Buyer guide
How to qualify a Georgian supplier
A public website can establish that a company exists. It cannot tell you whether the factory, capacity, compliance system and commercial offer will work for your program.
Start with a claim map, not a factory questionnaire
Before contacting the supplier, separate what public evidence already establishes from what the company still needs to prove. This prevents a polished presentation from becoming the starting point for every conclusion. Record the source, date and evidence status for each material claim.
01
Confirm the contracting legal entity
Match the trade name to the registered legal name, company number, address and ownership information. Start with Georgia's Entrepreneurs and Non-Entrepreneurial Legal Entities Registry. The portal supports searches by identification code, name and legal form and provides registered records and related documents. Search terms may need to be entered in Georgian.
- Current registry extract and Georgian identification code
- Registered address compared with the operating site
- Ownership, representation authority and liquidation flags
- Relationship between the brand, exporter and factory
- Taxpayer or VAT status through the Georgia Revenue Service
02
Establish who controls production
An office address, product catalogue or Georgian telephone number does not establish factory ownership. Ask whether the supplier owns, leases or subcontracts each site. Request the exact address, current photographs, a live walkthrough and documentation connecting the legal entity to the facility.
When production is subcontracted, identify the actual manufacturer and apply the same qualification standard to that business. The Georgian Textile Group record shows why: the public contact uses a Danish +45 number and does not identify a Georgian production site. That does not prove the company is a trader, but it is a concrete reason to verify who controls production before qualification.
03
Test process fit at the operation level
Translate the product into required operations, equipment, materials and quality controls. Then mark each operation as in-house, subcontracted or unverified. A supplier may make a similar product without controlling the process that matters most to cost, quality or lead time.
- Equipment list tied to the proposed product
- In-house versus subcontracted operations
- Material origin and approved upstream suppliers
- Inspection points, test methods and retained records
04
Replace headline capacity with available capacity
Annual capacity figures are rarely enough. Request output by line or process, current utilization, operating shifts, changeover assumptions and the seasonal capacity calendar. Compare the proposed order to actual recent production, not only to theoretical machine speed.
A useful capacity answer explains the constraint. It should identify the operation that governs throughput and the evidence used to calculate available volume. In Georgia's apparel sector, available labor and current order allocation can matter as much as installed machines. Ask for actual output by month, open minutes on the relevant line and turnover in skilled operations rather than relying on annual theoretical capacity.
05
Verify every certificate with the issuer
Obtain the current document, then verify its number in the issuer’s database when one exists. Use the OEKO-TEX Label Check and the GOTS certified-supplier database for textile claims. Check the legal entity, facility address, product or process scope, standard version, issue date, expiry date and exclusions. The Tiflis Textile profile shows an issuer-verified example; Barambo's public ISO 22000:2005 statement shows why an undated company claim is not enough.
06
Ask for evidence of recent export execution
Export-market lists can become stale. Request recent destination markets, the products shipped, shipment frequency and the supplier’s role in the transaction. Where lawful and available, corroborate the answer with trade data, customer references or government exporter records.
Separate direct exports from sales to a local trader or foreign intermediary. Both models can work, but they create different documentation, payment and control risks. A listing in Enterprise Georgia's exporter directory corroborates market participation, but it still does not prove the recency, volume or destination of a shipment.
07
Qualify the commercial operating model
Confirm MOQ by style, SKU and color; sample and production lead times; development charges; tooling or artwork ownership; payment terms; Incoterms; packaging responsibility; claims handling; and who owns compliance testing. Ask how the answers change for first orders and replenishment orders.
Do not compare unit prices until scope, quality, packaging, testing, freight assumptions and duties are aligned. For EU imports, test the exact HS code and origin rule in the European Commission's Access2Markets portal; Georgia's trade agreement does not make every product duty-free without qualifying origin. For sea freight, obtain current schedules and charges for Poti or Batumi rather than using a generic Black Sea transit estimate.
08
Close with a written decision record
Record each claim as verified, company-stated, historically supported, conflicting or unknown. List the remaining risks, the evidence needed to close them and the person responsible. The final decision should state whether the company is approved for development, approved with conditions or not approved.
Need a starting set?
Use the directory to build your initial claim map.
Each company record exposes its sources, operating claims and highest-priority qualification questions.