Before ordering third-party inspection or testing for electronic components, write down the material to be evaluated, the question to be answered, the proposed method and the acceptance criteria. Link the request to the exact offered lot. Agree who will review the results and what happens if the findings do not meet the requirement.
This turns a general request for “tested parts” into a scope that a supplier, laboratory and buyer can discuss. It also identifies which questions will remain open after the planned work.
Start with the purchasing decision
Explain what remains unresolved before you can approve the purchase. You might need to investigate an identification discrepancy, assess a stated condition, or check particular electrical characteristics against an applicable specification. These questions can require different evidence and methods.
Describe the concern without deciding the result in advance. For example, request clarification of a label discrepancy rather than instructing a laboratory to certify that the goods are genuine. TI warns that counterfeit products can carry markings and labels resembling authentic products; it recommends purchasing through its authorized sources and states limits on warranty and support for purchases outside those sources. A plausible label is therefore insufficient on its own to resolve a sourcing concern. TI anti-counterfeit guidance.
If a manufacturer-issued document is an order requirement, state that separately. An inspection request does not turn a supplier's report into a manufacturer certificate. The guide to CoCs, inspection reports and test reports explains how to review existing documents; the request below defines the work you want performed before a new report is produced.
Identify the material before choosing samples
Give each offered lot or separately identified package a reference. Include the complete manufacturer part number, manufacturer, offered quantity, available date and lot codes, and current packaging condition. Link the relevant label photographs and source documents to that reference.
If the supplier proposes more than one lot, ask your quality reviewer whether they need separate treatment. Do not let one part-number heading hide different sources or handling histories. If samples will be taken from a larger quantity, record how the samples and the remaining goods will stay associated.
Tell the laboratory which information is unavailable. An unknown opening date, a missing source label or an unresolved lot reference is useful context for planning the work. It should not be replaced by an assumption to complete the request form.
Build a request that can be quoted and reviewed
Use the following as a discussion checklist. The responsible technical or quality reviewer should select the methods and criteria for the actual purchase.
Request field | What to agree before work starts |
|---|---|
Material reference | Exact MPN, manufacturer, lot or package references, offered quantity and supporting files |
Objective | The particular concern or characteristic the work must address |
Method and scope | The proposed activities, applicable procedure and any exclusions |
Specification and criteria | The document revision, relevant characteristics, test conditions and decision criteria approved for this order |
Sampling | Population covered, sample selection method, sample quantity and how any lot decision will be made |
Sample handling | Selection, custody, identification, protective packaging and any handling restrictions |
Destructive activities | Which activities may consume or alter samples, and the permission required before proceeding |
Deliverables | Sample identifiers, methods, conditions, observations or measurements, findings, limitations and report approval |
Review and disposition | Who assesses the findings and authorizes acceptance, further work or another outcome |
Commercial arrangements | The agreed scope and fee, timing dependencies, and treatment of samples and remaining material |
Ask for clarification when a quotation contains only a test name. A method can be relevant without addressing every characteristic your application requires. If a requested activity cannot be performed, record the excluded scope and refer it to the reviewer before treating the proposal as adequate.
Agree the sampling basis
Keep the offered lot quantity, selected sample quantity and individual units actually tested distinct. Ask how the samples will be selected and which population the agreed decision applies to.
NIST describes lot acceptance sampling as selecting a random sample and using its information to decide whether to accept or reject the lot. Its purpose and limitations depend on the sampling plan. An appropriate sampling plan, approved by the responsible quality reviewer, can support a lot disposition; it does not mean that every unit was individually tested. NIST guidance on acceptance sampling.
Have the quality reviewer approve the applicable sampling basis rather than copying a sample count from an unrelated order. If lot composition changes after the scope is agreed, return to the reviewer to decide whether the plan and sample association still apply.
Preserve handling information when samples leave the stock
Record who selects the samples, the source package, quantity removed and identification placed on the sample package. Agree the shipping and protective-packaging arrangements before moving material. Avoid opening a sealed package solely to prepare an initial inspection inquiry.
Where moisture-sensitive devices are involved, include the available opening, storage and handling records and ask for the applicable manufacturer requirements to be observed. This request checklist does not set a drying or baking procedure. The moisture-sensitive component storage guide provides background for that separate handling review.
Confirm whether samples will be consumed, altered or returned. A destructive evaluation can affect the quantity and condition available for purchase. Keep that consequence visible when agreeing the delivered quantity and price.
Define the next decision before receiving a report
Name the person who can assess findings and authorize the next step. Agree how a discrepancy, inconclusive result or proposed extension to the scope will be handled. Additional work needs its own agreed scope, timing and cost; it should not be assumed to be included in the first instruction.
When results arrive, compare the report with the agreed request. Check the material and sample references, activities actually performed, criteria and reported limitations. Record omissions or changed methods for review. Keep acceptance unresolved where the agreed evidence is still missing, without treating an unresolved finding as a final counterfeit determination.
For sellers, retain the link between the evaluated samples and the stock that remains. Describe completed activities by their actual scope. Avoid extending a result to different lots or saying that all units were tested when only samples were evaluated.
Common questions about inspection requests
A request for a complete test
“Complete test” leaves the required work undefined. Name the concern and applicable characteristics, then agree the methods, conditions, exclusions and acceptance criteria with the responsible reviewer and provider.
A report from an earlier order
Review its material references and scope before commissioning duplicate work. It may answer part of the requirement, or concern different samples or goods. Record which questions it resolves and which remain open.
A change to the offered lot
Ask the reviewer to reassess the material definition, sample association and agreed scope. Approval for a particular lot does not automatically describe replacement material offered later.
Include the requirement in your sourcing request
When sending a BOM to StockWake, identify the documents or inspection scope your purchase requires and when they must be reviewed. StockWake's published terms describe optional third-party testing at the buyer's cost; confirm the arrangements for the actual offered lot before proceeding. StockWake terms.
If you are submitting surplus stock, describe the records already available and any checks actually completed. Keep proposed testing separate from completed results so that a buyer can identify the remaining requirement.