Before You Sign: Checking a Supplier With Public Records
A worked supplier-screening scenario: establish the legal entity, check its claims, and document the unknowns before committing money.
Illustrative scenario: a supplier offers a large discount but wants an advance payment. Your task is not to prove that it is dishonest. It is to establish which business would receive the money, whether its public claims are supported, and which questions need an answer before a contract is signed. This is a fictional workflow, not an investigation of a real company.
Fix the entity before searching the name
Ask for the registered legal name, registration number and jurisdiction. A brand, website and incorporated business may have different names. Search the relevant official company registry and compare its status and filing dates with the quotation. An aggregator can help locate records, but return to the original registry before citing them. A registered office may be a service address rather than a warehouse.
Check the claims that matter to the purchase
- Compare the invoice entity with the registry record and contract. Ask the supplier to explain mismatches through a contact channel independently obtained from its official website.
- If the supplier claims certification, search the issuing body's own register and check the scope and expiry, not just a logo on a PDF.
- Use web archives to compare earlier product and contact pages. A changed address or new product range needs context; it is not proof of fraud.
- Check published filings and relevant court records using the exact entity identifier where available. A namesake's lawsuit is not evidence about this supplier.
Separate a record from a conclusion
Registration establishes that an entity is recorded, not that it is solvent or trustworthy. A lawsuit is an allegation unless the court's disposition says otherwise. Missing filings may reflect the jurisdiction's disclosure rules or reporting delays. Record the source date and status for each finding, and give the business a fair opportunity to explain material discrepancies.
Deliver a decision-ready note
End with a one-page table: claim, source, observed fact, unresolved question and recommended next step. A useful result might be 'entity verified; certification not yet confirmed; request issuer confirmation before payment.' Keep employee personal details out of the report unless strictly necessary and lawful. Public-source screening supports a purchasing decision; it does not replace credit checks, contractual protections or professional advice.