How to confirm a verbal order change
Send a written change record showing the old and new terms, affected orders and effective date. Attach replacement payment or delivery schedules and obtain explicit confirmation from authorised representatives using the contract’s change procedure. Ask Cambridge China Bridge to coordinate the factory confirmation.
Start with the contract and the correct parties
Read the existing contract’s change procedure before sending your confirmation. Check the required format, signatures and recipient. As an example, the government’s public-sector contract template makes variations effective only when agreed in writing and signed by both parties. That is a term of that template, not a general rule for private purchases.
Address the record to the business you bought from, and identify the buyer and seller by their full company names. Ask a sourcing intermediary to distinguish factory acknowledgement from seller approval. For preparing the discussion itself, see negotiating with factories. For a change of intermediary, see our guide to changing sourcing agents mid-order.
Put the old and new terms side by side
Give the change record a reference and identify the contract, accepted quotation or purchase order being amended. For each changed item, reproduce the previous wording and write the complete replacement wording. Cover the price basis, currency, specification, quantity, packaging or delivery term as relevant. Avoid phrases such as “as discussed” or “latest price”.
Add the reason for the change and state which other terms are to remain unchanged. Attach the agreed specification or drawing when the description alone is insufficient. Keep the negotiation history separately so that accounts and production can use the confirmed record without reconstructing a conversation.
Define affected orders and the effective date
List each affected order and order line, including the product, batch or shipment where useful. Say whether the change covers existing orders, future orders, or specified undelivered goods. Identify any exclusions, such as goods already completed, dispatched or paid for.
Write the effective date separately from the date of confirmation. Explain what activates the change: an order being accepted, production starting or goods being dispatched, for example. If it applies to earlier activity, identify that activity expressly and explain how earlier invoices, payments or deliveries will be reconciled.
Replace the payment and delivery schedules
Attach a complete replacement payment schedule where payment terms change. Show the currency, amounts, due dates or payment triggers, payments already received, credits and remaining balance. Identify the schedule it replaces. Check that the revised invoice and purchase order match it; see purchase orders, proformas and commercial invoices.
For delivery changes, distinguish production completion, inspection readiness, dispatch, arrival and delivery to the named destination. State whether each date is an agreed commitment or an estimate. Record revised shipment splits, freight responsibility and dependencies. Keep inspection approval separate from payment or shipment permission; see inspection and shipment approval.
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Obtain explicit approval and release the final record
Ask authorised representatives of both businesses to confirm the exact change reference and attachments using the contract’s required procedure. Record their names, roles and confirmation dates. Request corrections or explicit acceptance; do not use silence, a read receipt or a factory employee’s acknowledgement as your operational approval. See order and payment approval controls.
Suggested wording: “Please confirm acceptance of the attached change record, including the replacement schedules, for the listed orders from the stated effective date. All other terms remain unchanged.” After confirmation, archive the accepted version and circulate it to accounts, purchasing, production and logistics. Mark replaced schedules as superseded. If approval is disputed or incomplete, flag the change as unresolved and agree interim instructions.
Frequently asked questions
Can I confirm a verbal order change by email?
Check the contract’s change procedure first. Use email to identify the exact terms and attachments, but obtain any signatures or formal document the contract calls for.
Who should approve a supplier’s changed terms?
Ask an authorised representative of the contracting seller and your authorised buyer to confirm. Record their roles; distinguish factory acknowledgement from seller acceptance.
Does a new price apply to orders already placed?
Specify this in the change record. List affected orders and exclusions, and identify the event or date that determines which goods receive the new price.
What if the supplier does not reply?
Keep the proposed change marked unresolved. Follow up with the authorised contact and agree interim payment, production and delivery instructions before acting on the new terms.