Who decides the PPAP submission level and which elements are required?

By Yamm Labs · Updated September 2026 · 5 min read

A quality engineer at a sheet-metal plant in Pune opens a purchase order for a new bracket. The line on the last page says “PPAP required before first supply.” It names no level. The engineer has built Level 3 packs before, but this customer is new, the portal is new and the buyer is on leave until Monday. The question on the desk is the one every supplier meets sooner or later: who decides how much goes in, and what happens if we guess?

Who sets the PPAP submission level?

The customer does. PPAP is a commercial approval between a supplier and the organisation that buys its parts, so the buyer states how much evidence it wants to see. The requirements are usually settled during quotation, and the level arrives in one of three places: the purchase order or its terms, the customer’s supplier quality manual, or a message from the customer’s supplier quality engineer for a specific part.

The supplier does not pick a lower level to save time, and a documentation desk cannot pick one either. If the paperwork is silent, the supplier asks in writing and, while waiting, builds to Level 3. That default is the safe side of the guess: a Level 3 file can be cut down to Level 1 or 2 in an afternoon, but a Level 1 file cannot be grown into a Level 3 without going back to the plant.

Level 4 is the exception that proves the rule. It is defined as the warrant plus whatever else the customer specifies, so its contents exist only in the customer’s own instruction.

What does each of the five PPAP levels require?

The AIAG PPAP manual, now in its fourth edition, sets out the five levels. The table shows what each one sends and the documentation decision it forces on the supplier.

The column that matters most is the one people skip. At every level, the manual expects all applicable elements to be completed. The level controls what is submitted, not what is done.

Which PPAP elements are required, and who adds to the list?

The AIAG manual lists 18 elements, running from the design record through to the Part Submission Warrant itself. Not all of them apply to every part. An appearance approval report, for example, only matters when the part has appearance items. Everything that does apply must exist in the supplier’s file. One element, customer-specific requirements, is the customer’s list itself.

The manual is the floor, not the ceiling. Vehicle makers publish customer-specific requirements that add to the manual’s list or tighten its rules, such as how long records are kept. IATF Global Oversight, the body that oversees certification to IATF 16949, lists these documents for vehicle makers including BMW Group, Ford, General Motors, Stellantis and Volkswagen AG, on its customer-specific requirements page. Indian vehicle makers and Tier-1s that ask for PPAP often set out their additions in their own supplier quality manuals and purchase terms.

The decision this forces is about order. Read the customer’s requirements before the first form is drafted, then build to that checklist rather than the manual’s generic one. A pack built to the manual alone can be complete and still fail the customer’s review. The PPAP documentation FAQ covers each of the 18 elements in short form, and the APQP, PFMEA and control plan questions go deeper on those three documents.

The level decides what you send. It never decides what you do.

Who signs off once the level and elements are settled?

Three parties hold three different jobs, and none can do another’s.

• The customer decides and approves. It sets the level, adds its own requirements and grants full approval, interim approval or rejection.
• The plant produces the evidence. The production trial, measurements, capability studies, Gage R&R, laboratory tests, samples and master sample happen at the plant because they cannot happen anywhere else.
• The supplier’s responsible official signs the warrant. The Part Submission Warrant is the supplier’s declaration that the samples meet every requirement. A consultant or documentation desk can draft it but never signs it.

An outsourced desk fits inside the second line, not above it. Yamm Labs’ PPAP Desk works from Gurugram and prepares the documentation core from the drawing and process data: the ballooned print and characteristic register, process flow diagram, PFMEA, control plan, process sheets, checking-aid list, incoming inspection standard, MSA and capability study formats, and the draft warrant with an index. The plant keeps the evidence and the signature. Pricing starts at ₹2,000 per report, with no retainer. The PPAP Desk service page sets out the full split.

Worked example: a purchase order with no PPAP submission level

Go back to the quality engineer in Pune with the bracket order. The purchase order says “PPAP required before first supply” and names no level. Here is how the rules above turn into a working day.

First, the engineer checks the three places where a level usually arrives: the purchase order and its terms, the customer’s supplier quality manual, and any message from the customer’s supplier quality engineer. All three are silent, and the buyer is away.

Second, the engineer writes one email to the customer’s supplier quality engineer asking for three things together: the PPAP submission level, the customer’s requirement document and the portal or address for submission. The reply, when it comes, is filed with the pack.

Third, while waiting, the team builds to Level 3. The drawing is ballooned, the process flow, PFMEA and control plan are drafted, and the plant plans the production trial, measurements and capability studies. Nothing is lost if the customer later says Level 2, because a complete file can be trimmed.

Fourth, when the customer’s requirement document arrives, the team compares it with the manual’s list and adds anything extra before the first form is finalised. The warrant is then signed by the supplier’s responsible official, not by whoever drafted it.

Common mistakes with the PPAP submission level

Most rejected or delayed packs trace back to one of a handful of avoidable errors. Each of these follows directly from the rules set out above.

• Guessing low. A supplier that assumes Level 1 because the order is silent sends a warrant with nothing behind it. If the customer expected Level 3, the plant has to go back and produce the evidence.
• Treating the level as the scope of work. The level controls what is sent, not what is done. Every applicable element still has to exist on file at every level.
• Building to the manual alone. The AIAG manual is the floor. A pack that ignores the customer’s own requirements can be complete by the manual and still fail review.
• Treating Level 4 as a standard package. Level 4 has no generic contents. Drafting before the customer’s list arrives wastes time.
• Keeping a Level 5 file somewhere else. At Level 5 the customer reviews the complete data at the manufacturing location. A file that sits with a consultant or at head office is not ready.
• Letting the wrong person sign. The Part Submission Warrant is the supplier’s declaration. A consultant or documentation desk can draft it, but the supplier’s responsible official signs it.
• Not filing the customer’s answer. If the level was agreed by email, that email belongs in the pack. Without it, the next engineer on the part has to ask again.

Checklist for confirming the PPAP submission level

Run this list before any drafting starts on a new part number. It fits on one page and takes minutes, not days.

1. Read the purchase order and its terms for a named PPAP submission level.
2. Read the customer’s supplier quality manual for a default level and any added elements.
3. Check for a customer-specific requirements document, including those listed by IATF Global Oversight for vehicle makers.
4. If the level is still missing, email the customer’s supplier quality engineer for the level, the requirement document and the submission portal in one message.
5. Start building to Level 3 while you wait.
6. Mark which of the 18 elements apply to this part, and note why any element does not apply.
7. Agree internally who produces the plant evidence and who signs the warrant.
8. File the customer’s reply with the pack.

How to brief a documentation desk on the submission level

Whether the drafting sits with your own quality team or an outside desk, the brief should be short and complete. A good brief answers these questions before work begins.

• Which level? State the level the customer named, or say that none was named and Level 3 is the working assumption.
• Whose requirements? Attach the customer’s supplier quality manual and any customer-specific requirements document.
• Which elements apply? List the elements the plant considers not applicable, with the reason, so the desk does not draft them.
• What does the plant provide? Name who will run the production trial, measurements, capability studies, Gage R&R and laboratory tests, and when.
• Who signs? Name the supplier’s responsible official for the warrant.

A brief like this keeps the desk inside its job, which is drafting the documentation core, and keeps the evidence and the signature with the plant.

What the PPAP submission level does not change

It helps to be clear about what stays fixed whichever level the customer names. The level changes the parcel that leaves the plant. It does not change the work behind it.

• The elements that apply. Every applicable element is completed and kept on file at every level.
• The production evidence. The production trial, measurements, capability studies, Gage R&R and laboratory tests still happen at the plant.
• The customer’s own requirements. Additions in the customer’s manual or customer-specific requirements apply on top of the manual at any level.
• The signature. The supplier’s responsible official signs the Part Submission Warrant at Level 1 exactly as at Level 5.

Read this way, a low level is not less work. It is less paper in the envelope, with the same file standing behind it.

People also ask

Can a supplier choose its own PPAP submission level?

No. The customer sets the level. If the purchase order and supplier manual are silent, ask the customer in writing and prepare Level 3 while you wait, because a full file can always be trimmed and a thin one cannot be grown.

Do I need all 18 PPAP elements for a Level 1 submission?

You need every element that applies to the part completed and kept on file. At Level 1 you send only the warrant; the rest stays on file at the plant, ready for the customer to review.

What is the difference between Level 3 and Level 5?

Both need the complete supporting data. At Level 3 it is sent to the customer with samples; at Level 5 the customer reviews it at your manufacturing location, so the full file has to be ready on site.

What should a supplier do if the PPAP submission level is missing from the purchase order?

Check the customer’s supplier quality manual and any message from its supplier quality engineer. If both are silent, ask the customer in writing for the level, its requirement document and the submission portal in one email. While waiting, build to Level 3. File the customer’s reply with the pack so the decision is on record for the next submission.

Is Level 3 always the default PPAP submission level?

Level 3 is the one to prepare when the customer names no level, because a full file can be cut down but a thin file cannot be grown without going back to the plant. It is still the customer’s decision. If the customer names a different level, that level applies.

Can the customer change the submission level for a later part?

Yes. The customer sets the level for each submission, so it can ask for a different level on a new part or a changed one. Check the purchase order, supplier manual and any instruction from the customer’s supplier quality engineer every time, rather than assuming the last level still applies.

Who keeps the PPAP file after a Level 1 or Level 2 submission?

The supplier does. At Level 1 only the warrant is sent, and at Level 2 the warrant goes with samples and limited supporting data. Every other applicable element stays on file at the plant, complete and ready for the customer to review on request.

Does a Level 4 submission always include samples?

Not necessarily. Level 4 is defined as the warrant plus whatever else the customer specifies, so whether samples or particular documents go with it depends entirely on the customer’s instruction. Get that list in writing before drafting, and file it with the pack.

Can a documentation desk decide which PPAP elements do not apply?

A desk can propose it, but the supplier’s quality team should confirm it and record the reason, and the customer’s requirements take priority. An appearance approval report, for example, only matters when the part has appearance items. When in doubt, ask the customer rather than leaving an element out.