Engagement models

Choose the contract and control model that fits the order.

Sinospect’s standard route is to supply the goods as the buyer’s contractual supplier and invoicing counterparty. Where the buyer needs to keep the factory contract, Sinospect can instead run an agreed China-side execution scope or one bounded control assignment.

Request a supply proposal Send a supplier or project file

The model is agreed before commitment. It changes who contracts the factory, who controls payment and which remedies sit in the Sinospect contract; it does not transfer the buyer’s design authority or final acceptance unless a specifically authorised scope says otherwise.

Sinospect inspector and factory team reviewing industrial equipment on a Chinese factory floor — The operating scope follows the contract: supplier, buyer-direct project team, or focused factory control.

Three ways to use the same China-side operating capability

The technical controls may look similar from one order to the next. The commercial relationship is not. Start by deciding who should contract the factory and who should retain payment authority.

01
Standard route
Buy through Sinospect
Sinospect is the buyer’s supplier and invoicing counterparty. It qualifies and manages the manufacturing route, applies the agreed controls and coordinates the order through the stated delivery point.
Factory contract
Sinospect contracts the qualified factory or manufacturing partner.
Factory payment
Sinospect administers agreed deposits and verified milestones; the factory’s final balance remains behind the agreed QC or FAT gate.
Sinospect’s role
Principal supplier and China-side execution owner for the supplied scope.
Buyer retains
Specification, design decisions, deviation approvals and final acceptance.
Commercial basis
A quoted supplied price with delivery, payment, warranty and quality terms stated before commitment.
Usually the better fit when
- One buyer-facing counterparty is more valuable than several factory relationships.
- The manufacturing route still needs to be found or qualified.
- Warranty and after-sales should return to Sinospect rather than leave the buyer to pursue the factory alone.
Request a supply proposal
02
Buyer-direct route
Retain Sinospect on a buyer-direct order
The buyer keeps the factory contract and payment authority. Sinospect runs the agreed China-side execution scope for one supplier or across a multi-supplier programme.
Factory contract
The buyer contracts the selected or approved factory.
Factory payment
The buyer pays the factory and retains payment-release authority; Sinospect’s evidence supports that decision.
Sinospect’s role
Separately retained China-side execution and control provider.
Buyer retains
The factory contract, commercial approvals, design authority, deviations and final acceptance.
Commercial basis
Quoted separately for the agreed execution scope, with travel and specialist inputs identified where relevant.
Usually the better fit when
- The buyer must contract approved vendors directly.
- Several factories or a long production schedule need one reporting and escalation interface.
- Supplier qualification, technical clarifications, expediting, FAT or PSI, documentation and issue closure need coordinated follow-through.
Scope buyer-direct execution
03
Focused assignment
Commission a specific control
Sinospect performs one bounded control point on an order the buyer otherwise manages, such as supplier qualification, a factory audit, FAT or pre-shipment inspection.
Factory contract
The buyer contracts the factory.
Factory payment
The buyer controls every factory payment and decides how the assignment evidence affects release.
Sinospect’s role
Control provider for the named assignment and deliverables only.
Buyer retains
The commercial relationship, technical authority, order management and final acceptance.
Commercial basis
Quoted for the named assignment, with travel, instruments and specialist inputs identified where relevant.
Usually the better fit when
- One supplier audit, FAT, PSI or technical review is the whole requirement.
- The buyer already manages the order and only needs factory-side evidence.
- A pilot assignment is appropriate before any wider programme.
Browse the control points

Responsibility matrix

What changes when the engagement model changes

The table is a buying guide, not a substitute for the proposal. The signed scope controls where a project needs a different allocation.

What changes when the engagement model changes
Decision point	Buy through Sinospect	Buyer-direct execution	Specific control
Factory contract	Sinospect	Buyer	Buyer
Factory payment authority	Sinospect under the agreed supply schedule; final factory balance remains behind the quality gate	Buyer	Buyer
Buyer-facing commercial counterparty	Sinospect	Factory for the goods; Sinospect for the execution scope	Factory for the goods; Sinospect for the named control
Sinospect operating scope	The agreed supplied package from factory route through the stated delivery point	The agreed China-side programme: qualification, clarifications, monitoring, expediting, FAT or PSI, documentation and issue closure	The single audit, FAT, PSI, review or other control named in the quotation
Design and statutory authority	Buyer or appointed engineer	Buyer or appointed engineer	Buyer or appointed engineer
Release and final acceptance	Buyer retains final acceptance; Sinospect controls its factory release under the supply contract and presents the evidence	Buyer	Buyer
Warranty and remedies	The buyer brings a covered claim to Sinospect under the agreed supply contract	Remain under the buyer’s factory contract; Sinospect supports evidence or coordination only if included	Remain under the buyer’s factory contract; the control report does not create a goods warranty
Typical commercial basis	Quoted supplied price	Quoted separately for the agreed execution scope	Quoted for the named assignment

Boundaries that do not move

Four rules apply in every model

A different contracting route does not justify vague authority, unsupported capability claims or loose handling of project information.

Roles are written before commitment.

The proposal states the counterparty, factory relationship, payment authority, Sinospect scope, deliverables, exclusions and release decision.

Design authority stays where it belongs.

The buyer or its appointed engineer retains design, deviation and statutory authority unless the scope names an appropriately authorised party for a specific duty.

Capability is confirmed before acceptance.

Sinospect accepts the work only after confirming a viable manufacturing route and the technical-review and quality-control capability the assignment requires.

Project evidence follows controlled access.

Client reports, supplier records, project correspondence, technical documents and personnel credentials are shared only with the parties authorised for the assignment and under the agreed project controls.

Start with the project file

You do not need to choose a service label first

Send the material you already have. Sinospect can identify the suitable engagement model and state what additional information is needed before it quotes.

01Specification, BOQ, equipment list or drawings.
02Existing quotation, supplier details or approved-vendor list.
03Factory map, programme dates, expected visits or reporting cadence.
04Current purchase stage and the next decision that needs evidence.

Start with who should hold the factory contract.

Sinospect will then set out the supply route, buyer-direct execution scope or focused control that fits the order — including the authority and exclusions that matter.

Request a supply proposal Send the project file

The engagement model is only one part of qualification.

Review how identity, staffing, report discipline, authority and confidentiality are evidenced before appointment.

Review public proof