Payment milestones should reference the same approved product revision, quantity and deliverable status as the purchase order and invoice.
Frame the decision
Maintain a document register that links quotation, order, specification, sample approval, invoice, packing list and shipment evidence.
Finance and technical teams should be able to reconcile what was approved, delivered and invoiced from one revision trail.
Build the controlled worksheet
Keep these five topic-specific inputs together so the quotation, sample and inspection teams do not work from different assumptions:
- Quotation and purchase order: state the requirement, reference, status and approval owner.
- Approved specification revision: state the requirement, reference, status and approval owner.
- Sample approval record: state the requirement, reference, status and approval owner.
- Invoice and payment milestone: state the requirement, reference, status and approval owner.
- Packing and shipment documents: state the requirement, reference, status and approval owner.
Evidence to request
- Approved source or drawing for quotation and purchase order
- Order-specific record covering approved specification revision
- Written acceptance basis for sample approval record
- Controlled decision history for invoice and payment milestone
- Release evidence connected to packing and shipment documents
Evidence must identify the relevant product, material, revision or lot. Record any limitation, substitution or item still awaiting approval.
Risks to close before approval
- Paying against a superseded quotation
- Changing quantities outside the controlled order
- Releasing a milestone without its required approval record
Assign an owner, due date and written disposition to each unresolved risk. Do not allow an informal answer to replace a controlled revision.
Use the result in the RFQ
Attach the worksheet, quantity, destination, required date and current sample status. Ask the supplier to list assumptions and exceptions against the same five inputs.