Samples & Specifications
Part of Product sourcing for an Australian business
Defining a product specification before contacting suppliers
Build a clear first product brief with fixed requirements, open choices, variants and Australian compliance questions before contacting suppliers.
Before you contact suppliers, write a first product specification. It should let each candidate identify the same item, explain what they can supply and flag what remains undecided. It need not be a finished engineering drawing. It needs enough detail to stop different products being quoted as equivalents.
Start with use and fixed requirements
State who will use the product and what it must do.
List features that cannot change without your approval: dimensions that affect fit, required materials or components, capacity or performance needs, and any appearance that forms part of the customer promise. Use units and a drawing or reference image where words could be read in more than one way.
Mark preferences separately. For example, a preferred finish might be open to alternatives while the size of a part that fits an existing assembly is fixed. If you do not know a technical value yet, write “to be confirmed” and describe the outcome you need. An invented tolerance is less useful than an open question.
Describe variants as distinct order lines. Include colours, sizes, bundles or accessories if you know which combinations you want priced. Otherwise, ask the supplier to identify available options without treating them as approved additions.
Fixed requirements vs open choices in a first product brief
- Fixed requirementsDimensions that affect fit; required materials or components; capacity or performance needs; appearance that forms part of the customer promise.
- Open choicesPreferred finish open to alternatives; technical values marked “to be confirmed”; supplier-identified options not treated as approved additions.
Add the details needed for a useful response
Give a provisional quantity range, the destination in Australia and the date by which stock would be useful. Label the quantity as an estimate unless it is a commitment. Ask the supplier to state any minimum order and the lead time for the version quoted. Note whether you need retail packaging, instructions or a particular carton arrangement. Detailed artwork can follow later.
Ask the supplier to return its proposed specification, identified deviations, available documents and questions. This makes an early discussion useful even when the brief is incomplete. Keep pricing and delivery assumptions visible when you later request formal quotations.
Identify questions that cannot wait until after ordering
For a consumer product supplied in Australia, consider whether a mandatory standard or ban may apply to the finished item. A mandatory standard may cover performance, packaging or labelling as well as construction. Record a potential requirement as an open issue until you have checked its applicability and evidence. A general claim of Australian compliance does not identify the rule that applies.
If the goods may be imported, describe materials and components sufficiently to investigate import conditions. Customs, permit and biosecurity questions depend on the actual product. A vague description such as “home accessory” may be insufficient for that investigation.
Use a controlled brief
Give the brief a date and version.
- Product and intended use:
- what it is and who it is for.
- Fixed requirements:
- measurable features, materials and components.
- Open choices:
- acceptable alternatives and decisions still needed.
- Variants and presentation:
- options, included items and preliminary packaging.
- Order context:
- estimated quantity, Australian destination and desired timing.
- Evidence questions:
- possible product requirements and documents to request.
Send the same version to every candidate. When a supplier suggests a change, record it beside the original requirement. Later samples and production decisions may justify a revised, approved specification.
Controlled brief contents
- Product and intended useWhat it is and who it is for.
- Fixed requirementsMeasurable features, materials and components.
- Open choicesAcceptable alternatives and decisions still needed.
- Variants and presentationOptions, included items and preliminary packaging.
- Order contextEstimated quantity, destination in Australia and desired timing.
- Evidence questionsPossible product requirements and documents to request.
Controlled brief feedback loop
- Version the briefGive the brief a date and version.
- Send the same versionSend the same version to every candidate.
- Ask for a returned specificationAsk the supplier to return its proposed specification, identified deviations, available documents and questions.
- Record deviationsWhen a supplier suggests a change, record it beside the original requirement.
- Approve a revisionLater samples and production decisions may justify a revised, approved specification.
