COMPARISON BASE / 01
Compare a controlled set of assumptions, not a collection of sales messages.
Start a comparison record for the specific product and quantity you are considering. Give it a version, owner and date. Do not silently normalise a supplier’s change: mark it as an open difference and ask what would make the quote comparable.
Set one product, quantity and destination question
Write the product version, expected quantity or quantity bands, packaging basis, intended destination, target delivery window and the questions you need the quotation to answer. Send the same current brief to each supplier or record each supplier’s exceptions against it.
A price for 500 units, another for 1,000 units, and a third excluding packaging are three useful signals, but they are not the same commercial offer. Keep the original quotation and a comparison field for the assumption that differs.
Name the legal seller and each transaction role
Record the supplier name exactly as shown on the quotation, then collect the Chinese legal name, Unified Social Credit Code where available, registered address and any separate manufacturer, exporter or payee role. A trading company or related company may be legitimate; the buyer still needs each role to be clear before comparing terms.
Establish the legal seller with the official registration workflow →
Match the product revision before comparing unit prices
Compare model, material, dimensions, tolerance, finish, accessories, marking, packaging and the current drawing or specification revision. Keep the approved sample, quotation and eventual order tied to identifiable versions.
Define the controlled product specification before comparing supplier totals →
ISO 10007:2017 gives configuration-management guidance across products and services. Use the principle here as an evidence discipline: a version label makes a difference discussable; it does not prove a supplier can make the product.
Expose what is included, excluded or still assumed
Separate product, tooling, mould, artwork, sample, testing, certification, labels, packaging, freight, insurance, export documents and destination work. Do not treat a blank field as included. Ask each supplier to state the owner, cost and timing assumption for every material item.
“Same specification” and “same price” are different claims. A quote can be internally consistent and still not cover the same ordered product or destination obligations as another quote.
Separate the total into reviewable price components
Record currency, unit price, quantity band, minimum order quantity, tooling or setup charge, sample charge, packaging, tax where applicable, discount conditions, quotation validity and total calculation. Mark whether a price is estimated, fixed for a defined period or contingent on an open item.
Do not turn a quotation into a promise of the final transaction cost. Exchange rates, freight, duties, changing scope and terms outside the quotation may still affect a buyer’s decision.
Name the Incoterms® rule, version and exact place or point
Record the selected term as “Incoterms® 2020” plus the precise named place, port, terminal or point. The ICC Incoterms® 2020 rules allocate defined costs, risks and obligations; the quotation still needs its own production, dispatch and document assumptions.
Keep a promised readiness date, a booking window and the contract delivery point as separate fields. A supplier’s estimated lead time is a planning input, not a guaranteed shipment date.
Carry the selected delivery term, named point and document assumptions into a shipment record →
State the evidence, inspection and acceptance assumptions
Ask which sample, drawing, test report, certificate, inspection stage, lot definition, test method and defect rule the supplier has priced against. If an inspection plan will use lot sampling, record that it is a later decision for a defined lot, not a general quality promise.
ISO 2859-1:2026 describes AQL-indexed acceptance sampling schemes for lot-by-lot inspection. It does not replace buyer-defined product requirements, destination rules or an explicit accept-or-hold decision.
Match certificates and test reports to the proposed product and order →
Record payment triggers and beneficiary assumptions separately
Show the proposed deposit, balance trigger, refund or credit conditions, beneficiary name, invoice seller and any conditions for a bank-account change. A commercial comparison may be ready while payment evidence is still unresolved; keep that distinction visible.
Check the seller, invoice and beneficiary path before payment →
COMPARISON TABLE / 02
Use fields that make a difference visible
| Field | Record for every quote | Ask when it differs | Do not conclude |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seller | Quote issuer and legal seller identity; manufacturer/exporter/payee roles | Which entity sells, makes, exports and receives payment? | That a matching name proves capability or safety |
| Product | Model, specification revision, material, packaging and quantity basis | Which exact version is priced? | That two similar descriptions are the same product |
| Scope | Included and excluded work, documents, samples, tools and packaging | Who owns each missing cost or task? | That an unstated item is included |
| Price | Currency, unit price, components, validity and total calculation | What changes the price or quantity band? | That the lowest total is the lowest eventual cost |
| Delivery | Incoterms® 2020 rule, named point, readiness and dispatch assumptions | Where do costs, risks and handoffs change? | That an estimated lead time is a guarantee |
| Evidence | Sample, report, certificate, inspection and destination assumptions | Which ordered model, site and lot does the evidence cover? | That a document approves the supplier or order |
| Payment | Milestones, invoice seller, beneficiary and change process | What evidence triggers each payment? | That payment terms prove payment safety |
| Open items | Difference, owner, due date and next decision | What must be answered before comparison closes? | That silence closes the exception |
DECISION STATES / 03
Keep comparison and selection separate
| State | What is true | Permitted next step |
|---|---|---|
| Collected | Quotes are saved, but their product, scope or delivery assumptions differ | Request clarification; do not rank totals as equivalent |
| Comparable with open items | Core fields are aligned and differences are named with owners | Evaluate the documented trade-offs and close material questions |
| Commercially selected | A buyer has chosen a seller and recorded the commercial basis | Build the controlled purchase-order baseline; no production release yet |
| Changed | A seller, product, scope, delivery or payment assumption changes | Reopen the affected comparison and issue a new record version |
METHOD / 04
How this checklist was prepared
Currawong Web’s China-side verification desk reviewed the official sources below on 2 August 2026. ICC supports the named Incoterms® 2020 comparison field. ISO 10007 supports the configuration-management framing for versioned product evidence. ISO 2859-1 supports the limited description of lot-by-lot acceptance sampling.
The eight comparison fields and decision states are our evidence-control synthesis. We did not inspect any reader’s supplier, quotation, product, transaction, contract, destination requirements or payment path. This is general evidence-organising guidance, not legal advice, a quotation template, price benchmark, customs or product-compliance opinion, supplier approval or payment guarantee.
PRIMARY SOURCES / 05
Official sources used for this guide
Links and page content were checked on 2 August 2026. Re-open the relevant source and obtain jurisdiction-specific advice before a material order or destination decision.
- ICC — Incoterms® 2020Official ICC overview of the 11 rules used to allocate specified costs, risks and obligations in a business-to-business sale.
- ISO 10007:2017Official ISO record for configuration-management guidance applicable to products and services.
- ISO 2859-1:2026Official ISO record for lot-by-lot acceptance sampling procedures indexed by AQL.
COMMON QUESTIONS / 06
Keep a quotation comparison inside its evidence boundary
- Is the lowest quotation automatically the best supplier choice?
- No. A lower total may reflect a different product revision, quantity, scope, delivery point, evidence package or payment trigger. Compare those assumptions before evaluating the trade-off.
- Does a quotation prove that a supplier can produce the product?
- No. It records a commercial offer. Legal identity, capability, sample, documents and production evidence require separate checks against the relevant order.
- Can I use this checklist as a contract?
- No. It is a comparison record, not a contract or legal interpretation. Obtain qualified advice for a material transaction and the applicable jurisdiction.
- Should I compare a factory and a trading company in the same table?
- Yes, if both are candidates, but name the proposed seller, manufacturer, exporter and payee roles. A business type alone does not settle order fit or transaction risk.
- What happens after a seller is selected?
- Turn the chosen commercial assumptions into one controlled purchase-order baseline, then decide separately whether the evidence and hold points allow production to start.