with this growth comes opportunity to fundamentally change the game for the customers we serve. Our ongoing investments will focus on being a catalyst for economic growth, driven by connecting supply chain partners more quickly, efficiently, and relevantly than ever before. With this, work will be delivered better, faster, and more sustainably,” he concludes.