What does a laboratory check before ordering a reagent from a new supplier?
Answer
They check the grade against the method, the impurity specification against what their analysis can tolerate, and whether a certificate of analysis comes with every batch. In validated work a reagent without documented purity cannot be used, whatever it costs.
A laboratory manager is deciding whether a cheaper reagent can be used in a method that has already been validated.
Information to make clear
Use the fields that affect this buying decision. Leave unsupported claims out.
- Product name, CAS number and formula
- The unambiguous identity of what is being ordered.
- Grade
- Analytical reagent, HPLC, spectroscopy and technical grades are different products.
- Purity and impurity specification
- What the method can tolerate.
- Pack sizes
- Laboratories buy small and repeatedly.
- Storage and stability conditions
- Determines shelf life in the lab.
- Hazard classification
- Decides what the lab is permitted to hold.
- Lead time and stock position
- Laboratories order against a schedule, not a forecast.
Documents to prepare
State what can be published, shared on request or issued with an order.
| Document | What it supports | Suggested handling |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate of AnalysisMay be requested at: with every batch, without asking | Batch purity and impurity profile against the specification | Issue per shipment |
| Safety Data SheetMay be requested at: before purchase approval | Hazard, handling, storage and disposal information | Publish |
| Product specification sheetMay be requested at: method selection | The grade's guaranteed limits, separate from the batch result | Publish |
| ISO 9001 or ISO 17025 scopeMay be requested at: supplier approval | Quality system, and accredited testing scope where claimed | Publish |
| Traceability statementMay be requested at: validated and regulated work | Whether values are traceable to a recognised reference material | Share on request |
| Transport classificationMay be requested at: ordering | How the material can be shipped and received | Publish |
| Manufacturing or repacking declarationMay be requested at: supplier assessment | Whether you synthesise, purify or repack | Publish |
Details to ask in an enquiry
Collect only the information needed to assess the request and respond.
- Product and CAS number
- Removes all ambiguity.
- Grade required
- Determines whether you can supply at all.
- Pack size and quantity
- Laboratory quantities are small and specific.
- Application or method
- Lets you flag a grade mismatch before it costs the customer a run.
- Documentation required
- Certificate of analysis, traceability or both.
- Delivery timing
- Laboratory work is scheduled and a late reagent stops it.
Related questions
Should certificates of analysis be searchable by batch number online?
If you can do it, it is the single most useful thing you can build. Laboratories file certificates against results and frequently need to retrieve one years later. A batch lookup removes an email exchange that both sides find tedious and that you cannot always answer quickly.
How much of the specification should be public?
All of the grade specification. It is what a laboratory compares between suppliers, and hiding it only guarantees they compare someone else's. Batch certificates are different: those belong to the customer who bought the batch.
We repack rather than synthesise. Does that matter?
It matters and it should be stated. Some laboratories cannot use repacked material in validated methods; others do not care and value your stock position and pack sizes. Both need to know which you are, and finding out late is worse for you than for them.
This is an editorial checklist, not a compliance standard. Requirements vary by market, customer and contract. Confirm current requirements with the responsible technical and commercial teams.
Plact Research. Plact's editorial desk for buyer-evidence guides. The guides organize common buyer questions, documents and enquiry fields. Requirements should be checked against current standards, regulations and contracts.