Do not award business to suppliers on the basis of price alone, but also consider quality. Price is a meaningful measure of a supplier’s product only if it is considered in relation to a measure of quality. In other words, the total cost of the item must be considered, not just the purchase price. When quality is considered, the lowest bidder is frequently not the low-cost supplier. Preference should be given to suppliers who use modern methods of quality improvement in their business and who can demonstrate process control and capability.