For overseas buyers · Diligence
How we vet partners, before you meet them.
A Chartered Accountant’s habits applied to partner selection: evidence over claims, documents over decks. Here is what I check before I introduce anyone.
The checks05 + basics
Five things, checked.
01 · Track record
- How long the business has operated and what it has delivered
- Comparable projects or products, not just a list of client names
- Team or production capacity relative to your brief
02 · Reviews
- Public reviews on relevant platforms, read for patterns rather than star ratings
- How complaints were handled, where visible
- Consistency between what they say and what others say
03 · Certifications
- Certificates requested and checked against the issuer’s register where one exists
- Scope and expiry dates read, not just the logo
- Industry-specific credentials (for example ISO 27001 for software, food-safety or textile standards for goods)
04 · Export history
- For goods: Importer-Exporter Code (IEC) and relevant export registrations
- Evidence of past shipments to comparable markets (commercial details can be redacted)
- For services: experience working with overseas clients and time zones
05 · References
- Conversations with existing clients or buyers where possible
- Questions about delivery, communication and how problems were resolved
- References you can follow up yourself
Basics
- Company registration and directors checked on public records
- GST registration checked where applicable
- Names, addresses and bank details consistent across documents
LimitsHonestly
What vetting is not.
Vetting is not
- An audit, a certification or a warranty
- A guarantee of quality, delivery, payment or any other outcome
- A substitute for your own commercial, legal and financial due diligence
So I recommend
- Samples and, for goods, independent inspection where appropriate
- A paid pilot or discovery phase for software
- Contracts reviewed by your own advisers
- Payment terms that match the risk
Red flags end the process. Reluctance to share registration details, documents that don’t match, or pressure for advance payments to personal accounts mean I don’t make the introduction.