A buyer should identify sample items and production deliverables separately in the written quote, rather than assuming that every quoted item belongs to the production order. A pro forma invoice can provide a useful starting point because it can list the quoted items and show prices per unit and extended totals.
How should the item list be separated?
The buyer can ask for each quoted entry to be labelled clearly as either:
- Sample only: an item submitted for review, testing or evaluation.
- Production deliverable: an item intended to form part of the production supply.
The description of each item should make any distinction visible instead of leaving sample and production versions under similar names. Sample-only entries should also state that they are excluded from the production quantity, if that is the intended arrangement.
What commercial details should accompany each item?
The U.S. International Trade Administration states that a pro forma invoice can list quoted items and detail prices per unit and extended totals. The buyer can therefore check whether the document clearly connects each item description with its corresponding price information.
| Field | What the buyer should check |
|---|---|
| Item description | Whether the entry is expressly identified as a sample or a production deliverable |
| Sample status | Whether “sample only” and any exclusion from the production quantity are stated clearly |
| Unit price | Whether the price is associated with the correct item |
| Extended total | Whether the calculated amount matches the quoted quantity and unit price |
| Production scope | Which items are actually included in the requested production supply |
These fields help expose ambiguity, but they do not by themselves establish whether an item has been authorized for production.
What must the buyer confirm separately?
Before treating the quotation as final, the buyer should obtain written confirmation of the items, versions, quantities and conditions required for production. Sample arrangements should also be confirmed separately, including whether samples are excluded from the production deliverable.
The available agency material does not state that listing an item on a pro forma invoice creates a production commitment. The buyer should therefore avoid treating the item list as proof of production authorization and should check the other accepted written documents for the final scope.