Compliance & risk
AVL / AML (Approved Vendor List / Approved Manufacturer List)
An AVL is the list of suppliers approved to supply a given part; an AML is the list of manufacturers whose parts are approved for a design. In electronics and regulated manufacturing, buying outside them requires formal engineering approval.
Also known as: approved vendor list, approved manufacturer list
The distinction, and why it matters when parts are scarce
An AML constrains whose part may be used — a design decision, owned by engineering. An AVL constrains who may sell it to you — a supply decision, owned by procurement. A distributor can be on the AVL while the manufacturer whose part it offers is not on the AML.
During allocation the distinction becomes operational rather than academic. A buyer may find stock available, from an approved distributor, of a manufacturer's part that has never been qualified. Using it is not a procurement call, and treating it as one is how counterfeit and non-conforming parts enter a build.
Why AVL discipline erodes under pressure
AVL and AML discipline is easy when supply is plentiful and expensive when it is not. Shortage pressure creates a standing incentive to source from wherever stock exists and reconcile the paperwork afterwards.
Keeping a documented trail of what was ordered from whom, against which approval, is what makes that pressure auditable rather than invisible.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between an AVL and an AML?
An AVL, or approved vendor list, defines which suppliers may sell a part to you. An AML, or approved manufacturer list, defines which manufacturers' parts are approved for the design. A supplier can be AVL-approved while offering a part whose manufacturer is not on the AML.
Can you buy outside the AVL during a shortage?
Only through the organisation's formal deviation or engineering approval process. Sourcing outside the AVL or AML without that approval is a primary route by which counterfeit and non-conforming parts enter production, which is why the exception path exists and is documented.