Will my company benefit from the vendor qualification system?
A.R.E.’s vendor qualification system is currently set up to allow retailers to request a form from regular member (fixture provider) companies. Subsidiary and plant profile pages refer back to the main parent company for requests. Contact A.R.E. if you prefer another arrangement. In addition, the vendor qualification form was created to meet the needs of fixture providers. It will likely not meet the needs of associate or designer member companies. If you are not a regular member but believe the A.R.E. Standard Vendor Qualification Form is appropriate for your company, please contact A.R.E.

How do I enroll in the program?
All regular member parent companies will be enrolled in the vendor qualification program automatically (you do not need to subscribe). However, if the A.R.E. Standard Vendor Qualification Form does not meet your needs and you wish to be removed, please contact A.R.E.

How will I know a retailer has requested an A.R.E. Standard Vendor Qualification Form from my company?
Requests for your A.R.E. Standard Vendor Qualification Form will be automatically e-mailed to your company’s main contact. Make sure your main contact can receive e-mails from are@retailenvironments.org. If you’re not sure who your company’s main contact is, or would like A.R.E. to send a test e-mail, contact the association. Also let A.R.E. know immediately if your main contact changes so that requests can be sent to the right person.

If you want requests for the vendor qualification form to go to another individual within your organization (but don’t want to change your main contact), ask your information technology director to set up a “rule” or “filter” that will automatically forward e-mails with “Vendor Qualification Form” in the subject line to the right person.

How do I respond to requests?
Respond in the format requested by the buyer—mail, e-mail, or fax—and by the deadline provided. To save time, you can download and complete the vendor qualification form so that you are ready to respond to retailers’ requests. Note: Adobe Acrobat (or a similar PDF forms program) is required to save, edit, and reuse the form. Adobe Reader will allow you to fill out and print the form, but will not allow you to save your updates.

When responding to a request, provide as much of the information asked for as possible. Retailers repeatedly state that they want to do business with companies that aren’t afraid to answer their questions. Don’t assume that any response in particular will be perceived negatively; most retailers tend to focus on different strengths for different jobs. Of course, the final decision on what information to release is always yours.

Whom can I contact with questions about the vendor qualification process?
Contact A.R.E. staff at 954-893-7300 or e-mail are@retailenvironments.org with questions about the vendor qualification program or updating your company’s information. See our online demo at www.retailenvironments.org/VQS/memberVQF.htm. You can also download the A.R.E. Standard Vendor Qualification Form. A.R.E. main contacts can update your information at http://www.retailenvironments.org/updates/Update.cfm.