Define why you need a second supplier
Describe the situation the second supplier must address. Do you need another source for the same product, a specific variant or future volume that the current arrangement does not cover? Decide whether the goal is an available option or regular purchasing. Those goals require different discussions about samples, readiness and schedules.
A China plus one plan can use the same structure: evaluate a Vietnam supplier while documenting what remains with the existing China supplier. Adding a country does not by itself prove lower costs, tariff advantages or fewer disruptions. Identify the actual dependencies you want to change, including any shared materials or outsourced steps that need clarification.
Prepare a controlled transfer brief
Establish the current product baseline before requesting an offer. Label specifications, approved sample references, material choices, packaging and unresolved issues. Distinguish requirements from the current supplier’s proposed methods; ask the new supplier how it would meet the requirement rather than assuming an identical process.
Check that you are authorized to share each file or sample, including information originating from another supplier or customer. WIPO identifies manufacturing processes and other business information as possible trade-secret subject matter. Ask a qualified adviser about rights and confidentiality where needed. Use a general description for the initial inquiry, then agree private sharing arrangements before sending confidential details.
WORKING CHECKLIST
- Transfer purpose: [backup / extra capacity / proposed replacement]
- Product baseline: [specification revision / approved sample ID]
- Materials and packaging: [requirements / permitted alternatives]
- Known issues: [open revisions / questions / review status]
- Files and samples: [owner or source / sharing authorization / recipients]
- New supplier questions: [proposed approach / deviations / dependencies]
Clarify tooling, design and responsibility questions
List tooling and design questions before assuming anything can move. Ask who holds each tool, drawing or production file, what permission is needed to share or use it, and whether the new supplier proposes existing tooling or separately quoted work. Ownership, licensing and contractual rights need qualified legal review; this checklist does not determine them.
- Which materials and components are proposed, and which substitutions need buyer review?
- Is tooling available for the new arrangement, or is an alternative proposal needed?
- Who would arrange, pay for, maintain and hold any newly proposed tooling?
- Who reviews drawings, sample revisions and responsibility boundaries?
- What material, tooling or approval assumptions drive the estimated schedule?
Compare the new supplier against the actual requirement
Issue a consistent request and ask the supplier to identify deviations. WHO’s published RFQ illustrates requesting an offer against specifications with variations stated explicitly. Use that principle to compare product scope, quote assumptions and proposed timing, while keeping unanswered points visible.
Review relevant evidence and samples against the current requirement. A meeting or sample alone should not be labelled formal qualification. If the product needs engineering evaluation, testing or an audit, arrange the suitable scope and expertise separately. SGS describes technical vendor assessment as specialist work; communication support cannot substitute for it.
Keep review activities separate from current purchasing instructions. Confirm who can authorize changes to existing orders, and do not treat a second-source enquiry as an instruction to stop the current supplier.
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Define a limited trial and success criteria
Choose a trial scope that answers specific open questions. State the quantity, variant mix, specification and sample references, packaging, timing assumptions and review responsibilities. Agree any technical criteria with appropriate expertise. Ask the supplier to quote the trial clearly rather than assuming normal-order terms apply.
Define the conditions for progressing, repeating the trial, requesting changes or stopping. Keep sample approval, trial review and authorization for larger orders as separate decisions. Track the existing supplier’s orders independently so that tentative trial timing does not become a promise of replacement supply.
WORKING CHECKLIST
- Trial question: [what this order must establish]
- Agreed scope: [quantity / variants / references / quoted conditions]
- Review plan: [buyer criteria / specialist input where needed / owner]
- Progression gate: [evidence required / decision authority]
- If unresolved: [clarification / revision / another trial / stop]
Maintain a clear continuity and decision record
Keep a dated record of current orders, new-supplier milestones, material or tooling assumptions and open changes. Assign each responsibility explicitly. Before moving volume, review the latest evidence, any remaining dependencies and the effect on commitments already made. A second source becomes useful through maintained readiness and clear decisions; a seamless transfer should not be assumed.