Choosing an inspection company: questions to ask

This article describes common industry practice, not official rules.

The questions worth asking fall into a few groups: what they can inspect, how they work from your checklist, who they send and how they handle the factory, what the report contains, how booking and changes work, what the quoted price covers, and how they treat your information. Asking each group before you book saves arguing later.

Scope

Which inspection types do you cover, and which product categories do you handle? You want to know whether your product and your stage of production are routine for them, or whether they are starting from scratch.

Can the on-site tests we need be done at the factory, or do they go to a laboratory? Measurement and function tests can often be done at the factory; chemical or destructive testing usually cannot. Whether a legal or certification requirement applies to your product is for the regulator or an accredited laboratory to confirm.

The checklist

Do you work from our inspection checklist? A company that drafts its own list may leave out the points that matter to your product.

Do you inspect against a golden sample or an approved sample? Some goods can only be judged against a reference the buyer has approved in advance. See how the different inspection types differ in /library/inspection-types-compared/.

The inspectors

How are inspectors assigned to our job? Knowing whether the same inspector returns, or the work is rotated, tells you how much context they build up.

How do you handle language at the factory? Communication usually runs through the factory's own staff, so ask how instructions and doubts are passed along.

How do you make sure the factory does not pay you or steer the result? The inspector should be a third party that is not the factory or the seller, and the fee should come from the buyer. Ask how this is arranged in writing.

The report

What does the report contain, and what photos are included? Photos of defects, packaging and markings usually matter as much as the written findings.

When is it delivered, and who receives it? Agree the timing and the recipient list in advance, in writing.

Reading results afterwards is covered in /library/how-to-read-an-inspection-report/, and what to settle before the visit in /library/what-to-agree-before-a-pre-shipment-inspection/.

Booking and changes

How do we book, and what happens if the goods are not ready when planned? Delays in production are common, so ask what happens to the booking and to the fee.

What has to be settled before the inspector arrives? A common approach is to confirm the checklist, the approved sample, the packing list and the defect classifications in advance.

Price

What does the quoted price include? Ask what is covered, what is not, and how changes to the scope are billed. Work only from the price quoted to you in writing by the inspection company. No fee, rate or package appears in this article.

Accreditation and certification

Ask what accreditation or certification the company holds and who issued it, then verify it with the issuing body. Whether a legal or certification requirement applies is for the regulator or an accredited laboratory to confirm.

Confidentiality

Who sees our drawings, order quantities and findings? This matters when you are working on a product not yet on the market, or when several of your suppliers sell the same thing.

Before you send the booking

You can draft the first draft with the inspection checklist generator on this site, then use these questions to compare what different inspection companies say.

Who pays the inspection company?

Usually the buyer, since the inspection is commissioned to check the buyer's order. The fee and its timing should be stated in writing.

What if the factory objects to an inspection?

Ask how the company handles a factory that pushes back, limits access to certain areas, or asks the inspector to change a finding.

Can we see a sample report?

Yes. Ask for a redacted example so you can judge the format before you rely on it.