Tender Specification Generator

Six things, and most tenders are missing at least two. Construction: fibre composition, weight or thread count, weave, finished sizes. Tolerances: how far each of those may vary before the goods are non-conforming. Performance: dimensional stability and colourfastness, stated as test methods and minimum grades rather than adjectives. Inspection: the AQL and sampling standard, plus a defect classification. Compliance: certification and the labelling the destination market requires. Packing and marking. Anything that cannot be measured by a laboratory or an inspector does not belong in the specification.

Because without them a specification is unenforceable. "500 GSM" on its own is not a requirement, since no production run hits a number exactly - a mill delivering 470 GSM has not obviously breached anything you wrote down. "500 GSM ±5%" is a requirement: it tells the mill what to aim for, tells the inspector what to measure, and tells both sides where the line is. The same applies to finished dimensions, which move with shrinkage and making-up.

By test method and minimum grade, never by description. Colourfastness to washing is ISO 105-C06, to rubbing is ISO 105-X12 with separate dry and wet figures, and to light is ISO 105-B02. Grades run 1 to 5, higher being better. Grade 4 minimum for washing and dry rubbing with 3 for wet rubbing is a reasonable hospitality baseline. Writing "must not fade" gives you nothing to enforce.

It would be easy to write one that was, by specifying something only we do. This one does not: every field is an open choice from standard industry vocabulary, every tolerance is editable, and the tolerances default to conventional values rather than to whatever we happen to hit comfortably. The document is yours to amend and issue to whichever bidders you like, including ones who are not us. We publish it because a market where buyers write enforceable specs is a market where doing the work properly is worth something.

A signed defect classification schedule, and it is usually the thing nobody attaches. Buyer and mill agree AQL 2.5 and then discover at the inspection that they disagree about whether a shade variation is a major or a minor - one judgement that can flip a container from accepted to rejected. Attach the classification list, the approved lab dip and the size schedule, and most inspection disputes never happen.

Specify what you actually need, and know why. OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100 tests the finished article for harmful substances and is the practical baseline for hospitality and for EU REACH expectations. GOTS is an organic-content and processing standard, which is a different claim, so ask for it only if organic content is genuinely part of your proposition. Asking for a long list of certifications you will never audit narrows your bidder pool without improving the goods.

Yes. A specification tells the mill what to make; a sample proves they can. The sequence that actually works is specification, then a sewn sample to that specification, then a wash trial on the sample to confirm dimensional stability and colourfastness in practice, then the bulk run. Skipping the sample because the paperwork is good is how properties end up with a technically conforming product they do not like.

Our standard minimum is 500 pcs trial / 2,000 pcs wholesale for towels, 200 sets trial (wholesale threshold to confirm) for bed linen, and 200 pcs trial (wholesale threshold to confirm) for bathrobes. "Per SKU" means per size and colour combination. We can run 500 pcs (trial run, small premium) for a genuine first trial. Below roughly 300 pieces we are honestly the wrong supplier — a loom set-up and a dye lot cost the same whether you order 100 towels or 1,000, so the per-piece price stops making sense for you. At that size a local wholesaler will serve you better, and we would rather tell you that than waste your week.

2 free pcs per spec — you pay courier only. Courier from Kerala to most countries runs $35–$60 via DHL or FedEx and arrives in 7–14 days. We recommend asking for two GSM weights side by side — most buyers change their mind about weight once they hold both. Sample cost is credited back against your first bulk order.

30% advance, 70% against B/L copy — so 70% of your money is still with you when the goods leave the port. You get photos of the actual production run before the balance is due. You can also appoint a third-party inspector (SGS, Bureau Veritas or Intertek, roughly $300–$500 for a single inspection) to check the goods at our factory before you release the balance; we will schedule it and give them access. If a shipment does not match the approved sample, we remake or credit it.

In most countries, no — not for commercial quantities of ordinary cotton textiles. In the US, UK, EU, UAE, Australia and Canada, a business tax or VAT registration number is normally all that is required, and your freight forwarder or customs broker files the entry for you. Some markets do require an importer registration (Saudi Arabia and Egypt among them). Tell us your country and we will tell you plainly what you need before you commit any money.

FOB means the price to get goods loaded onto the ship at Cochin port — freight, duty and local delivery are on top. As a rough guide, sea freight adds $0.15–$0.45 per towel on a shared container and less on a full one; import duty is typically 6–12% depending on your country. We quote CIF (freight included) or DDP (everything included, delivered to your address) on request, so you can compare one final number instead of guessing. Our landed-cost calculator does the arithmetic for you.

Yes, absolutely. Certification is not a hoop we make you jump through — it is simply how we already manufacture. Every piece is made under OEKO-TEX Standard 100 whether you ask for the certificate or not, and it costs you nothing extra. If you do not need the paperwork, do not ask for it and nothing about your order or price changes. Buyers who supply hotel groups or EU retailers usually want the documents; an Airbnb host or a salon owner almost never does.

30–45 days for production, plus shipping. Sea freight is 10–16 days to the Gulf, 22–30 days to Europe and the UK, 28–38 days to the US east coast, and 18–25 days to Australia. Air freight cuts that to 3–5 days but costs roughly 6–8× more per kilo, so it is worth it for samples and rarely worth it for bulk. Plan on about 8–10 weeks door to door for a first sea shipment.

Fair question, and one you should ask everyone. We are a manufacturer in Kerala, India — you can video-call the floor during Indian working hours with no notice, and we will walk the looms and the dye house for you. We will also give you our IEC (Import Export Code) and GST registration to verify independently. A trading company will usually decline a live unscheduled video call, which is the cheapest test you can run on any supplier.

Yes. Woven labels, printed care labels, embroidered logos, custom packaging and retail barcodes are all standard. Logo embroidery adds about $0.30–$0.60 per piece; a custom woven label adds about $0.06–$0.12. Private-label MOQ is 2,000 pieces per SKU rather than 500, because the label and packaging themselves carry a minimum run.