What supplier checks does a sourcing partner do?
Ask which kind of check it is. A document and profile review looks at company registration, technical scope fit, reference projects and the documents a supplier provides. An on-site audit, factory inspection, product test or seed-lot test is a different, separate service, usually done by the buyer, the supplier or an accredited third party. At SeedMatch Group, supplier qualification is the document and profile review only; inspections and laboratory tests are written into the RFQ when they are needed, and stock, prices, delivery windows and certifications are confirmed by the supplier for each RFQ.
What actually drives the answer
Document review: registration details, trading history, product scope and capacity statements, datasheets and the certificates the supplier chooses to share.
What it does not prove: a document review does not confirm that a factory, farm or seed lot meets a specification on a given day.
Inspection and testing: pre-shipment inspection, laboratory analysis or seed testing (for example under ISTA rules) are specified in the RFQ and paid for by the party the contract names.
Certificates: ask for a certificate's issuer, scope and expiry, and check it with the issuing body or register when the purchase depends on it.
Plant health: phytosanitary certificates are issued by the exporting country's national plant protection organisation, not by a sourcing partner.
Variables that change the answer
- Product type and destination requirements
- Value and risk of the purchase
- Whether the buyer or a lender requires independent inspection
Evidence a supplier needs before quoting
- The supplier's documents and certificates with issuer, scope and expiry
- The inspection or test requirements written into the RFQ
What this answer does not settle
- A document and profile review is not an audit, inspection, certification or guarantee of quality or delivery.
- Buyers remain responsible for their own due diligence and for appointing inspectors or laboratories where the purchase justifies it.
Responsibility
- Professional review:
- The buyer, with an accredited inspection body or laboratory where required
- Delivered by:
- Supplier, exporter, accredited inspection body or seed-testing laboratory
- Feeds RFQ section:
- Documents, inspection and testing
Sources
- International Plant Protection Convention — ISPM standards and phytosanitary certificationIPPC Secretariat (FAO) · Primary source · accessed 2026-08-21
- International Rules for Seed TestingInternational Seed Testing Association (ISTA) · Primary source · accessed 2026-08-21
Related pages
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