Whether the supplier is verifiable at all
A quotation is only as good as the evidence behind it: can the models, documents and manufacturer records be checked?
For · Procurement and sourcing teams
Buy against evidence, not category claims
Procurement receives an RFQ trail tied to exact models and quantities. Availability, lead time, price, warranty, shipping and payment terms are confirmed at quotation; certification documents are reviewed per SKU where applicable.
What you are actually deciding
Whether two quotes are actually comparable
A lower price against a different suffix, rating or missing certificate is not a saving. Comparability comes before the numbers.
What the landed cost really contains
Freight, consolidation, documentation, duty and the cost of a wrong part all sit outside the unit price. They decide the real number.
What the engineering desk contributes
RFQ traceability
The quotation identifies exact model numbers, quantities, commercial assumptions and items still subject to engineering or supplier confirmation.
Availability review
Availability and lead time are checked per SKU, quantity and destination, then confirmed at RFQ rather than inferred from a catalog page.
Model-level documents
Datasheets and certification documents are supplied when available for the exact SKU; no category-wide certification claim is substituted for model evidence.
Multi-category sourcing
A single RFQ can cover PLC, HMI, VFD, servo, sensor and industrial communication requirements across supported product lines.
How the request moves
01
Send the RFQ set
Include models, quantities, destination, target date and required documentation or approval conditions.
02
Resolve ambiguities
Engineering flags incomplete specifications, suffix choices, cross-brand candidates and application dependencies.
03
Verify the evidence
Available supplier documentation is matched to the quoted SKU and missing evidence remains explicitly open.
04
Issue the quotation
Price, availability, lead time, warranty, shipping and payment terms are confirmed in the quotation.
Where this connects
Automation Liberty works in three ways. These are the ones that normally apply to you.
Urgent parts intake
Use the quick quote path when part numbers and quantities are already identified.
OpenSupply chain management
When a whole category needs qualifying, producing and shipping rather than a line-by-line RFQ each time.
OpenBOM review
Engineering review of the bill of materials before it becomes a purchase order.
OpenOrder and compliance records
The documents a destination normally requires, requested against the exact order.
OpenWhat we do not do
- No stock level, price or lead time is published or implied. All of them are confirmed at quotation for the specific model, quantity and destination.
- Certification documents are supplied per model where the manufacturer publishes them. A category-wide claim is never substituted for model-level evidence.
- Where a specification cannot be traced to a manufacturer document, the record says so and the line stays open rather than being filled with an assumption.
- A candidate replacement for a competitor part remains subject to engineering review and is not a compatibility guarantee.
Questions asked before the first order
How do I verify a Chinese automation supplier before ordering?
Ask for evidence that can be checked independently: the exact manufacturer model record, a datasheet matching that order code, its certificates, and a clear statement of what was not verified.
What documents should I ask for before placing an order?
A model-level datasheet matching the exact order code, applicable certificates for that model, and the commercial and shipping records your destination requires — confirmed per SKU at quotation.
Why do two quotes for the same part differ so much?
Usually because they are not the same part: suffix differences change ratings, a series document was substituted for an exact-model one, or the gap sits in freight and duty. Establish model-level comparability first.
Can one RFQ cover several product categories?
Yes — one RFQ can span PLC, HMI, VFD, servo and communication lines, consolidated into one shipment with one document set. Categories outside the catalogue run as a sourcing programme.
Useful next routes
Send the exact RFQ
Include the BOM, quantities, destination, target date and document requirements for review.