Free supplier quality claim template (non-conformance report)
When goods arrive with defects, the buyer needs to tell the supplier clearly and quickly what is wrong, how much is affected, what it wants and by when. This sheet is a non-conformance report and claim in one: the shipment references, quantities received and inspected, each defect with its class and evidence, the remedy and amount claimed by formula, and a section for the supplier's root cause, corrective action and reply.
Download .xlsxAll free templates →
What the template covers
- Buyer, supplier, claim number and date, and the reply deadline
- PO, invoice, B/L and lot or batch numbers, product and item code
- Date received, quantity received, quantity inspected and how the problem was found
- Defects with description, class (critical, major, minor), quantity and photo or report reference
- Specification or approved sample that the goods should have matched
- Remedy requested (replacement, repair, credit note or price reduction) and amount by formula
- Supplier's containment, root cause, corrective and preventive action with dates
- Supplier's acceptance or reply, and closure by the buyer
Sources
Guides on this topic
Notify the supplier in time
Check incoming goods promptly and notify the supplier in writing as soon as you find a problem, describing what is wrong. Under the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG), where it applies, the buyer must examine the goods within as short a period as is practicable and give notice of a lack of conformity within a reasonable time after discovering it, and at the latest within two years after the goods were handed over, unless the contract sets another period. Many contracts set shorter claim periods, so check yours.
Evidence and quantities
A claim is stronger when it shows what the goods should have been and what they are: refer to the specification sheet, the approved sample or the inspection standard, attach photos with the lot numbers and carton marks, and state how many units were inspected and how many failed. If an inspection company or a laboratory checked the goods, attach its report. Keep the defective goods available until the supplier has had a chance to check them, unless you agree otherwise.
Remedy and corrective action
Say what you want: replacement of the defective units, repair, a credit note or a price reduction, plus any agreed costs such as sorting or return freight, and the deadline for a reply. Ask the supplier for containment of stock still at the factory, the root cause and the corrective and preventive actions, so that the next shipment does not repeat the problem. The contract and the applicable law decide which remedies you are entitled to.
Common questions
What is a non-conformance report?
A document that records how delivered goods differ from the agreed specification: which lot, how many units, what defects and the evidence, usually with a request for a remedy and corrective action.
How soon must I report defects to the supplier?
As soon as you find them and within any period set in the contract. Under the CISG, where it applies, notice must be given within a reasonable time after discovery and at the latest within two years after the goods were handed over, unless the contract sets another period.
What should I attach to a quality claim?
Photos showing the defects with lot numbers and carton marks, the inspection or laboratory report, the specification or approved sample reference, and the quantities inspected and found defective.
What remedies can I ask for?
Commonly replacement, repair, a credit note or a price reduction, and agreed costs such as sorting or return freight. What you are entitled to depends on the contract and the applicable law.
Is this the same as a cargo claim against the carrier?
No. A quality claim goes to the supplier for goods that do not match the contract; loss or damage in transit is claimed from the carrier or the insurer, with its own notice periods.
More free tools
Triplicate is free and keeps getting better. Found it useful? Support Triplicate ♥
Prefer no ads? Pro removes all ads · $1/month