Why ‘not confirmed’ belongs in a supplier comparison
Leaving an unanswered field visible is often more useful than making a neat table look complete.
An incomplete quote is not the same as a bad quote. It is an incomplete answer. The important thing is to keep that distinction visible.
Four labels that prevent confusion
- Confirmed: the supplier answered the field for the product and quantity being discussed.
- Assumption: the supplier appears to have used a basis that still needs checking.
- Not answered: the question was sent but the response did not include the field.
- Not comparable: the product, quantity or process is different enough that the number should not be ranked beside the others.
These labels make the next conversation concrete. Instead of asking “Why is your quote higher?”, you can ask “Can you confirm whether your price includes the sample and is based on 500 pieces?”
What to do with an unusually low price
First check the basis: product version, material, quantity, tooling, packaging, shipping term and payment term. Then ask the supplier to restate the complete commercial answer. A low number with missing fields is not yet evidence of a better deal.
The point of the brief
The comparison is a working document for the next step. It should help you decide which question to ask, which sample to request and which risk still needs independent verification. It should not pretend to remove the risk from an international order.