China Sourcing Partner: Supplier Onboarding Checklist
Prepare a pack with the UK contracting entity’s identity, VAT status, independently checked bank details, a signed confidentiality agreement, agreed scope and linked factory evidence. Map each file to your portal fields and record who approves it. Keep production sites separate from the payable supplier. Discuss the pack with Cambridge China Bridge.
Map the submission to your portal
Ask procurement for the portal questionnaire, attachment rules and approval owners before requesting documents. Use the checklist below as a submission plan, then adapt it to your organisation’s requirements. Label each attachment with its entity, purpose, version and review date.
For a buy-through-UK-company arrangement, create the payable supplier record for the UK contracting entity. Link Chinese production sites through a separate factory register. If the partner acts as your agent, record that role explicitly and identify the factory seller separately. Resolve this using who you contract with before completing supplier setup.
| Portal field | Attachment or record to request | Buyer review |
|---|---|---|
| Legal identity | Legal name, company number, registered address, incorporation certificate and trading-name explanation | Procurement compares the contracting entity with the register and draft agreement |
| Tax details | VAT status declaration and registration evidence where applicable | Finance records the check and resolves name or address differences |
| Payment details | Account holder, bank details, currency and bank-issued account evidence with unrelated transactions redacted | Finance independently verifies the instructions and records approval |
| Confidentiality | Signed confidentiality agreement and approved factory disclosure arrangements | Legal reviews the parties, signatories and permitted recipients |
| Contract and scope | Agreed terms, scope, role, delivery responsibilities and payment milestones | Procurement confirms how purchase orders and invoices will match |
| Insurance and policies | Insurance evidence and policy responses requested by the buyer | The relevant owner reviews coverage, gaps and declared exceptions |
| Production sites | Linked factory register, audit findings, corrective actions and product-specific evidence | Quality approves the sites and product scope separately |
| Submission control | Attachment index, named contacts, open issues and review dates | Procurement records acceptance, conditions and outstanding approvals |
Check identity and VAT evidence
Request the legal name used on the agreement and invoices, rather than relying on the website brand. Compare the supplied identity details with Companies House and retain a dated check record. Its company information service makes public company data available free of charge. Treat this as an identity check; assess deposit exposure separately through checking a UK sourcing provider’s finances.
Ask for VAT status and registration evidence where applicable. Compare the submitted details with the supplier record and resolve differences before approval. A UK VAT-registered buyer can use HMRC’s checking service to prove when it checked a UK VAT number. Record a non-registered declaration or a pending registration as stated, rather than inventing a number to satisfy a mandatory portal field.
Verify payment instructions independently
Request bank-issued evidence showing the account holder and payment details, with unrelated transactions redacted. Match the account holder to the contracting entity. Confirm the instructions through a contact route established independently of the payment email, and record the verifier, method, date and outcome. A document uploaded by the supplier is supporting evidence, not independent verification.
Hold payment setup when names differ or verification remains unresolved. Ask for a written explanation and finance approval before accepting another entity’s account. Apply the same check to later bank changes, keeping the change request and approval history. Agree currency, invoice routing, purchase-order references and payment milestones before activating the record.
Attach confidentiality and agreed scope
Ask legal to review the confidentiality agreement before sharing drawings, specifications or commercial data. Identify the contracting parties, authorised signatories, permitted recipients and how information may reach factories or subcontractors. Record how onward confidentiality will be handled; a signed agreement with the UK partner does not itself document every factory’s arrangements.
Attach the agreed sourcing scope and terms, including seller or agent role, named importer, delivery responsibilities, specification approval, inspection reporting, changes, tooling ownership and claims contacts. Map these to the portal’s contract and service-category fields. For manufacturing projects, identify who approves drawing revisions and production release. Request insurance evidence and policy responses against your own criteria, recording exceptions for review.
Link factory evidence and control approval
Keep a factory register showing each production site’s identity, address, proposed work and relationship to the UK partner. Link audit reports, unresolved corrective actions, approved samples and relevant product evidence to the actual site and specification. Record the issuer and scope of each report. Use the Chinese supplier approval guide for factory qualification; portal registration alone is not your production-release decision.
Submit an attachment index showing the portal field, file, entity, owner, version and any review or expiry date. Distinguish accepted documents from pending evidence and approved exceptions. Have procurement, finance, legal and quality record their decisions within their remit. Require notification and review of changes to the contracting entity, bank instructions, production sites or scope, so the onboarding pack remains useful after setup.
Frequently asked questions
What documents do we need to onboard a China sourcing partner?
Start with legal identity, VAT status, independently verified bank details, signed confidentiality terms, agreed scope and linked factory evidence. Add insurance and policy documents requested by your portal.
Should we register the UK partner or the Chinese factory?
Register the entity you contract with and pay for the relevant supply. Keep production sites in linked factory records. If the UK partner acts as your agent, identify the factory seller and any separate payment route.
Is a bank statement enough to approve supplier payment details?
Use it as supporting evidence. Independently confirm the account details through an established contact route and record finance approval. Hold setup while an account-name mismatch or verification issue remains unresolved.
Can we onboard the partner before choosing a factory?
If your process allows, approve the partner for the agreed sourcing scope while recording factory approval as pending. Keep production and payment release subject to the outstanding checks and named approvals.