China peptide supplier checklist: 12 points to verify

A supplier evaluation framework for buyers who cannot visit the factory — which is most buyers.

The 12 points

#	Check	What evidence looks like
1	Legal entity	Business licence matching the bank account and invoice
2	Product scope	Consistent catalogue with real specifications, not copied text
3	Batch COA	Lot-specific, with chromatogram and MS
4	Analytical methods	Column, gradient, wavelength, instrument
5	Traceability	Batch number linking vial, COA and production record
6	Retention samples	Stated retention period and storage
7	Deviation handling	Written OOS procedure; non-conforming lots not shipped
8	Certifications	Verifiable certificate numbers and scope — or no claim
9	Export compliance	Accurate declarations; restricted-destination policy
10	Commercial terms	Written quotation, Incoterm, payment terms, lead time
11	Communication	Technical replies, not sales scripts
12	Consistency	Two or three consecutive lots with comparable data

How to use it

Score each point 0–2. Below 18/24, treat the supplier as unqualified for regulated or repeat business. The point is not to find a perfect supplier — it is to make the gaps visible before money moves.

The most common failure

Point 3 and point 5 fail together: suppliers provide a generic COA and cannot link it to the lot shipped. If that happens, no other strength compensates.

Research use only. This framework is commercial due diligence, not regulatory certification.

Editor's take

A checklist is only useful if a failed item blocks the order. If every score can be negotiated, you have written a survey, not a gate.

Sources & evidence

Specification and analytical expectations: ICH Q6B / Q2(R1) — ICH quality guidelines.
API manufacturing quality systems: ICH Q7 — same ICH page.
Chinese national standards: GB/T via the SAMR full-text platform.

Commercial due diligence guidance, not legal advice; supplier claims must be verified against batch documents.

Limitations

This is commercial due diligence guidance, not legal advice. Supplier claims must be verified against batch documents and, where required, an independent audit.