1. Identity and accountability
Verify the legal seller, invoicing entity, plant/dispatch location, applicable registrations and named commercial and quality contacts. Ensure the quotation, invoice, COA and transport documents describe the same source and product.
2. Technical and quality control
Check whether the supplier understood the full specification, can produce lot-linked evidence, has an appropriate sampling/testing process and accepts the rejection/dispute rule. For food, verify current licence scope and pack/label responsibility.
3. Operational and commercial delivery
Assess real production and stock readiness, packing availability, dispatch lead time, freight plan, communication, payment terms and contingency. Score the paid trial on chemistry, weight, bags, paperwork, timeliness and response—not only whether a truck arrived.
| Area | Weight |
|---|---|
| Technical conformity | 30% |
| Lot evidence and traceability | 20% |
| Delivery and packing | 20% |
| Landed cost and terms | 20% |
| Responsiveness and corrective action | 10% |
Turn the scorecard into a repeat-order control
Set a minimum technical gate before weighted scoring. A supplier that fails a mandatory licence, chemistry or lot-evidence requirement should not recover through a low price score. For accepted suppliers, define the scoring evidence and owner: quality reviews test results, stores reviews bags and weight, logistics reviews delivery, accounts reviews commercial accuracy and procurement consolidates the result.
Re-score after the first trial, the first three commercial lots and any material deviation. Record corrective-action speed and recurrence, not only the original failure. A supplier can improve, but the approval scope should remain tied to the product, plant, packing and application actually qualified.
- Mandatory pass/fail gate
- Weighted performance score
- Named evidence owner
- Product-and-plant approval scope
- Deviation and corrective-action history
- Scheduled requalification
Buyer questions
Frequently asked questions
Should I visit the supplier?
For material or food-safety critical supply, a visit or qualified audit can add evidence. Match the depth of due diligence to the order risk and value.
How many trials are enough?
There is no universal number. Use enough representative lots to understand variability, delivery performance and corrective response before a long commitment.
Can a marketplace rating qualify a salt supplier?
No. It can be a discovery signal, but qualification should use legal, plant, technical, lot and delivery evidence for the actual source.
Primary references
Official sources used on this page
Standards and regulations can change. Follow the linked authority and verify the current requirement for the actual contract.
- Industrial-grade salt numerical reference tableSalt Commissioner Organisation, Government of India
- Product Manual for IS 7224:2006 iodized saltBureau of Indian Standards