Tool Gate · How it works
How the Supplier Lead-Time Honesty Scorecard gate works
How the Supplier Lead-Time Honesty Scorecard rolls up 5 suppliers' quoted-vs-actual receipts: a supplier that's both chronically late and quoting optimistic forces the shop verdict to QUOTED FICTION — which is how Precision Castings, 5-for-5 late with a 13-day optimistic slip, drives a shop already 37% late to the worst read.
How the gate works
This tool grades each supplier's quoted vs. actual lead times across every receipt on file, then rolls them up into a shop-wide read. It reads 5 suppliers and rolls them into one verdict — the worst, never the average — and then a gate that can only make it worse.
The 5 suppliers
| Supplier | Verdict |
|---|---|
| Precision Castingsfix first | CHRONICALLY LATE5/5 receipts late, median slip +13 days beyond a 3-day window - optimistic quotes, not noise |
| Coastal Bar Stock | CHRONICALLY LATE2/5 receipts late (40%), median slip +1 day - erratic scheduling, not a quoting pattern |
| Apex Plating | NOT ENOUGH DATAonly 2 receipts on file - below the 4-line minimum, held out of the shop-wide read |
| Ferrous Alloys Co | DELIVERS AS QUOTED0/5 receipts late, median slip +1 day - quotes hold |
| Northgate Fasteners | DELIVERS AS QUOTED0/4 receipts late, median slip -4.5 days - pads every quote by 4 to 5 days you finance on every PO |
The verdict bands
A supplier that's both CHRONICALLY LATE (over 35% of receipts late) and OPTIMISTIC QUOTES (median slip at or beyond its own promised window) forces the shop verdict to QUOTED FICTION - a pattern, not noise.
In the worked sample it reads QUOTED FICTION — Shop-wide, 37% of scored receipts arrive late - already past the 35% QUOTED FICTION line on its own. Precision Castings alone is 5-for-5 late with a median 13-day slip beyond its own promised window, and the gate would force this verdict even at a cleaner shop average. The one thing to fix first: Precision Castings - 5/5 late, median slip +13 days beyond a 3-day window.
Common questions
Can every supplier look survivable on the How the Supplier Lead-Time Honesty gate works and the company still read QUOTED FICTION?
Yes. The roll-up takes the worst of 5 suppliers — never the average — then a worsen-only gate, the Quoted-fiction gate gate, escalates when trouble clusters. In the worked sample it reads QUOTED FICTION because shop-wide, 37% of scored receipts arrive late - already past the 35% QUOTED FICTION line on its own. Precision Castings alone is 5-for-5 late with a median 13-day slip beyond its own promised window, and the gate would force this verdict even at a cleaner shop average.
What is a worsen-only gate?
A dispositive rule that can only lower a verdict, never raise it. One fatal flaw overrides an otherwise-set of survivable lines, because a single disqualifying gap shouldn't hide behind an average of the healthy ones. The tool also names the one thing to fix first — here, "Precision Castings - 5/5 late, median slip +13 days beyond a 3-day window".
Grades your own receipt history - a planning aid, not a legal, contractual, or procurement-compliance guarantee.
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<iframe src="https://redhub.ai/visuals/tool/supplier-lead-time-honesty-scorecard.html" title="How the Supplier Lead-Time Honesty Scorecard gate works — RedHub AI" width="760" height="1783" loading="lazy" style="border:0;width:100%;max-width:760px"></iframe>
<p style="font:14px/1.5 system-ui,sans-serif"><a href="https://redhub.ai/visuals/tool/supplier-lead-time-honesty-scorecard">How the Supplier Lead-Time Honesty Scorecard gate works</a> — by <a href="https://redhub.ai">RedHub AI</a>, the AI that tells you when to doubt it.</p>Image + link — a static picture for any blog
<a href="https://redhub.ai/visuals/tool/supplier-lead-time-honesty-scorecard"><img src="https://redhub.ai/visuals/tool/supplier-lead-time-honesty-scorecard-share.png" alt="Diagram of the Supplier Lead-Time Honesty Scorecard: five suppliers rolled up to the worst, a quoted-fiction gate, and the shop reading QUOTED FICTION." width="760" loading="lazy" style="max-width:100%;height:auto;border-radius:16px"></a>
<p style="font:14px/1.5 system-ui,sans-serif"><a href="https://redhub.ai">RedHub AI</a> — the AI that tells you when to doubt it.</p>This is how Supplier Lead-Time Honesty Scorecard works. More diagrams in the Visual Field Guide.