// FOR PRIME CONTRACTORS, SYSTEM HOUSES AND TIER-1 SUPPLIERS
Whether you are a Prime Contractor with a formal supplier audit process or a Tier-1 supplier looking to secure your subcontractor pool: we handle the qualification of your supplier candidates from initial assessment to documented delivery capability. Certainty instead of hope — without tying up your own personnel for months.
// MANAGING DIRECTOR
// BACKGROUND
In the defence supply chain, the bottleneck is not a lack of capable companies. It is a qualification deficit. That applies to Prime Contractors delivering directly to the Bundeswehr or NATO, and equally to Tier-1 suppliers who need to secure their own subcontractor pool.
Prime Contractor buyers find promising SME suppliers through SVI-Connect and their own research. But a significant share of these companies does not meet the minimum compliance requirements for listing. ISO 9001 is missing or incomplete, ISO 27001 and BSI-Grundschutz have never been considered, EN 9100 is not on their radar and AQAP 2110 is unknown territory.
Procurement then has three options: wait for the supplier to qualify themselves. Guide the qualification internally and tie up corresponding staff. Or remove the supplier from the shortlist.
None of these three options is satisfactory.
// SCOPE
// TIER 1
Direct supplier to the Prime Contractor. Complex assemblies and subsystems. Subject to your full qualification process including Prime Contractor audit. This is the most demanding qualification level and the focus of our work.
// TIER 2
Specialist component supplier to a Tier-1 supplier. ISO 9001 is the minimum requirement. Tier-2 qualifications are just as strategically relevant for building resilient supply chains as Tier-1 positions.
// WHAT YOU ACTUALLY BUY
We take on the qualification bottleneck as your qualification and verification partner. The offer reduces to three commitments.
We bring the supplier to the standard your supplier audit requires: ISO 9001, EN 9100 or AQAP, cleanly built and confirmed by an accredited certification body. You do not get a candidate with gaps, but a supplier who has already cleared the formal entry threshold.
Your procurement receives, on request, a structured progress report on each supplier's qualification without tying up internal resources. You make planning decisions based on facts, before the formal audit takes place. The qualification status is no longer a black box.
Supplier development is personnel-intensive. Guiding a mid-sized supplier through a qualification process yourself ties up experienced staff for months. We take on this function externally, with deep compliance expertise and a structured qualification pathway.
// VERIFIED, NOT CLAIMED
A supply chain that scales. Suppliers that hold.
// THE PROCESS
Each phase is designed around a benefit for you: less risk, less staff tied up, an audit-ready supplier at the end. Which phases a given supplier goes through depends on their starting position and your requirements.
Is this supplier worth your attention? We assess the structural prerequisites of a candidate you have identified: ownership structure, strategic will, minimum size and core capability. Result: a clear go or no-go before you invest time.
We translate your specific audit and standard requirements into a qualification target for this exact supplier. Result: a pathway aligned to your listing, not a generic certificate.
Gap analysis between your audit requirements and the supplier's existing organisation. Result: a prioritised action plan with investment estimates per workstream — full transparency before anything is built.
We implement the required management systems together with the supplier's team. ISO 9001 as the base, plus ISO 27001, BSI-Grundschutz, EN 9100 and AQAP as required. Result: an auditable state, without tying up your own staff.
Preparation and support through the external audit at an accredited certification body. Result: a robust certificate that holds up in your supplier audit.
Integration into your supply chain plus ongoing compliance operations: surveillance audits, standard updates, new requirements. Result: a supplier that remains audit-ready, not just qualified once.
// COOPERATION WITH THE PRIME CONTRACTOR
You refer a supplier you have identified as high-potential to work with us. We take on the qualification process at our own cost vis-à-vis the supplier. You receive progress transparency on request. No budget, no commitment, full relief.
You commission us directly within your supplier development programme to qualify a defined pool of suppliers. A classic B2B service agreement with clear deliverables, timeline and reporting obligations to your procurement. The more robust option for scalable supplier development.
// EINORDNUNG
SVI-Connect creates visibility. We create delivery capability.
SVI-Connect solves the discoverability problem, not the qualification problem. A company that is found but brings an incomplete qualification to the table is, for procurement, an initial lead not a usable supplier.
// MANAGING DIRECTOR
// WHAT WE BRING
"Compliance expertise alone is not enough. The difference is the combination of regulatory knowledge and audit perspective. We do not optimise for the certificate. We optimise for what comes after."
Stephan Michelfeit spent over ten years working in quality and process organisations, including at SAP and Toyota. There he learned what makes management systems genuinely robust from the ground up. Since 2019, he has brought that knowledge to highly regulated markets: pharmaceuticals, medical technology, insurance and defence. He sees compliance not as bureaucracy but as evidence that a business can deliver when it matters. In a defence mandate, he led the implementation of an ISO 9001 system across all German sites and successfully completed the external audit. The AQAP introduction at this client is currently underway.
Stephan Michelfeit · Managing Director, Michelfeit Consulting
// CONFIDENTIALITY
You give us access to your supplier base. That access is a matter of trust, and we treat it accordingly.
Before we discuss specific suppliers or pools, a non-disclosure agreement is in place. That is not a formality — it is the first step.
Supplier documents, audit status and results are treated in strict confidence and shared only with persons you designate.
We do not use mandates for marketing purposes. What we do for you remains between us — during our engagement and after.
// FREQUENTLY ASKED
Confidentiality is a prerequisite in this market. Scope, NDA and reporting channels are agreed in writing before we begin. We confirm the details in the initial call, aligned with your compliance requirements.
It depends on the cooperation model. In the referral model, the supplier commissions the work at their own cost — no budget on your side. In the partnership model, you commission the qualification of a defined supplier pool directly.
No. We prepare the supplier so that it passes your audit and document the qualification status transparently. The formal audit and listing decision remain yours. We shorten the path to that point.
After the initial phases — initial qualification and readiness assessment. You receive a documented gap analysis and can make fact-based planning assumptions about each supplier candidate.
Yes. That is precisely what the structured partnership model is designed for: a defined pool of suppliers with clear deliverables, timeline and reporting to your procurement.
// NEXT STEP
In the initial call we clarify your situation, your supplier pool and the right cooperation model. No commitment, clear assessment.
Book Initial Call →