A manufacturer offers you £2.80 a unit. Another quotes £3.40.
The first looks cheaper. But if it requires 10,000 units and the second will make 3,000, you are making two very different cash commitments.
That is where I would start the conversation. The quote matters, but so do the quantities, payment dates, quality requirements and what happens when something goes wrong.
You can approve a lovely sample and still be unclear about who owns the formula, how the production batch will be checked, or who pays for a rejected delivery.
For paid subscribers, this edition includes the Manufacturer Checklist: 200 suggested checks, space for your own requirements, and an action tracker. Below, I’ll show you how to use it without turning supplier selection into a box-ticking exercise.
We’ll work through the five things I would want clear before committing money, including a worked example of why the lower unit quote can tie up £20,300 more cash.
