How It Works - theforgesource.com

The Process

Select Your Engagement & Pay

Choose the tier that matches your sourcing need and timeline. Payment is processed securely via Stripe. Your engagement begins the moment payment is confirmed — no waiting, no back-and-forth before we start.

All four tiers include OFAC screening, certification verification, and a ranked supplier recommendation. The difference is scope, depth, and whether we contact suppliers on your behalf.

Submit Your Requirements

Immediately after payment, you'll receive a link to our sourcing intake form. It takes 5 minutes and covers everything we need: product specifications, annual volume, required certifications, geographic preferences, and timeline.

You can also upload a specification sheet, drawing, or RFQ document. The more detail you provide, the more precisely we can match suppliers to your exact requirements.

We Research & Verify

Our team searches across our supplier database, industry directories, manufacturer networks, and global sources to identify qualified candidates. Every candidate goes through our full verification process before being included in your brief.

We screen a minimum of 8–15 candidates to find your final 3–10. This gives us room to discard suppliers who don't meet the quality threshold — you only see the best options.

Supplier Outreach (Engagement & Retained Tiers)

For Sourcing Engagement and Retained Partnership clients, we contact the top 3 shortlisted suppliers directly on your behalf. We send a blind RFQ — your identity remains confidential unless you authorize an introduction.

We ask suppliers about capabilities, capacity, lead times, MOQs, and certifications. Responses are summarized in your brief with confirmed vs. self-reported status clearly noted.

Receive Your Brief

You receive a professionally formatted sourcing brief with complete supplier profiles, a side-by-side comparison, and our ranked recommendations with rationale. Delivered as PDF and Google Doc.

Your brief includes full contact information, certification status, OFAC clearance date, capacity details, and a clear recommendation for which supplier to engage first — and why.

Our Verification Standard

OFAC Sanctions Screening

Every supplier is screened against the US Treasury OFAC Specially Designated Nationals list before appearing in any brief. For international suppliers, we also check the Entity List and UFLPA where applicable.

Certification Verification

We verify certifications through public registries — not company websites. ISO 9001, AS9100, ISO 13485, NADCAP, FDA registration, and others are confirmed at the source with expiration dates and registrar names noted.

Business Registry Check

We verify the supplier's legal business registration through relevant state, federal, or national registries. For Chinese suppliers, we verify through gsxt.gov.cn — China's National Enterprise Credit Information system.

Capability Assessment

We assess whether the supplier's stated capabilities match your specific requirements — not just whether they make the product category. MOQs, lead times, equipment, capacity, and geographic coverage are all evaluated.

Candidate Scoring

Each supplier is scored across five dimensions: capability fit, certification strength, production capacity, risk profile, and responsiveness. Only suppliers meeting our minimum threshold appear in your brief.

Transparent Disclosure

Every piece of supplier information is labeled — verified, self-reported, or requires follow-up. We never present unverified information as confirmed. If we couldn't verify something, we say so explicitly.

Delivery Timeline by Tier

Tier	Price	Suppliers	Outreach	Delivery
Small Business Starter	$397	3 verified	Database research only	72 hours
Sourcing Brief	$749	5 verified	Database research only	48 hours
Sourcing Engagement	$2,497	5–10 verified	Top 3 contacted directly	7 business days
Retained Partnership	$2,997/mo	Ongoing	Full outreach management	Ongoing · 4hr response

Confidentiality

Your identity stays confidential throughout the engagement.

When we contact suppliers on your behalf, we present as a sourcing consultancy representing a client — your company name and identity are never disclosed during the evaluation phase. You decide when and whether to be introduced.

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Your company identity is never disclosed to suppliers without your explicit authorization

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Your requirements and specifications are shared only in general terms during the evaluation phase

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Formal introductions happen only after you select a supplier and approve the connection

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All communications are treated as confidential and never shared with third parties

From sourcing challenge to verified suppliers — without the wait.