Manage your China suppliers continuously
A supplier confirms a date and then goes quiet for two weeks. A drawing changes, and nobody knows whether the factory is already working to the new revision. So that you hear about things like this early, we stay in touch with the suppliers you name, chase orders and agreed actions and, depending on the tier, visit the factory regularly. Once a month you see where things are stuck and what you need to decide. You book a fixed number of hours, not unlimited help.
At a glance
- Suitable for
- Companies that have up to six active suppliers in China and need someone there to follow up orders, documents and agreed actions on an ongoing basis.
- What we do
- We talk to your suppliers for you, in Chinese.
- We chase orders and agreed actions.
- Depending on the tier, we visit the factory regularly.
- You get a report every month, and in the China Procurement Office a short overview every week as well.
- Your result
- Every month you see where your named suppliers stand: which orders and actions are open, where the risks are, what you need to decide and how many hours have been used.
- What you can decide
- Where you should step in because an order, an action, a missing piece of evidence or a change needs your decision – and which facts you can rely on when you do.
- Price
- Remote Purchasing Support €490 / month
- Procurement Partner China €1,190 / month
- China Procurement Office €2,290 / month
- You send us
- A short list: your active suppliers, open orders, current bottlenecks and how often you would like a report.
- Not the right fit if
- you want to solve a single problem with one supplier (IMPROVE), need a new supply source (BUILD) or are looking for someone available around the clock. We do not offer an on-call or emergency service.
Open issues don't close themselves. Someone has to stay on them.
| Compared | Remote Purchasing Support | Procurement Partner China | China Procurement Office |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price per month | €490 | €1,190 | €2,290 |
| Remote allowance (hours per month) | 7 | 8 | 16 |
| Routine field days at the factory per month | none | 1 | 2 |
| Named suppliers, maximum | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| Reporting | monthly overview | monthly report | monthly report and weekly brief overview |
| Cancellation | monthly, 14 days' notice to month-end | monthly, 14 days' notice to month-end | starts with a pilot month; then monthly, 14 days' notice to month-end |
| Suited to | suppliers where clarification and follow-up from China are enough | stable supplier relationships where regular presence at the factory makes the difference | several suppliers with constantly shifting priorities |
Not included in any of the three tiers: on-call or emergency service, technical reviews, new supply sources, product development or goods inspections. We quote these as separate assignments.
The allowance covers supplier communication, document clarification, follow-up, reports, preparation and wrap-up. In the first month, it also covers learning about your suppliers and setting up reporting. Unused hours expire at month-end. Additional hours or routine field days start only with your prior approval.
Process
| No. | Step | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Agree the mandate | We put in writing which suppliers are covered, who is responsible for what and how many hours you book. We also agree how often you get a report and when we bring you in straight away. We only make commitments or decisions on your behalf where you have expressly delegated them to us. |
| 02 | Onboarding | In the first month we get to know your suppliers, take over your documents and set up the reports. This time counts towards the allowance. |
| 03 | Follow up | We chase orders, documents and agreed actions in the order of your priorities. Field days are routine factory visits. |
| 04 | Report | Once a month you get a report. It shows where each supplier stands, what the risks are and what we recommend, as well as what you need to decide, what we have done and how many hours have been used. In the China Procurement Office you also get a short overview every week. |
Deliverables
| No. | Deliverable | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Monthly China Procurement Report | Status per supplier, risks, recommended decisions, work completed and allowance used. |
| 02 | Weekly brief overview | In the China Procurement Office: status, next steps and decisions required this week on one page. |
| 03 | Action overview | Open actions with owners, dates and evidence status. |
| 04 | Allowance overview | Hours and field days used, work completed and approvals outstanding. |
MANAGE – continuous management of your China suppliers
| Service | Price | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| Remote Purchasing Support | €490 / month | Up to seven remote hours, up to two named suppliers: talking to the suppliers, clarifying documents, chasing orders, one overview a month. |
| Procurement Partner China | €1,190 / month | Eight remote hours and one routine field day on site, up to three named suppliers: chasing suppliers, regular factory visits, actions tracked in writing, monthly report. |
| China Procurement Office | €2,290 / month | 16 remote hours and two routine field days on site, up to six named suppliers: coordination across all suppliers, covering priorities, changes and recurring purchasing topics; a short overview every week and a report every month. |
The hour allowance determines the scope; the supplier count is an upper limit. Field days within ongoing support are routine factory visits. Reports, preparation and follow-up count towards the allowance for every task, including field days. This covers onboarding in the first month and handover in the last. Unused hours expire at month-end. We undertake additional work only with your prior agreement. The China Procurement Office starts with a pilot month. We then plan visits together for one month or, if you want more planning certainty, for three months. All support tiers can be cancelled monthly with 14 days' notice to the end of the month. An additional hour costs €75; an additional routine field day costs €590.
Contract terms: Terms section 10: Ongoing support
The accepted written proposal for the confirmed scope remains authoritative.
The monthly report shows you
- which orders and dates are at risk
- which actions are open or overdue – with owners and dates
- which evidence is missing and which documents or changes need attention
- which supplier relationships are deteriorating
- which decisions lie with you and what we recommend
- what we completed and how much allowance was used
| Supplier | Status | This week | Next step | Your decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A – die casting | GREEN | Order 311 confirmed, delivery date 14 October | Obtain packaging approval | not required |
| B – turned parts | RED | Rework reported but not evidenced | Have a sample inspected before shipment | approve inspection |
| C – plastic parts | AMBER | Tooling change for Rev. E announced | Request change application with samples | by 25 September |
| D to F | GREEN | no deviations | routine | not required |
Allowance used in the example month up to calendar week 38: 9.5 of 16 hours, 1 of 2 field days. The overview fits on one page and arrives every Friday.
How the allowance works
When hours run short: if the hours are not enough for everything, we agree the order with you. The number of suppliers is an upper limit; it gives no entitlement to unlimited work per supplier.
Time recording: we record time per task. Each month, you can see what we completed and how many hours it took.
How quickly we respond: we reply to messages within one working day. When we start and finish a task depends on the agreed priorities and the hours available. We do not offer an on-call or emergency service.
When support ends: all support tiers can be cancelled monthly with 14 days' notice to the end of the month. In the last month we hand over the supplier file, open actions and pending decisions to you; this time also counts towards the allowance.
One file per supplier – and it belongs to you
For each named supplier, we maintain a supplier file within the allowance, recording the starting position, changes, evidence, actions and decisions. The monthly report and weekly brief overview are extracts from it. The file belongs to you and is handed over at the end of the support period with open actions and pending decisions.
Supplier and partner relationship management
MANAGE includes operational supplier relationship management (SRM): orders, delivery performance, quality, documents, changes and agreed actions for named suppliers. Separately agreed partner relationship management (PRM) may support technology, distribution or project partners. It can cover objectives, territories, project registrations, mutual commitments, support and escalations.
Before work begins, we agree objectives, participants, authority, reporting frequency, capacity and price in writing. Complex exclusivity, distribution or negotiation assignments and legal questions are not automatically included in the monthly allowance. We record positions and commitments, follow up implementation and escalate within the mandate. We cannot guarantee exclusivity, enforceability or the manufacturer’s cooperation.
A specific problem with a partner: IMPROVESecuring agreements, documents and changes: PROTECT
Common questions about this service
Is ongoing support unlimited?
No. The monthly hour allowance governs the scope; supplier numbers are an upper limit. Additional hours (€75) or routine field days (€590) start only with your prior approval.
How long does ongoing support run?
All support tiers can be cancelled monthly with 14 days' notice to the end of the month. The China Procurement Office starts with a pilot month.
What is not part of ongoing support?
New projects such as a supplier search, development or validation, and goods inspections are offered separately. Routine checks of shipping documents and inspection status, on the other hand, are part of ongoing support and come out of the hour allowance.
Who decides shipment release?
You do. We show you the status with the evidence and tell you what we recommend.
Can I start with a single shipment?
Yes. You can book the Shipping Document Check and the Shipment Release Assessment and Recommendation without ongoing support, per shipment or per lot.