| 1 | Product Specification Fit | Confirm whether the supplier can produce the required post profile, length, wall thickness, hole pattern, end treatment, and installation accessories. | All critical dimensions and tolerances must match the approved technical drawing before quotation comparison. | Dimensioned drawings, product data sheets, tolerance tables, and a pre-production sample. | 15% |
| 2 | Material and Mechanical Performance | Check the steel or other material grade, yield strength, tensile strength, weldability, and resistance to expected wind, soil, impact, or livestock loads. | Material grade and mechanical requirements must be stated in the purchase specification and supported by test documentation. | Mill test certificates, third-party laboratory reports, batch traceability records, and engineering calculations where required. | 15% |
| 3 | Corrosion Protection | Evaluate the selected coating system, coating thickness, surface preparation, edge coverage, and suitability for indoor, outdoor, coastal, or high-moisture environments. | The coating type and minimum coating requirement must be defined by the project specification; galvanized products should be verified against the applicable galvanizing standard. | Coating inspection records, coating-thickness measurements, salt-spray results when relevant, and declarations of conformity to the specified standard. | 15% |
| 4 | Manufacturing and Quality Control | Review forming, punching, welding, cutting, coating, packing, and final inspection procedures. | A documented quality-control process should cover incoming materials, in-process checks, final inspection, nonconforming products, and corrective action. | Quality manual, inspection and test plans, control charts, calibration records, internal audit records, and sample inspection reports. | 15% |
| 5 | Factory Verification and Capacity | Verify that the quoted manufacturer operates an identifiable production facility with suitable equipment and sufficient capacity for the order volume. | The factory address, production process, equipment, storage area, and stated monthly capacity should be consistent with the quotation and audit findings. | Factory audit, business registration documents, production-line photographs or video, equipment list, and capacity statement. | 10% |
| 6 | Sample and Pre-Shipment Inspection | Compare samples with approved drawings and inspect dimensions, straightness, holes, welds, coating, labeling, and packing. | A written acceptance plan should define sampling quantity, inspection points, defect classification, and approval authority. | Approved golden sample, inspection checklist, dimensional report, photographs, and an independent pre-shipment inspection report when needed. | 10% |
| 7 | Export, Packaging, and Logistics | Assess export experience, packing strength, container utilization, moisture protection, loading method, documentation, and delivery responsibilities. | Packaging must prevent bending, abrasion, coating damage, and moisture-related deterioration during handling and transport. | Packing specification, loading plan, commercial invoice, packing list, shipping documents, and clearly defined Incoterms® in the contract. | 10% |
| 8 | Commercial Terms and Total Cost | Compare unit price together with tooling, testing, packaging, inland transport, freight, duties, inspection, replacement, and payment costs. | Select based on total landed cost and contractual risk, not on unit price alone; payment milestones should be linked to verifiable deliverables. | Itemized quotation, pro forma invoice, payment terms, warranty terms, replacement policy, and total-cost comparison sheet. | 10% |
| 9 | Communication and After-Sales Support | Measure response quality, technical understanding, change-control discipline, complaint handling, and spare-parts or replacement support. | The supplier should provide a named contact, documented response process, corrective-action timeline, and clear warranty conditions. | Communication records, warranty document, complaint procedure, corrective-action sample, and service-level commitments. | 10% |