Supplier onboarding evidence checklist
Before the first purchase order, a buyer should not rely only on a quote, catalog or friendly sales reply. This checklist defines the minimum evidence pack that turns a promising supplier into a supplier that can be tested with controlled risk.
1 · Identity and contact evidence
| Evidence | Why it matters | Pass signal |
|---|---|---|
| Registered company name | Prevents quote-only trading confusion and wrong contract parties. | Matches invoice, bank, website or platform profile. |
| Business license / registration record | Confirms the legal entity behind the sales contact. | Name, address and scope are readable and consistent. |
| Primary contact and backup contact | Reduces single-person communication failure. | Names, roles, phone, email and messaging ID recorded. |
| Factory or office address | Needed for inspection, sample return and logistics planning. | Address can be mapped and matches documents. |
2 · Capability evidence
- AProduct category experience: similar SKU, material, size, certification or packaging history.
- BProduction capacity: monthly output, main equipment, subcontracting boundary and peak-season constraints.
- CQuality control: incoming material check, in-process inspection, final inspection and defect handling owner.
- DSample readiness: sample lead time, sample fee, sample marking and approval record plan.
3 · Commercial and payment checks
- Confirm quotation validity, Incoterm, currency, tax/export treatment and packaging assumptions.
- Check whether bank account name matches the registered company name before any deposit.
- Record deposit percentage, balance trigger, refund condition and late-delivery consequence.
- Ask for the smallest safe trial order rather than jumping directly to full quantity.
- Define who pays for rework, replacement, inspection failure and document correction.
4 · Copy-ready evidence request
Hello [supplier name], before we release the first PO, please send the following onboarding evidence pack:
company registration / product experience / capacity note / QC process / sample plan / bank-name confirmation / main contact + backup contact
Please mark any item that is unavailable and explain the alternative proof you can provide.
Decision rule
If identity, payment-account or production-capability evidence is missing, do not treat the supplier as fully onboarded. Use a smaller test order, request a third-party inspection, or keep the candidate in a watch status until the missing evidence is closed. After the first order, move to the supplier performance scorecard and then the repeat-order approval matrix.