Yes, for company clients with a defined specification. FBM Sourcing can run a project from your drawings, product list or BOQ, using photos and video of shortlisted products, couriered samples and colour boards, and video calls in place of a factory trip.
A visit is still worth making in one case: a whole venue or a whole residential package, where selection is the stage that goes faster and better in person. This article sets out what a remote project looks like step by step, based on how FBM Sourcing runs an order.
Who a Remote Project Suits
FBM Sourcing works with companies buying for a project: developers and hotel owners, general contractors, interior and FF&E contractors, importers and distributors. A remote project works when the specification is already defined. In practice that means you can send drawings, a product list or BOQ with quantities, reference photos or links, or a finish schedule, and tell us where the project is so we check the certifications your market requires before we quote.
If you only have plans, company clients can ask us to take the product list off the plans room by room. The more precise the list, the more precise the match. See 5 mistakes to avoid before sending your BOQ to China for what to settle first.
What You Send and What You Receive at Each Step
A remote project replaces the factory visit with documents, images and calls. These are the steps and what changes hands.
| Step | What you send or approve | What you receive |
|---|---|---|
| Brief | Drawings, product list or BOQ, reference photos or links, finish schedule, project location | A review of the brief and the certifications your market requires, checked before we quote |
| Selection | Your choice from the shortlist | Photos and video of shortlisted products, couriered samples and colour boards, and video calls; two or three quality levels per category where useful |
| Proforma invoice | Confirmation of the final selection | A proforma invoice with full product details, the warranty period and estimated dates |
| Drawings and approval | Your sign-off | For custom products, the factory’s 2D drawings (3D as well for millwork) and a detailed material list, with rounds of changes until you sign off |
| Production and quality control | Optional: your project team attends the inspection | A QC report with photos and video; products that fail go back for rework and re-inspection |
| Shipping | Your destination port and delivery plan | Container loading, shipment to your destination port, a detailed container loading report to help you unload, and the shipping documents |
| After-sales | Photos or video of any problem | Replacement or compensation within the warranty period stated in the proforma invoice, for products FBM Sourcing sources for you |
Customs clearance and inland transport at the destination are handled by the customer, with FBM Sourcing providing the shipping documents (except where DDP is quoted). For how those documents and the loading report are used, see shipping and customs documents on a China project order and what a container loading report should show.
Sourcing this for a commercial project?
FBM Sourcing manages the entire China procurement package for overseas construction projects. We work with Developers · General Contractors · Builders · Commercial Project Owners · Interior Design & Construction Companies · FF&E Solution Providers. Send your BOQ, drawings or product schedule for review.
How the Details Are Checked When You Are Not There
For custom orders, every detail is confirmed at the drawing, ordering, quality-control and loading stages, and all of it is recorded and can be checked. Approval of the drawings and material list before production is part of every custom order. How the shop drawing approval cycle works covers what is exchanged and signed.
Before shipment, our own team checks quantities, dimensions, finish, hardware and packing against the specification you signed off, and sends you the QC report with photos and video. Your project team is welcome to attend that inspection with us. Samples, where you want them before production, are couriered to you for approval; see how sample approval works.
Day-to-day communication runs by e-mail and WhatsApp with one dedicated contact. For how the time difference is handled, see time zones and communication cadence with a China sourcing agent.
When a Visit Is Still Worth Making
Selection is the stage that benefits most from being in person when you are furnishing or fitting out a whole venue, or buying a whole house or villa package. For those projects we recommend coming for the selection stage; it goes faster and better in person. If you do travel, we review your drawings and plan the route before you land, and communication with the factories continues through us afterwards. See what visiting Chinese factories with a sourcing agent looks like.
Many clients start with one category, or with a trial order, and add the rest once quality and price fit. That route needs no travel at all.
Questions About Running a Project Without a Visit
Can a remote project start with one category?
Yes. Where a project fits our service, we can price one category first as a reference; if quality and price fit, we continue with the rest. Many clients start with one category or a trial order.
Who inspects the goods if I am not there?
Our own FBM Sourcing QC team inspects once after bulk production is complete and before shipment, checking quantities, dimensions, finish, hardware and packing against your signed-off specification. You receive a QC report with photos and video, and your project team is welcome to attend the inspection.
What do I need to send to get started?
Send your drawings, a product list or BOQ with quantities, reference photos, links or a finish schedule, and the location of the project so we can check the certifications your market requires.
How does FBM Sourcing support this kind of project?
We review the brief, collect comparable quotations and manage the package for the project. For suppliers you nominate, we charge a 5% commission; for products we source for you, we quote a direct price. Our own team performs one inspection after bulk production is complete and before shipment, and the client’s project team is welcome to attend.
FBM Sourcing manages the entire China procurement package for overseas construction projects. We work with Developers · General Contractors · Builders · Commercial Project Owners · Interior Design & Construction Companies · FF&E Solution Providers.
