How to check a China sourcing team before hiring
Ask for a named assignment team before accepting the quote: who visits factories, who reviews technical evidence, who covers absences and who approves changes. Confirm their roles, availability and authority in writing, then meet the people doing the work. Cambridge China Bridge has its own staff in China.
Request an assignment team, not a company profile
Our agent comparison guide covers where staff are based and whether inspectors are employed or subcontracted. Go further for your assignment: request names, employer or business affiliation, working location, allocated tasks and availability at the stages that matter. Include the project lead, factory visitor, technical reviewer and backup contact.
Arrange a call with the proposed lead and relevant specialists. Ask them to explain your brief, the likely difficulties and what they would escalate. Request a redacted example of comparable work showing who performed and reviewed it. Confirm that the people introduced are allocated to your project, rather than available only for sales calls.
Make local subcontracting visible
Ask which tasks will go to local partners, freelance inspectors, laboratories or other outside providers. Record the provider's identity, the person allocating the work, what information they receive and whether they can pass work onwards. Ask about supplier relationships or payments that could influence their judgement. Request disclosure before any previously unnamed provider starts.
Agree who briefs outside providers, checks their reports and follows up defects. Keep an accountable project lead even when another person visits the factory. Distinguish subcontracting the sourcing work from subcontracting production. Use who you contract with to clarify the commercial arrangement alongside the team plan.
Check the technical reviewer against the task
Ask who will review drawings, materials, test evidence and unresolved technical questions. Request relevant product experience and a redacted review showing how they identified a mismatch or missing evidence. State which judgements need a specialist or laboratory, and who commissions that work. Language skills and factory access alone do not demonstrate technical review ability.
Manufacturers and importers placing products on the UK market need to demonstrate compliance with relevant safety requirements. Treat technical review as evidence gathering for that duty. Ask the reviewer to record what was checked, against which specification, what remains unresolved and the limits of their review. Our test report verification guide covers checking the reports themselves.
Test backup cover before you need it
Name the deputy and confirm that they can access the current brief, approved samples, supplier correspondence and open issues. Ask what happens if the lead is absent during sample approval, an inspection failure or shipment preparation. Check the deputy's availability and ability to reach the factory; a shared inbox does not establish cover.
Walk through a scenario: the inspector reports a defect while the lead is unavailable. Ask who contacts you, where the evidence is stored and what stays on hold pending your decision. Record escalation contacts and approval boundaries. Our staff handover guide covers transferring the underlying project records.
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Agree personnel changes and decision authority
Put the approved team into the assignment brief. As a proposed project term, require written buyer approval before replacing the lead, technical reviewer or inspection provider. Request the reason, replacement's experience, availability, handover plan and effect on cost or schedule. Agree in advance whether a named deputy may provide temporary cover and which tasks can continue.
Keep a dated change record and introduce replacements before they take over. State separately who may negotiate, recommend acceptance, approve specification changes and release shipment. A personnel change should not quietly expand those powers. If an unexpected absence prevents approval, agree which affected tasks pause and how urgent issues reach you.
Frequently asked questions
How do I check who will actually source my products?
Request a named team with roles, affiliations, locations and availability. Meet the proposed lead and specialists, discuss your brief and confirm their allocation in writing.
Should I reject a sourcing agent that uses subcontractors?
Assess the disclosed provider, task and supervision. Ask who briefs them, reviews their evidence and follows up problems, and whether they can delegate the work again.
How do I assess a sourcing agent's technical reviewer?
Ask for relevant product experience and a redacted review example. Confirm what they can assess, what needs specialist input and how they document unresolved issues.
Can I require approval before the sourcing team changes?
Propose written approval for changes to named key roles in the assignment terms. Define temporary deputy cover, the replacement evidence needed and which tasks pause pending approval.