This Checklist Is For You If…
You're responsible for sourcing packaging—maybe for medical devices, maybe for industrial components. Your boss wants cost savings. Your engineering team wants quality. And somewhere between the RFQs and the sample requests, you're trying to figure out who's actually worth partnering with.
I've been in that seat for over 6 years. Managing a packaging budget that started at $80,000 and has grown to nearly double that. I've audited every invoice, negotiated with 15+ vendors, and documented every misstep in our procurement system. This checklist is what I wish someone had handed me on day one. It's seven steps. Seven. Each one has a checkpoint. If you follow them, you'll avoid the mistakes I made.
Step 1: Verify the Supply Chain, Not Just the Price
The checkpoint: Ask for the manufacturing location and the raw material sourcing.
In my first year, I almost went with a vendor quoting 12% less than everyone else. The plant was 4,000 miles away. They were sourcing resin from a secondary supplier they'd never audited. The cost savings evaporated when the first shipment arrived with inconsistent wall thickness on a critical medical packaging component. We had to send 400 units back. The redo cost us $1,200—50% of the supposed savings.
Now, I ask every vendor: 'Where is this made? Where do you source your materials?' For a company like Bemis (now part of Amcor), their manufacturing footprint is well-documented—multiple plants, established sourcing. When a vendor can't or won't answer that question simply, I move on. (Note to self: I really should add this to my standard RFQ template.)
Step 2: Map the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) with Real Numbers
The checkpoint: Build a spreadsheet with at least five cost categories.
Your vendor's quote is not the total cost. Not even close. I learned this after comparing costs across 8 vendors over 3 months. Vendor A quoted $4.20 per unit. Vendor B quoted $3.85. Almost went with B until I mapped the TCO:
- Base price: $4.20 vs. $3.85
- Tooling/setup: $0 (A), $850 (B—buried in a line item)
- Shipping (standard): $0.45 vs. $0.60 (B was farther)
- Lead time (non-negotiable): 3 weeks vs. 5 weeks
- Quality reprint rate (past data): 2% vs. 8% (B's history from a reference call)
Total annual cost for 5,000 units: $23,250 (A) vs. $25,050 (B). That 11% difference was hiding in the fine print.
Step 3: Ask the 'Dumb' Questions About Documentation
The checkpoint: Ask to see the user manual or specification sheet for their standard processes.
Everyone told me to always check specs before approving. I only believed it after skipping that step once. I assumed 'standard medical-grade packaging' meant the same thing to every vendor. What I said was, 'We need compliance with ISO 11607.' What they heard was, 'We need the cheapest option that technically meets that standard.' The result? A shipment of pouches that passed regulatory minimums but failed our internal sterilization validation. Cost us a $600 delay.
Now, I ask for their spec sheet and user manual for their standard process. A reputable manufacturer will have this ready. For instance, when sourcing healthcare packaging, I look for a vendor who can show me their internal documentation on seal strength testing, material lot traceability, and sterilization compatibility. If they can't produce a simple document, they won't produce a reliable part.
Step 4: The 'Missed Details' Test: Ask About the Spray Bottle (or Your Equivalent)
The checkpoint: Identify the one seemingly trivial detail that causes massive problems.
In packaging, it's often the small things. For a client, it was a spray bottle for face toner. An afterthought. They assumed any bottle would work. The vendor they chose had a great price on the bottle but didn't ask about the nozzle compatibility. The first 2,000 units had a nozzle that leaked after 48 hours of transport. The client lost a retail contract.
Your 'spray bottle' might be a specific sealant that doesn't adhere to the film, a UV coating that yellows, or a barcode placement that interferes with a sterilization wrap. Ask your vendor: 'What's the one detail that's most often missed on documents like these?' If they have a good answer, they've seen it before and know how to prevent it. If they say, 'Nothing,' they haven't seen it all.
Step 5: Verify Growth by Looking at Photos (and Documents)
The checkpoint: Ask for recent manufacturing company photos and process documentation.
This sounds odd, but it works. A vendor's website might be slick. Their actual facility might be a different story. I ask for photos of the production line from the last 12 months. Not the marketing photos from 2018. I want to see: Is the floor clean? Are the operators using proper PPE? Is the equipment modern or held together with tape?
For a company like Bemis, their merger with Amcor gives them access to a global manufacturing network. But for a smaller vendor, their photo might reveal a single aging line. It's not a red flag, but it's data. One vendor's 'state-of-the-art facility' turned out to have a single machine from 2007. Their lead time was always the longest quote. The photo explained why.
Step 6: Negotiate the Exit, Not the Entry
The checkpoint: Get the terms for failure in writing.
The numbers said go with the large, established firm for my first major contract. Everything looked perfect. My gut hesitated—their sales team was slow to reply to my technical questions. I went with my gut anyway. Turned out that 'slow to reply' was a preview of 'slow to deliver.' When they missed a deadline, the contract had no penalty clause. I couldn't even recoup the expedited shipping I paid to cover their delay.
Now, the first thing I negotiate is the exit: reprint policy, late delivery penalties, quality audit rights, the process for how to remove a bad batch from our supply chain. The best packaging vendors already have these defined. They'll show you their standard policy. A good vendor wants a clean exit process because they plan to deliver quality. A bad vendor will avoid defining it.
(Ugh, I learned that one the hard way.)
Common Mistakes & Final Considerations
One final thing: don't assume 'established' or 'large' means 'painless.' A large firm like Amcor/Bemis has immense resources, but they also have structure. Your small order might be a priority to you but a rounding error to them. Ask their sales rep: 'How does your company handle an order of my size?'
And the dumbest mistake I see? Not vetting the documentation process. An informed customer asks better questions and faster decisions. I'd rather spend 10 minutes explaining options than deal with mismatched expectations later.
I've been using this checklist for 6 years. It's not perfect. But it's saved me from at least three major disasters. That's good enough for me.
