Verification gate

One of the four checks a supplier record must pass before we publish it.

What it changes for you

Business registration, main-business evidence, customs export records, direct interview.

In practice

A verification gate is one of the four checks a supplier record must pass before it appears in the directory: business registration, main-business evidence, customs export records and a direct interview confirming capacity, MOQ, lead time and price basis. A record that fails any gate is absent from the site rather than published as pending, and every published record is re-checked on a 90-day cycle.

Questions about Verification

What does a published supplier record prove?

That the four gates passed on a stated date. It is evidence about that date, not a continuing guarantee of quality, capacity or business standing - which is why records are re-checked every 90 days.

Why are failed records absent instead of marked pending?

Because "pending" reads as an endorsement. A record that fails a gate is held back until it passes, so a short directory means the gate is working rather than that the work stopped.

Other terms

• FOB (Free On Board) - Seller delivers the goods on board the vessel at the named port; cost and risk transfer there.
• EXW (Ex Works) - Buyer collects at the factory gate.
• MOQ (Minimum Order Quantity) - The smallest quantity a factory will run for one specification.
• Tooling cost - The one-off cost of the injection mould, die or print plate.
• Colourway tolerance - The measured range a factory will hold between sample and repeat production.
• AQL (Acceptable Quality Limit) - The sampling standard (ISO 2859-1) defining allowed defects per inspected lot.

Send a specificationAll 14 terms