QUICK NAVIGATION

Find a page.

Use the arrow keys to choose a result, Enter to open it, or Escape to close.

Field notes · September 2026

Why missing supplier information shouldn't become a risk finding.

Vettique helps assess suppliers. I changed how it used external information so missing records were distinguished from evidence of risk.

← All writing

Vettique is a supplier-assessment tool. When I worked on it, missing information could push a supplier’s risk score up even when there wasn’t evidence that the supplier was unsafe.

A business-directory search is one example. Failing to find a listing tells you that the search returned no listing; it doesn’t establish why the business is absent.

Make the available evidence visible

I connected seven sources of supplier information, including customs records, business listings, pricing information, and website checks. The reports were changed to show missing information separately from signs of risk.

In one recorded example, a verified supplier’s score changed from 85, labeled AVOID, to 25, labeled PROCEED. That example illustrates a corrected assessment; it doesn’t establish the overall accuracy of the scoring system.

Check whose records you’re using

The work also identified 396,339 shipment records assigned to the wrong suppliers. Those records were removed before launch.

Adding sources is only useful if the information belongs to the business being assessed and the report makes its limitations clear. That’s the lesson I’d carry into another research or assessment tool.

Related work: Vettique

Have a project in mind?

Tell me what you'd like to build or improve. We can talk through what you need and whether I can help.

Book a call with mepatrick@epiphanydynamics.ai