CITYEXPORTS

The method

Six stages.
Every one leaves a record.

Quality drifts at predictable points: an unclear specification, an unverified supplier, a hand-picked sample, an uninspected lot. We put a check at each of them, and any check can stop the order.

  1. 01Requirement into a written specification
  2. 02Choosing the supplier
  3. 03Sample and independent test
  4. 04Quote, contract and terms
  5. 05Production follow-up and pre-shipment inspection
  6. 06Documents, shipment and records

Requirement into a written specification

A purchase requirement says what you want. A specification says what “right” means. We settle eight things in writing before any supplier quotes, so every quote describes the same product.

Pencil illustration of a blank sheet beside a fully ruled specification form

What we do

  1. Product: variety, grade, form and size
  2. Specification, with the test method for each parameter
  3. Quantity for the first order, then for repeat orders
  4. Packing: material, net weight and marking
  5. Incoterm and point of delivery
  6. Documents required at your end
  7. Arrival date, not only the shipping date
  8. The deviation you accept, and who pays beyond it

What you receive

  • A specification sheet for your approval
  • A list of anything still missing, before quotes are requested

Choosing the supplier

Eight steps, and any one of them can end it. They follow the four verbs of ISO 9001 clause 8.4.1 for external providers: evaluate, select, monitor, re-evaluate.

Pencil illustration of an open register with a magnifying glass and a stamp

What we do

  1. Write the specification before anyone quotes
  2. Shortlist only producers who can make to it
  3. Verify the entity on the public registers
  4. Find out who actually produces it
  5. Test a sample at a laboratory we choose
  6. Decide in writing, against four questions
  7. Place a trial order and inspect it
  8. Re-evaluate on a set date and after any failed batch

When we stop

  • Names or addresses disagree across the registers
  • The producer cannot be named or shown
  • A gate question has no written answer
  • A trial lot fails the agreed limits

What you receive

  • Dated copies of the register checks
  • The producer's name and address
  • A one-page decision note, with reasons

Sample and independent test

The sample that passes is often the one the supplier chose to send. So we draw the sample ourselves, choose the laboratory and check its accreditation scope before anything is sent.

Pencil illustration of sample bags, one closed with a red wax seal and a tag

What we do

  1. Fix the test list, methods and limits before the sample moves
  2. Draw the sample from the lot we would buy
  3. Choose a laboratory accredited to ISO/IEC 17025
  4. Check the laboratory's NABL scope for every parameter
  5. Split the sample and seal one part
  6. Read the report against the specification
  7. Compare it with the supplier's own certificate, and approve that batch only

When we stop

  • A parameter is outside the laboratory's scope
  • A seal is broken or the numbers differ
  • A result has no number or no method
  • The report and the supplier's certificate disagree without explanation

What you receive

  • The laboratory report and its scope check
  • Seal numbers for both parts of the sample
  • A pass or fail for every parameter

Quote, contract and terms

The quote is built line by line against the approved specification, so you can see what each part of the price pays for. Tolerances and the remedy for a failed result are written into the contract before production.

Pencil illustration of three clipped document sheets

What we do

  1. Quote itemised: goods, packing, testing, inspection and freight to the agreed point
  2. Tolerances, test methods and the remedy for a deviation agreed in writing
  3. Payment on bank-routed terms agreed per order, such as a letter of credit or documents against payment
  4. Inspection plan and the inspecting party named in the contract

What you receive

  • An itemised quotation
  • A contract that states what happens if a result fails

Production follow-up and pre-shipment inspection

The inspection plan is agreed before production starts, not after. You know what will be checked, on how many units, and the limits that decide accept or reject.

Pencil illustration of a tagged wooden crate beside a tape measure

What we do

  1. Production followed against the agreed schedule
  2. Pre-shipment inspection against the agreed limits and sample size
  3. Inspection by us, or by an agency you nominate
  4. Packing and marking checked against the order
  5. Nothing ships against a failed inspection

What you receive

  • The inspection report for the lot
  • Photographs of packing and marking

Documents, shipment and records

Every export document is prepared from one source of truth, so the invoice, packing list and certificates agree with each other and with the goods.

Pencil illustration of a sack and a carton on a map with a red route line

What we do

  1. Commercial invoice, packing list and certificate of origin from one dataset
  2. Laboratory and inspection certificates matched to the lot
  3. Booking, customs clearance and transit followed to the agreed point
  4. A retention sample kept from the shipped lot

What you receive

  • A complete document set before the goods arrive
  • The full record file for the order

Start with the requirement you have.

It does not need to be a finished specification. Send what you know, and we will tell you what is missing before any supplier quotes.

Send a requirement