What to check before accepting a supplier handover
Accept the handover only after the incoming agent can reach the retained factory, retrieve and explain the approved records, reconcile open commitments and handle a supervised enquiry without changing agreed terms. Record gaps and keep affected approvals on hold. You can discuss this handover with Cambridge China Bridge.
Define what acceptance covers
This check concerns a new agent taking over an existing factory relationship. Write down the retained factory, products, live orders and activities being handed over. Name the buyer who approves specification changes, payments and shipment. Ask the factory to acknowledge the incoming agent's role and the instructions it may receive.
Separate receipt of the files from acceptance of the working handover. Agree what evidence will demonstrate readiness and who will close each gap. For continuity when an individual leaves, use the staff handover guide; here, test whether the incoming agent can actually operate the relationship.
Test the factory contacts live
Have the incoming agent contact the factory through the channels it will use for normal work, with the buyer observing. Ask the factory contact to confirm their role, the production site, the current order position and an alternative contact for absences. Record the exchange and check that a written follow-up reaches the intended recipient.
An introduction forwarded by the outgoing agent is a starting point. Check it against contact details already held by the buyer. For bank changes, government fraud guidance recommends confirming old and new account details using a known telephone number. Keep payment approval separate from the contact test. For production capability checks, use the factory audit guide.
Make the incoming agent retrieve readable records
Ask the incoming agent to open the actual files from its own authorised access and locate the approved specification, drawings, sample reference, latest quotation, order, inspection records and relevant test reports. Supply readable translations where needed, alongside the originals. Identify the current revision, approval source and storage location; label superseded material clearly.
Test understanding with a real question: which material is approved, which packing instruction applies, or which change remains unapproved? A folder of screenshots is insufficient if nobody can reconstruct the decision. Resolve missing attachments and inaccessible links before acceptance. Use the product specification guide where the approved baseline itself is unclear.
Reconcile unresolved commitments
Create an open-items register covering deposits and balances, credits, tooling and sample locations, work in progress, reserved materials, promised delivery dates, defects, replacements and unfinished corrective actions. For each item, record the supporting message or document, each party's understanding, the next action, its owner and the agreed review date.
Ask the buyer, incoming agent and factory to confirm the register; involve the outgoing agent where an earlier promise needs explanation. Mark disagreements as unresolved rather than copying them into the new agent's instructions as settled facts. Agree who follows up historic problems and who handles current enquiries. Hold the affected payment, change or shipment approval until the relevant gap is resolved.
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Supervise an enquiry before signing off
Choose a real enquiry to the retained factory, such as requesting a repeat quotation against the approved specification. Have the incoming agent draft it for buyer review, send it through the tested channel and manage the response. State that the enquiry does not authorise production, payment or a specification change. Check that the reply identifies the intended product revision and makes exclusions or proposed changes visible.
Compare the enquiry and response with the handover records. Can the agent spot a changed material, an omitted packing requirement or a conflict with an outstanding commitment, and refer it to the buyer? Record the result, remaining gaps and the buyer's acceptance decision. Keep the handover open if the agent still depends on the outgoing agent to explain routine records or obtain a usable factory reply.
Frequently asked questions
Is a supplier contact list enough for a handover?
No. Test a live exchange, a written follow-up and access to the approved records. Confirm who handles production questions and who covers absences.
What if the outgoing agent will not help?
List what is missing and reconstruct it with the buyer and factory. Keep unsupported promises unresolved and hold affected approvals. Accept only the scope the incoming agent can demonstrate.
Does the first enquiry need to become an order?
No. Use a genuine quotation or status enquiry and state its limits. The test is whether the agent communicates the approved baseline, understands the reply and flags changes for buyer approval.
Can I accept a handover with open issues?
Yes, for a clearly bounded scope if the issues have evidence, owners and agreed actions. Record exclusions and keep affected approvals on hold. Do not label an untested relationship ready for routine ordering.