30 Questions to Ask a Third Party Manufacturer Before You Sign
Send the same thirty questions to every shortlisted manufacturer on the same day. How quickly and how precisely each one answers tells you more than any brochure, factory photograph or sales conversation. Here is the full question bank, grouped by what it protects you from.
How to Use This
This is for brand owners and direct selling companies selecting a manufacturing partner for herbal, Ayurvedic, nutraceutical or cosmetic products.
Send all thirty questions to every shortlisted supplier on the same day, in writing, and ask for written answers. Then compare the answers alongside the quotations rather than looking at price in isolation. A supplier who answers precisely within two days is telling you something about how they will handle your batch documentation later.
Questions 1 to 8: Licensing and Legitimacy
These establish whether they can legally make your product.
- Which manufacturing licence do you hold, and may I have a copy?
- Which dosage forms are endorsed on that licence?
- Is my specific product category covered by those endorsements?
- Do you hold GMP or Schedule T compliance documentation, and may I see it?
- When was your licence last renewed and when does it next expire?
- Have you had any regulatory observations in the last two years, and how were they closed?
- For classical formulations, which are already endorsed on your licence?
- For a proprietary formulation, how is product approval handled and how long does it take?
Questions 9 to 15: Capability and Process
These establish whether they can actually make it well.
- Which production steps are performed in house, and which are outsourced?
- What equipment do you have for my dosage form specifically?
- Do you develop formulations to a brief, or only private-label existing products?
- How do you handle hygroscopic extracts and humidity control?
- What is your typical reject rate, and how does it vary by season?
- How do you manage cross-contamination and changeover between products?
- May I visit the production floor, stores and laboratory?
Questions 16 to 22: Quality and Documentation
These establish whether you can prove what you sold.
- What testing is performed per batch, and against which specification?
- Is testing in house or through an outside laboratory, and is that arrangement documented?
- May I see a Certificate of Analysis and a batch manufacturing record from a recent batch?
- Can you provide stability data in my specific pack, and is it chargeable?
- How do you qualify raw material vendors, and do you test incoming material?
- How are out-of-specification results handled and documented?
- What is your batch traceability capability, and could you identify everything in a given batch within a day?
Questions 23 to 30: Commercials, Capacity and Exit
These establish whether the relationship will work over time.
- What is the production MOQ, and separately, the packaging MOQ?
- What are first-order and reorder lead times, stated separately?
- How long does your quoted price hold, and what triggers a change?
- What capacity exists at five and ten times my initial volume?
- Will you hold a buffer of my printed packaging, and on what terms?
- What are your payment terms, and what delivery terms apply?
- How is confidentiality handled, and who owns a formulation developed jointly?
- What notice applies if either party ends the relationship, and may I take my specification elsewhere?
Reading the Answers
The content matters, but so does the pattern.
Good Signs
Licence copies offered without hesitation, specific numbers rather than ranges, willingness to show recent batch records, clear separation of production and packaging MOQs, and a considered answer on capacity at scale.
Warning Signs
Reluctance to share documents, claims of a zero reject rate, vagueness about which steps are outsourced, no written confidentiality position, and resistance to a facility visit.
Decisive Signs
How fast they respond and how precisely. A supplier who takes three weeks to answer basic licensing questions will not produce batch documentation promptly when you need it urgently.
Keep the answers on file. They become your reference point when something goes wrong, and they are useful evidence of what was represented at the outset.
After the Answers
Once you have responses from everyone, work through this.
- Eliminate anyone whose licence does not cover your dosage form.
- Compare quotations alongside the written answers, not in isolation.
- Visit the top two facilities, including stores, quarantine and laboratory.
- Request samples against one written specification.
- Agree confidentiality in writing before sharing a detailed brief.
- Negotiate a written agreement covering specification, price, timelines, quality responsibility, liability and exit.
- Qualify a second source for your critical input before you need it.
- Place a conservative first order with defined release criteria.
Happy to Answer All Thirty
Send us your questions and specification, and our team will respond with documentation and a detailed quotation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I ask a third party manufacturer first?
Which manufacturing licence they hold, which dosage forms are endorsed on it, and whether your specific product category is covered. Ask for a copy and read the endorsements yourself, because a valid licence is not the same as a licence covering your product.
How do I judge the answers?
On precision and speed as much as content. Specific numbers rather than ranges, licence copies offered without hesitation, and willingness to show recent batch records are good signs. Claims of a zero reject rate, vagueness about outsourced steps and resistance to a facility visit are warnings.
Why ask about production and packaging MOQ separately?
Because they are usually different, and packaging frequently sets your real minimum investment. Printed labels, bottles and cartons commonly carry higher minimums and longer lead times than the product itself, which surprises brands that asked only about production MOQ.
What should I ask about capacity?
What capacity exists at five and ten times your initial volume, and whether that capacity is available without displacing other clients. Changing manufacturer later is disruptive, so a partner sized only for your first order can turn your growth into their scheduling problem.
What should be agreed before sharing a formulation?
Confidentiality in writing, and clarity on who owns a formulation developed jointly. Settle both before detailed discussions rather than after samples exist, because ownership becomes contentious precisely when the product is succeeding.