Supplier Due Diligence Checklist
Use this before payment or onboarding.
Evidence file
Buyer evidence file template for China supplier review
A good supplier review file should be readable six months later by someone who was not in the email thread. This template shows what to keep and how to label it.
File Cover Sheet
- Supplier commercial name and Chinese legal name.
- Order value, product, and decision deadline.
- Buyer contact, supplier contact, and document owner.
- Review date and reason for review.
- Final action: proceed, pause, request documents, adjust terms, or escalate.
Document Index
| Identity | Business license, registration extract, legal name, social credit code. | Confirms the entity. |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction | Quotation, invoice, contract draft, bank details, email chain. | Connects the entity to the order. |
| Commercial story | Website pages, product claims, factory claim, exporter role. | Tests whether the sales story is coherent. |
| Risk records | Litigation, enforcement, abnormal operation, penalties, ownership notes. | Shows public-risk context. |
| Decision | Buyer note, supplier answers, escalation record. | Explains what the team did next. |
Evidence Rules
Every document should have a date, source, and reason for being in the file. A screenshot without a date or a document with no company name may still be useful, but it should not be treated as strong evidence.
The file should preserve both supporting evidence and contradictions. If the bank account changed, keep the old instruction and the new instruction. If the supplier gave two different company names, keep both and record the explanation requested.
Decision Note Template
Use a short format: The buyer reviewed [entity name] for [order or decision]. Confirmed items were [identity/payment/ownership/etc.]. Unresolved items were [gaps]. The buyer decided to [action] because [reason].
This is not legal drafting. It is operational memory. It helps procurement, finance, and management avoid repeating the same review when pressure rises.
Frequently Asked Questions
What documents should be kept in a China supplier evidence file?
Keep identity documents, invoice and bank details, contract drafts, supplier explanations, website captures, public-risk notes, and the final buyer decision note.
Why keep old payment instructions?
Because fraud or confusion often appears as a change. The old instruction helps show what changed, when, and who approved it.
Is an evidence file the same as legal advice?
No. It is an organized buyer record. Legal, customs, sanctions, or dispute advice should come from qualified professionals when needed.
Related YQ Echo Guides
Buyer Evidence File Template
Organize the documents behind a supplier decision.
Verification Glossary
Plain-English terms for registry and risk records.
How To Use The Record
For this topic, keep the review tied to the actual order rather than a general supplier profile. In the case of Buyer evidence file template for China supplier review, the buyer should write down the exact decision it needs to make: whether to pay, sign, ship samples, accept a document, or escalate the file for management approval.
A useful buyer file should let a new manager understand the decision without calling the original purchaser. Keep the supplier identity records, payment evidence, public-risk notes, product documents, and final approval together. Add dates to screenshots and explain why each record mattered.
The file should also show limits. If the buyer did not verify a factory visit, a bank link, or a certificate scope, say so in plain language. A clear limitation note is better than a neat file that hides unanswered questions from finance or management.
A short closing note should name the next action and the person responsible for it. Without that note, the same question often returns during balance payment, shipment release, or a later dispute, when the buyer has less room to ask for documents.
Buyers should also keep the rejected path visible. If the supplier could not explain a record, refused to identify the right company, or sent a document that did not match the order, write that fact into the file. A rejected explanation can matter as much as an accepted document because it shows how the buyer controlled the decision.
The review should also save rejected evidence. A wrong license, outdated certificate, mismatched bank notice, or incomplete explanation can matter later because it shows what the supplier tried to use and why the buyer asked for a cleaner record.
Use simple version names for revised files so the final decision does not depend on memory. Date each revision clearly.