Five documents to request before you approve a new supplier
Five essential documents to collect when onboarding a new supplier — insurance, references, pricing schedules, and more.
Onboarding a supplier without paperwork is how margin leaks start. Before you place the first order — especially for anything safety-critical, food-related, or site-based — collect these five documents.
1. Certificate of currency for public liability insurance
Ask for a certificate dated within the last 30 days, naming your business as an interested party if the work happens on your premises. Check the coverage limit against your contract value and any landlord requirements.
2. Pricing schedule with explicit inclusions
A per-unit price means little without knowing what is bundled. Freight, pallet fees, installation, and consumables should be line items, not assumptions buried in email threads.
3. Two trade references from the last 18 months
References older than two years rarely reflect current capacity. Ask specifically about on-time delivery during busy periods, not just general satisfaction.
4. ABN lookup and ASIC extract for companies
Free checks on the Australian Business Register and ASIC confirm the entity you are paying matches the entity on the quote. We have seen trading names that do not map to the invoicing company.
5. Payment terms in writing
Net 14, net 30, or payment on delivery — get it on the quote or contract before the first invoice arrives with different terms.
Keep a single folder — digital or physical — for each active supplier. When renewal season arrives, you are not scrambling through inboxes. If you want a structured review across several vendors at once, our Supplier Review Audit covers this checklist in depth.