Yes. An agent can arrange an inspection by an independent company such as SGS, Bureau Veritas or Intertek. The agent agrees the scope with you, books the inspection, aligns the date with the factory and makes sure the report reaches you directly.
We coordinate these inspections whenever you want an independent certificate alongside our own checks. The inspection company's charges are passed on at cost, with the receipt.
When you may need one
- Your letter of credit or your bank asks for an inspection certificate from a named independent company.
- Your customer, often a retailer, requires a certificate from an approved inspection body.
- Your country runs a conformity or pre-shipment inspection programme for certain goods.
- You want a second, independent opinion on a large or high-risk order.
- You want an independent record in case of a dispute with the factory.
What the agent coordinates
The scope of an inspection decides its value, so it must be agreed before booking. That means the spec to inspect against, the sampling plan, the checks to run, and what counts as a pass or fail. Most consumer-goods inspections use acceptance sampling based on ISO 2859-1, with an acceptable quality level (AQL) that you choose for each type of defect.
The agent then books the inspection, confirms the date when the factory says the lot will be ready, and makes sure the goods are packed and available. Inspectors who arrive to find half the lot unfinished will often charge for a wasted visit, so timing matters.
If a laboratory test is needed, the agent arranges for the inspection company to draw sealed samples and send them to an accredited laboratory.
When the report comes back, the agent can go through it with you. That includes checking that the lot number, quantity and spec on the certificate match your order, and explaining any defects the inspector recorded.
Who should book and pay
The inspection company should work for you, not the factory. Ideally, you are the client on its booking, and the certificate is issued in your name. If the factory books and pays for the inspection, the inspector is still independent, but you have less control over the scope and the timing.
An agent can make the booking on your behalf, but the report should come to you from the inspection company, not be forwarded by the factory. The same rule applies to lab certificates, as explained in reading a lab certificate.
How it fits with the agent's own checks
A third-party inspection is usually a single visit with a fixed scope. It does not replace the agent's work before and after it, such as production follow-up, loading supervision and counter-samples. The difference is covered in the agent's inspection versus third-party inspection.
Next step
To plan an independent inspection for your next order, book a free sourcing review.