| Annual Production Capacity | Ask for documented annual output, current order backlog, factory shifts, and reserved production slots. | A supplier should demonstrate capacity that is at least 20–30% higher than its committed workload for your project period. | Written production schedule with milestone dates and an identified project manager. | No verifiable production records or an unusually large promised volume with a very short lead time. | Prefer suppliers with measurable spare capacity during your planned manufacturing window. |
| Manufacturing Lead Time | Confirm the time from approved drawings to factory completion, excluding permitting and site preparation. | Approximately 8–16 weeks for a standard modular or panelized home after final design approval. | The contract separates design approval, manufacturing, shipping, installation, and commissioning dates. | A single fixed delivery date is quoted before engineering drawings are approved. | Allow schedule contingency rather than selecting solely on the shortest advertised lead time. |
| Warranty Coverage | Check structural, water-ingress, materials, workmanship, appliances, and installation coverage separately. | Typical market practice includes about 1 year for workmanship and 5–10 years for major structural components, subject to local law. | Warranty duration, exclusions, response times, and claim procedures are stated in the purchase contract. | Warranty applies only to factory components but excludes transport, installation, seals, or site connections. | Choose clear, transferable coverage with defined repair or replacement obligations. |
| Delivery and Logistics Risk | Review shipping route, customs responsibility, unloading equipment, road access, weather exposure, and damage procedures. | International projects commonly require an additional 2–6 weeks for ocean freight, customs, inland transport, and handling. | The quotation uses clearly defined Incoterms and includes cargo insurance or an equivalent risk allocation. | The buyer is responsible for all delays, port charges, damage, and unloading without cost limits. | Obtain a written logistics plan and maintain a schedule buffer of at least 10–15%. |
| Building-Code Compliance | Verify structural calculations, fire performance, energy efficiency, wind or snow loads, electrical standards, and local approvals. | Compliance must be assessed against the regulations of the project location, not only the factory’s domestic standards. | Local engineers or approved inspectors review the design before manufacturing begins. | The supplier provides generic certificates that do not identify your project location or applicable code. | Make permitting responsibility and redesign costs explicit in the contract. |
| Factory Quality Control | Review inspection checkpoints, material traceability, moisture control, dimensional checks, and pre-shipment records. | Quality checks should cover incoming materials, concealed services, assembly, waterproofing, and final factory acceptance. | The supplier provides dated inspection reports, photographs, test results, and a punch-list process. | Quality is assessed only after arrival at the site, when correction costs are highest. | Require independent or buyer-approved inspection before dispatch. |
| Quoted Factory Price | Identify whether the price includes the shell, interior finishes, kitchens, bathrooms, mechanical systems, taxes, and documentation. | Factory-only prices can represent only part of the final delivered project cost. | A line-item quotation identifies inclusions, exclusions, quantities, specifications, and approved change-order rates. | A low headline price omits foundations, utilities, transport, assembly, permits, or local taxes. | Compare complete delivered and habitable costs, not factory price alone. |
| Total Installed Cost | Include product, freight, insurance, foundations, site works, cranes, installation, utilities, permits, taxes, and contingency. | For planning, add a contingency of approximately 10–20% to the complete project budget, depending on site uncertainty. | A total-cost worksheet shows every cost category and identifies fixed versus provisional amounts. | More than 15–20% of the quoted budget remains undefined or marked “to be confirmed.” | Select the option with the clearest cost boundary, even if its initial price is not the lowest. |
| Payment Structure | Check deposit size, milestone payments, retention, refund rights, and payment security. | Payments should be linked to verifiable milestones such as design approval, factory completion, inspection, shipment, and installation. | A reasonable retained amount remains payable after delivery, commissioning, and punch-list completion. | The majority of the contract value is required before production or before independent inspection. | Use milestone-based payments and obtain legal review for cross-border contracts. |
| After-Sales Support | Confirm spare-parts availability, technical support hours, local service partners, and response times. | A practical support plan should define an initial response within 2–5 business days for non-emergency warranty issues. | Replacement parts are standardized, catalogued, and available throughout the stated warranty period. | No service contact, spare-parts list, or repair escalation process is provided. | Prioritize support capability near the project site when the home uses proprietary components. |
| Supplier Evaluation Score | Score capacity, warranty, logistics, compliance, quality, total cost, payment risk, and support from 1 to 5. | A balanced supplier should achieve at least 4 out of 5 in every critical category and 80 out of 100 overall. | The score is supported by documents, references, inspection results, and contract terms. | The supplier ranks highly only because of a low initial price. | Reject any option with a serious deficiency in compliance, warranty, or delivery responsibility. |
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