自国防部（DOD）宣布全面质量管理（TQM）以来，它已成为供应商的一个重要术语。介绍了全面质量管理的八项原则。全面质量管理的实施被图形化地描述为一个循环过程。本文对所选的全面质量管理工具进行了讨论和说明。本文预测，供应商与政府承包商赢得新业务的能力将取决于他们实施全面质量管理的程度。它应该激励供应商开始研究实施全面质量管理计划的最佳方法。出于后一目的，提供了建议阅读的清单。

TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT (TQM) HAS BECOME A VITAL TERM TO SUPPLIERS SINCE IT WAS ANNOUNCED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF THE DEFENSE (DOD). AN INTRODUCTION IS GIVEN TO EIGHT PRINCIPLES OF TQM. IMPLEMENTATION OF TQM IS DEPICTED GRAPHICALLY AS A CYCLIC PROCESS. SELECTED TOOLS OF TQM ARE DISCUSSED AND ILLUSTRATED. THIS PAPER PREDICTS THAT SUPPLIERS' ABILITY TO WIN NEW BUSINESS WITH GOVERNMENT CONTRACTORS WILL DEPEND ON HOW WELL THEY IMPLEMENT TQM. IT SHOULD MOTIVATE SUPPLIERS TO INITIATE THEIR OWN STUDY OF THE BEST WAYS TO IMPLEMENT A TQM PROGRAM. FOR THIS LATTER PURPOSE, A LIST OF SUGGESTED READING IS PROVIDED.