15 Tasks for When A Vendor Management Examiner Comes to Town

The examiner is coming, the examiner is coming!

DON'T PANIC! Seriously, there’s no need if you’re running a well-managed program. Let’s go through some of the key things you’ll want to do to plan the examiner's arrival to town. 

Plan On The Examiner's Arrival  

Part of preparing for an on-site examination is to plan on the examiner's arrival. These quick helpful reminders may help the visit run smoothly:  

1. Set an agreed upon time for the examiner to arrive at your financial institution 
2. Tell the examiner where to arrive (ie: the receptionist, teller, etc.) 
3. Know how many people to expect  
4. Have them issued visitor badges if possible  
5. Make sure the entire company knows where they will be and general ground rules  
6. Set up a well-equipped place for them to work so they don’t have to wander and be inclined to ask questions  
7. Treat them as you would want to be treated 
8. Set up a formal entrance meeting with key management  
9. Provide them a list of names and titles, but encourage them that all contact should go through a designated person  
10. Try to meet with them in pairs of two people from your institution side – one to talk and one to take notes  
11. Set expectations on daily arrival and departure times so there’s always someone there  
12. Give them a tour (but remember to clean up first – appearances make big first impressions)  
13. Set up a routine for daily or weekly check-ins or some sort of schedule so that you're not catching or interrupting each other unnecessarily 
14. Clarify any questions you don’t fully understand  
15. Commit to communicate any findings or concerns regularly and understand response times for any requests for documentation 

For more tips on preparing for an exam, download our free guide.