The gap between a founder's understanding of their product and what a manufacturer can quote against is where most early FMCG relationships go wrong. Quotes come back on different bases, cannot be compared, and the founder loses the ability to negotiate. Variations then appear once production is underway, at which point the negotiating power has moved entirely to the supplier.
This engagement closes that gap by producing the documents themselves rather than advice about them.
What is delivered
- A complete supplier brief specifying product, format, ingredient or material parameters, tolerances, quality expectations, volumes and packaging requirements
- A costing and margin model covering ex works cost, landed cost, distributor and retailer margin, trade spend and promotional scenarios
- A packaging hierarchy specification covering primary, secondary and tertiary configuration
- A supplier evaluation framework for comparing quotes on the same basis
- A completed Launch Readiness Model scorecard with the closed dimensions evidenced
- Two working sessions plus a documented readout
How the engagement runs
| Stage | What happens |
|---|---|
| Discovery | Structured discovery across product, commercial intent, channel and constraints. |
| Drafting | The supplier brief, costing model and packaging specification are drafted. |
| Working sessions | Two sessions to interrogate assumptions and refine the documents with you. |
| Delivery | Final documents delivered in editable form, ready to issue to manufacturers. |
Who this suits
Founders who have decided to proceed and are about to approach manufacturers, or who have received quotes they cannot meaningfully compare.
Fees: A fixed fee, set once the scope of the brief is understood. Scope and fee are confirmed in writing after a short fit call, so that what you pay reflects the product and the depth of the work rather than a standard rate. Fees are in Australian dollars and exclude GST.
Common questions
Do you contact suppliers on my behalf?
No. The documents are prepared for you to issue under your own name, which keeps the commercial relationship and the negotiating position with you. Where useful, the supplier evaluation framework is used to work through the responses together.
What if I already have a supplier?
The brief is still valuable. An existing supplier relationship established without a written specification is the most common source of later variation claims and quality disputes. Documenting the specification retrospectively is far cheaper than arguing about it.
Is the costing model something I can maintain myself?
Yes. It is delivered in editable form with the assumptions exposed rather than hard coded, so that cost changes, volume changes and promotional scenarios can be tested as the business moves.