Key points
- Requirements come from formulation, production and storage, not from the market.
- Distinguish mandatory requirements from preferences before quoting.
- Write requirements so two evaluators would score an offer identically.
Gather the three internal inputs
Formulation defines nutrient targets and anti-nutritional limits; production defines physical form, flow and processing constraints; warehousing defines packaging, stacking and shelf-life needs. Missing any one produces material that is technically compliant but operationally awkward.
Mandatory versus preferred
Marking each requirement as mandatory or preferred allows a structured comparison where a supplier meeting all mandatory items and some preferences can be scored fairly against one that inverts that pattern.
Make requirements testable
Each requirement should have a verification route: a laboratory test, a document check or a physical inspection. A requirement with no verification route cannot be enforced and should be reconsidered or reworded.
What to verify
- Formulation, production and warehousing inputs all captured in writing
- Every requirement marked mandatory or preferred
- Every requirement mapped to a verification route
Risks to manage
- Operationally impractical material accepted because only nutrients were specified
- Preferences treated as mandatory, narrowing the supplier field unnecessarily
- Requirements that cannot be verified being unenforceable in practice
Common mistakes
- Writing requirements from a previous purchase without reviewing them
- Omitting packaging and handling requirements
- Allowing suppliers to define the requirement through their offer
Frequently asked questions
How does this differ from the specification?
Requirements describe what the operation needs and why; the specification is the contractual expression of those needs with limits, methods and tolerances. Requirements come first.
Should requirements be shared with suppliers?
Yes, the mandatory ones. Suppliers who understand the intent behind a limit often propose a technically better solution than a bare number invites.
Related reading
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