How to avoid sourcing agent document portal lock-in
Agree routine exports into storage your business controls, including original attachments, approval history and an index. Check that files open without the agent's portal, then rehearse retrieving a complete order before access ends. Make this part of your sourcing brief with Cambridge China Bridge.
Agree the export arrangement before uploading
Put the export scope, frequency, responsible person and delivery location in the service brief. Ask for exports at agreed intervals and after important approvals or shipment events. Include closed orders, cancelled orders, disputes and superseded documents. Keep copies in storage controlled by your business, with access for authorised colleagues.
Agree which records you can receive and use, any exclusions, export charges and the access arrangements after notice of termination. Resolve gaps before relying on the portal. Add these questions to the broader checks in comparing sourcing agents.
Specify files your business can actually use
Request searchable PDF copies for reading, CSV or spreadsheet exports for registers, and original attachments in their supplied formats. Keep editable specifications and artwork where their supply and use have been agreed. Preserve signed copies alongside working files. Screenshots and a dashboard summary cannot replace the underlying documents.
Require an index connecting each file to its supplier, order, product, batch where relevant, revision and approval status. Export approval comments with their author and date. Keep the folder structure and filenames understandable outside the portal. Ask the agent to explain any proprietary format and demonstrate how your team will open it.
Check attachments, not just the export list
Compare the downloaded index with the portal's order record. Open files and check for missing pages, blank scans, unreadable images, password protection and links that still require a portal login. Confirm that attachments to messages and reports were downloaded as files rather than exported as links or thumbnails.
Match reports, photographs and approvals to the correct product and revision. Preserve earlier versions and the decision that replaced them. A successful download does not establish that a report proves what you need; use the audit and inspection report guide for that separate check.
Rehearse retrieval without portal access
Have a colleague who did not prepare the export retrieve a completed order using only your stored copy. Log out of the portal and avoid the agent's help during the exercise. Ask the colleague to find the approved specification, changes, inspection evidence, shipment documents and payment trail, then explain how they connect.
Record missing files, ambiguous revisions and anything that needs the portal to open. Ask for corrections, repeat the export and rerun the failed checks. Keep a dated record of the result and a short retrieval instruction. Build this into your staff handover process.
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Complete the final handover before access ends
For VAT-registered businesses, HMRC's basic rule is that normal business records must be created and kept. Treat the portal as a working tool and maintain your own archive. Ask your accountant to confirm the retention and accounting arrangements for your circumstances; use the HMRC import records guide for the wider record checklist.
Before termination takes effect, agree a final export date, capture changes since the last checked export and repeat the retrieval exercise. Record unresolved gaps and who will supply outstanding shipment or claim documents. Agree an access extension if checks remain incomplete. Confirm receipt and usability before asking for account closure.
Frequently asked questions
Is a sourcing portal login enough to keep my records?
Keep an independent archive in storage your business controls. Test that documents and attachments open after you log out of the portal.
What file formats should I ask my sourcing agent for?
Ask for searchable PDF copies, CSV or spreadsheet registers and original attachments. Request agreed editable source files and test them in your own software.
How do I check whether an export includes attachments?
Reconcile the index with the order record and open the downloaded files. Look for missing pages, thumbnails and links that still require the portal.
What should I test before ending the agent's service?
Ask a colleague to reconstruct a completed order using only your archive. Correct missing files and unclear revisions, then test the final export before access ends.