Methodology checklist

Supplier Profile Source-Review Checklist

Use each source for the field it can support, record its date and scope, and keep unsupported supplier conclusions unresolved.

Checklist scope

Published: 11 August 2026. This reusable checklist consolidates the current methodology, Sources and Limitations page, identity Guides and source conventions used in the three published Supplier Profiles.

It does not assign a source score and does not convert a public record into supplier verification or a recommendation.

What each source may support

Record the exact field, source type, page, review date and scope instead of applying one source label to the whole company.

Source typeWhat it may supportWhat it does not automatically proveSource reviewedReview dateField / conclusion supported
Company-published sourceWhat the company publicly states about its names, products, facilities, capabilities, brands or contact routes.Independent confirmation of the claim; current capacity, quality, order performance, price, MOQ or willingness to accept an order.
Official registry or filingRegistered legal name, registration identifier, status, address, directors or filing facts within the record’s date and scope.Current operating capability, product quality, factory ownership, commercial reliability or suitability for an order.
Public product pageThat the reviewed website publicly displays or describes the product or category on the review date.Current production, stock, capacity, price, market-version availability or acceptance of a buyer’s specification.
Certification or document sourceThe holder, applicant, model, factory, standard, market and dates actually shown within the document or official lookup.That the quoted model, every variant, current factory or destination-market version is covered without a field-by-field match.
Marketplace or directoryA dated commercial listing, account name, product display or discovery clue.Legal identity, manufacturing role, ownership of the listed products, current availability or independent verification.
Third-party media or databaseA dated statement, reported event, structured record or lead for further checking, with its source type retained.That repeated copies are independent confirmations, or that an unscoped company description proves the current order role.

Field-level review questions

  • Does the source identify the relevant legal entity, or only a public name, brand or website account?
  • Is the information current enough for the conclusion, and is the review date recorded?
  • Does the source cover the exact product, model, site, market or time period being discussed?
  • Is a company claim still labelled as company-published information?
  • Do two sources represent genuinely different source groups, or are they copies of the same underlying statement?
  • Have different values, missing information and order-specific questions remained visible?

Conclusion boundary

A source can be useful without proving the entire supplier relationship. Registry details do not prove capacity or quality. A product page does not prove current order acceptance. A certificate does not cover the quoted version until holder, model, factory, market and date are matched. A marketplace listing is a discovery clue, not factory verification.