Guide

Supplier sourcing and qualification

One of the ways a merchandiser or buying office finds candidate factories, such as a trade show, a referral, a sourcing agent or a buyer-nominated list.

This guide explains the words you will meet on this topic and shows which ATMA lessons teach each step. The definitions are from the ATMA glossary, in English, Arabic, French and Turkish.

Key terms

Sourcing channel

One of the ways a merchandiser or buying office finds candidate factories, such as a trade show, a referral, a sourcing agent or a buyer-nominated list. · AR قناة التوريد · FR Canal de sourcing · TR Tedarik kanalı

Sourcing office

An office that works exclusively for one buyer near its factories, sometimes set up as a separate legal entity the buyer owns or contracts. · AR مكتب توريد · FR Bureau de sourcing · TR Tedarik ofisi

Sourcing technology

Tools that help a buyer find and evaluate factories or mills before placing an order. · AR تقنية التوريد · FR Technologie de sourcing · TR Tedarik teknolojisi

From the course

Finding a new supplier means locating a factory that could make an order, before any check of whether it can. A merchandiser does this through a small number of channels: a trade show, a referral from someone already trusted, a sourcing agent working on commission, or a list of factories the buyer has already approved. None of these channels alone tells a merchandiser whether a candidate can actually do the work; each only produces a name worth a closer look.

What you will learn

These ATMA lessons cover the topic, from the basics to building a working document or checklist.

1. Where a merchandiser finds new suppliers and the first filters they applyFinding a new supplier means locating a factory that could make an order, before any check of whether it can.
2. Qualifying a new supplier before placing a first trial orderSupplier qualification means checking a candidate factory's capacity, compliance and financial standing before placing any order with it, small or large.
3. Reading a supplier's own capability profile against an order's real requirementsA capability profile is a document a candidate factory writes about itself: its machinery, its claimed capacity, its certifications, and its product experience.
4. Red flags that should stop a supplier qualification before it goes furtherA red flag is a specific fact found during qualification serious enough, on its own, to stop the process, whatever else the candidate's capacity, compliance and…
5. Building a complete supplier qualification checklist for a new factoryA complete supplier qualification checklist runs, in order, every check this course has taught: finding a candidate through a sourcing channel and applying a first…
6. Why two supplier quotes for the same style are rarely comparable as receivedSending one identical RFQ to two suppliers, as lesson 2.1 teaches, does not guarantee two comparable answers.
7. The main factors that separate one sourcing origin from anotherThis page explains the main factors that separate one sourcing origin from another, for a merchandiser or sourcing manager who must choose where to place a new…

Quick answers

What does “Sourcing channel” mean in garment merchandising?

One of the ways a merchandiser or buying office finds candidate factories, such as a trade show, a referral, a sourcing agent or a buyer-nominated list.

What does “Sourcing office” mean in garment merchandising?

An office that works exclusively for one buyer near its factories, sometimes set up as a separate legal entity the buyer owns or contracts.

What does “Sourcing technology” mean in garment merchandising?

Tools that help a buyer find and evaluate factories or mills before placing an order.

Related guides

• What does a garment merchandiser do?
• The purchase order
• AQL and final inspection