| Supplier identity and capability | Confirm the legal entity that will manufacture, contract, invoice, and receive payment. Establish whether the supplier is a factory, trading company, or both. | Request current business registration details, factory address, production-process description, and a live or independent factory audit where practical. Match the contracting entity to the payment beneficiary. | A trading company may coordinate production, but the buyer should identify the actual manufacturer and agree who is responsible for quality, delays, and warranty claims. |
| Quality management certification | Check whether the supplier holds ISO 9001 certification and whether its scope covers the relevant manufacturing activities and site. | Obtain the certificate number, issuing certification body, scope, covered locations, and expiry date. Verify the certificate with the issuer or an appropriate accreditation directory. | ISO 9001 certifies a quality-management system, not the quality or code compliance of a particular house or shipment. |
| Product and building-code compliance | Identify the destination country, building use, applicable codes, required permits, and the specific components subject to product regulations. | Agree on a compliance matrix listing each applicable standard, component, responsible party, required test or certificate, and submission deadline. Have local design professionals review the proposed solution. | Requirements vary by jurisdiction, building type, and product. A general statement such as “international standard” does not establish local building approval. |
| CE marking and European projects | For products placed on the EU market, determine whether the specific construction product is covered by applicable EU harmonised specifications and CE-marking rules. | Request the relevant declaration of performance and supporting documentation where required, and confirm that the documents identify the actual product and intended use. | CE marking is not a general quality award and does not automatically certify an entire prefabricated house or replace national building-permit requirements. |
| Structural steel documentation | For structural steel components, check whether the project and product fall within the applicable European requirements, including EN 1090 where relevant. | Specify required execution-class information, factory production-control evidence, material traceability, welding documentation, and product documentation in the technical schedule. | EN 1090 requirements depend on product scope and intended use; do not assume they apply to every steel item or every prefabricated building. |
| Technical scope and drawings | Define dimensions, layout, structure, insulation, windows, doors, finishes, MEP scope, included accessories, and exclusions. | Attach approved drawings, specifications, a bill of materials, finish schedules, and a revision register to the contract. State that production follows the buyer-approved revision. | Words such as “standard package” or “turnkey” can conceal differences in foundations, installation, utilities, local engineering, and site work. |
| Engineering and design responsibility | Assign responsibility for design loads, foundation interfaces, wind and snow loads, seismic requirements, fire performance, and local engineering review. | Include project-specific design criteria, signed engineering deliverables where required, interface drawings, and a process for approving design changes. | Factory drawings or calculations may not satisfy the destination jurisdiction’s submission or professional-signature requirements. |
| Contract price and change control | Set out the total price, currency, inclusions, exclusions, tooling or sample costs, and the treatment of changes. | Use a detailed price schedule and require written approval of any change to cost, materials, specifications, or delivery dates before implementation. | Unrecorded substitutions or informal messaging can create disputes about the approved scope and final price. |
| Delivery terms and schedule | Specify production lead time, inspection windows, shipping readiness, shipment date, and delivery location. | If using Incoterms®, name the exact rule, named place or port, and “Incoterms® 2020” version. Separately state packaging, export documents, and who books and pays for each transport leg. | Incoterms® allocate certain delivery tasks, costs, and risks; they do not by themselves define payment, product acceptance, ownership transfer, or remedies for defects. |
| Payment protections | Link payments to clearly defined contract milestones and documentary evidence. | For example, agree milestones for contract signing, approved drawings, completed production, passed pre-shipment inspection, and shipping documents. State refund or remedy terms for missed milestones. | Payment percentages and any retention are commercial terms to negotiate; there is no universal schedule suitable for every order. |
| Quality-control plan | Agree on inspections from incoming materials through fabrication, assembly, finishing, and final packing. | Use an inspection and test plan identifying inspection stages, sampling, acceptance criteria, responsible inspectors, required records, and notice periods for buyer or third-party inspections. | Inspection criteria should refer to approved drawings, agreed specifications, and applicable standards rather than subjective descriptions such as “premium quality.” |
| Pre-shipment inspection | Check product quantities, dimensions, workmanship, finishes, accessories, labels, and packing before dispatch. | Make dispatch conditional on an agreed inspection report, resolution of major non-conformities, and approval of the packing list and shipping marks. | A pre-shipment inspection is a snapshot of inspected items; it does not replace design review, factory process control, or destination-country checks. |
| Materials and traceability | Define material grades and specifications for structural members, panels, insulation, coatings, and other critical components. | Require applicable material certificates, batch or heat identification where relevant, approved-substitution procedures, and records linking critical materials to production lots. | Brand or grade names alone may not establish that delivered materials match the project specification; verify documents and physical identification. |
| Packaging and transport protection | Plan packaging for the transport mode, handling equipment, route, weather exposure, and unloading method. | Specify protection against moisture, corrosion, impact, and movement; require package identification, lifting points where applicable, and a loading plan for containerised cargo. | Damage risk can increase when packaging, container loading, or unloading responsibilities are not assigned in writing. |
| Warranty and remedies | Define warranty coverage, start date, duration, exclusions, claim procedure, response times, and remedies for defects. | State whether the remedy is repair, replacement, reimbursement, or another agreed solution, and allocate transport and labour costs for each remedy scenario. | Warranty periods and legal rights vary by contract and jurisdiction. Confirm that the supplier can practically support claims after delivery. |
| Dispute resolution and governing law | Agree on governing law, dispute-resolution method, venue or arbitration seat, contract language, and the controlling version of bilingual documents. | Have qualified legal counsel review the final agreement, especially for cross-border enforcement, liability limits, termination, and force majeure. | Do not rely on a quotation or purchase order alone if technical specifications, inspection rights, remedies, and dispute terms are missing or inconsistent. |
