Our method, step by step
Twenty working days on average between your request and a signed contract. Here is exactly what happens, and what you receive at each step.
- 01Day 0
Framing the requirement
A thirty-minute conversation, then we restate your requirement in writing: quantities, tolerances, standards, lead time, incoterm, payment terms. You approve before anything goes to market.
- 02Day 1–2
Identification & short-list
We cross our audited network, European industrial databases and fieldwork. Every candidate is called to verify capability, available capacity and acceptance of your terms.
- 03Day 3–10
RFQ & chasing
Simultaneous RFQ with an imposed response template, logged Q&A, milestone chasing. Every supplier replies in the same format.
- 04Day 10–12
Total-cost analysis
Comparison grid including freight, packaging, tooling, lead time, risk and payment terms. You see the landed cost, not the headline price.
- 05Day 12–20
Negotiation & contract
Negotiation on the cost structure, not on a percentage. Then locking the clauses that matter: price revision, penalties, tooling, notice period, exit.
- 06Ongoing
Quality & follow-up
First article approved, in-line checks, pre-shipment inspection, delivery follow-up and claim management. The supplier stays on the hook until conforming receipt.
Frequently asked questions
How are you paid? Do you take a commission from the supplier?
Never. We are paid exclusively by you, either a fixed fee per assignment or a percentage of the saving achieved, whichever suits you. Taking a supplier commission would create a direct conflict of interest: we would be pushed to recommend whoever pays best, not whoever serves you best. The prices you receive are the raw supplier prices, with no hidden margin.
How quickly do we receive a first proposal?
A first short-list of qualified suppliers within 48 working hours of the requirement being validated. Compared supplier quotes then follow in five to ten working days depending on technical complexity: a standard consumable is fast, a machined part to drawing with surface treatment requires workshops to genuinely cost it.
Is there a minimum volume to work with you?
No formal threshold, but to be straight with you: below roughly €15,000 of spend on the assignment, our involvement rarely pays for itself — unless the issue is compliance or risk rather than price. We tell you that in the first conversation rather than billing an assignment that will not pay back.
What if we already have referenced suppliers?
That is the most common situation, and often the most profitable. We then act as an alternative source: your incumbent stays in the RFQ, we add three others, and you finally get a comparison point. In most cases the incumbent aligns — you gain without having to switch, which is the best possible outcome.
How do you protect the confidentiality of our drawings and volumes?
We sign an NDA with you before any technical documents change hands, and a second one with each supplier canvassed before anything is sent. On request we run blind RFQs: suppliers receive the specification without knowing the buyer’s identity, which also stops the price being set according to your reputation or size.
Do you only work with European suppliers?
Our core network is European — France, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany — because that is where the best lead time / risk / compliance balance sits and where you can actually visit the workshop. We open up to Asia when the price gap genuinely justifies it and the product suits it, but always with pre-shipment inspection: without on-site control, distant sourcing statistically ends badly.
Do you buy in your own name, or do we order directly?
Both are possible. By default you contract directly with the supplier: more transparent, cheaper, and you keep the relationship. If you prefer a single invoice, a single point of contact or centralised payment — common in Luxembourg to simplify VAT — we can buy in our own name and re-invoice you, with the margin stated openly.
What languages do you speak with suppliers?
French, Dutch, English and German. That is not a comfort detail: a Flemish or German workshop approached in its own language replies faster, prices more accurately and negotiates more willingly. That is exactly where single-language buyers in this region leave money on the table.
Something to source? Describe it, we handle it.
Answer within 24 working hours. First conversation free and without commitment.