Before a first order, ask the eight questions of the supplier's documentation rather than of a single
delivery. A supplier that can answer all eight in writing, with sample documents, has a process behind
the answer. One that answers with assurances rather than documents does not.
At goods-in
At receipt, the questions are asked of the paperwork that arrived with the parcel. The useful test at
this stage is simple: could a reviewer who did not attend the ordering process sign off the release
using only the documents in the box?
Record the lot or batch number with the outcome. If a query is raised, the batch number is what makes
the conversation specific rather than general.
Procurement checklist
Eight questions to ask before signing off a receipt
Use this list during supplier qualification or goods-in review. Printable as a one-page A4 checklist.
01
Identity method statedMass spectrometry, with the ionisation method and observed mass recorded.
02
Purity method statedReverse-phase HPLC, with wavelength, gradient and column recorded.
03
Lot number on the labelMatches the lot number printed on the certificate.
04
Retest date presentA defined retest or expiry date, not “use within X months”.
05
Retained sample positionConfirmation that a retained sample is held against the lot.
06
Shipping conditionsTemperature regime, packaging and dispatch documentation agreed in advance.
07
Documentation formatCertificate issued in the format your goods-in procedure accepts.
08
Intended-use positionSupplier states research-use-only position clearly and in writing.
Notes
Three things this checklist deliberately does not ask
It does not ask whether the material will produce an effect.
That is not a documentation question, and no certificate can answer it. The receiving laboratory decides
what to study and how to evaluate it.
It does not ask for a price. Documentation review and commercial review are
separate processes, and keeping them separate makes both faster.
It does not ask for a photograph of the vial. A label photograph is not a
record of identity. The lot number on the label, checked against the certificate, is.
Send the catalogue reference or target sequence, required purity, quantity and destination. The procurement desk returns a formal quotation with the documentation package and lead time.