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With the rapid increase of component outsourcing, suppliers play more important roles in New Product Development (NPD) projects. Previous research has shown that the selection of the appropriate supplier, as well as the choice of both the time and the degree of its involvement, have a major impact on NPD performance. However, the customer firms involved in this activity of collaborative design with suppliers express a need for methods and tools in order to effectively manage these particular relations. This paper presents a framework for the measurement of supplier's performance in the context of NPD projects. This framework has been supported by evidence from the literature and feedbacks from practitioners. It has been developed iteratively by application of an action research approach conducted within six industrial French companies. This development enabled the generation of a robust framework that allows: (a) identifying four main areas of performance expected by the customer in collaborative setting and (b) evaluating suppliers' development efforts throughout the NPD project with appropriate criteria for each stage of the project.

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