Comparing hospitality procurement companies starts with the project brief and the proposed agreement. Establish what will be purchased, who approves the specification, how the price is formed and who handles each handover. A service list alone cannot answer those questions.
A project purchasing appointment, a buying programme and a China sourcing package can involve different arrangements. Ask each company to explain its own proposal, and confirm purchase orders, ownership, inspection and warranty responsibilities in the contract rather than assuming that a business label settles them.
What should you compare in a procurement proposal?
| Decision | What to confirm |
|---|---|
| Procurement scope | The furniture, fixtures, equipment and other product groups included, with exclusions recorded. |
| Quotation reference | The item schedule, quantities, drawings and finish revisions used to price the package. |
| Commercial arrangement | How the charge is calculated, what it covers and how changes are agreed. |
| Approval authority | Who accepts samples, drawings, substitutions and changes to quantities. |
| Inspection and claims | Who checks the goods, what records are provided and which warranty terms apply. |
| Destination handover | Who receives, stores, assembles and installs the goods, and where the quoted supply scope ends. |
Which package is being procured: FF&E, OS&E or both?
FF&E covers the durable, installed, design-led items of a hotel interior, such as beds, casegoods, seating, lighting, mirrors and décor. OS&E covers the consumable and operational items a property needs to open and run day to day, such as linens, towels, crockery, glassware and uniforms. The two packages are specified, ordered and shipped separately, so ask each company which of them its proposal includes. See FF&E versus OS&E in hotel procurement and our glossary of FF&E and procurement terms.
How do specifications become an accepted order?
Start with a dated BOQ or FF&E schedule. Connect each item to its quantity, location, dimensions, materials and finish references. If the schedule and drawings disagree, mark the difference for the project team to resolve. An unanswered question should remain visible beside the affected item.
Review quotations against that same reference. A proposed alternative needs an identifiable difference: construction, material, finish, dimension or another specified requirement. Name the person who can accept it. An accepted fabric colour should not silently become approval of the complete product.
For custom products sourced through FBM Sourcing, the factory prepares shop drawings and a material list for review and sign-off before production. Keep the accepted revisions together with the sample and finish references. A later change should identify which items and earlier approvals it affects.
Deciding how to structure procurement on a hotel project?
FBM Sourcing works with project owners, developers, main contractors and FF&E contractors on hotel and apartment projects as the China sourcing partner — quotations, inspection and shipping documents all in our own name. Send the specification or BOQ and our team will review it and get back to you.
Where does the China package meet the site team?
FBM Sourcing manages the entire China procurement package for overseas construction projects. We source against the project requirements, coordinate factory drawings, follow production and consolidate goods into full containers. The quotation and order documents define the accepted package.
Our own team performs one inspection at the factory once bulk production is finished, before shipment, with photo and video records. Your own project team is welcome to attend the inspection with us. We arrange container loading and provide a loading report. Sea freight is quoted to you before shipment.
Before loading, the project team should confirm the receiving arrangements, carton identification and assembly or installation responsibilities at destination. Read the Incoterm and destination scope in the quotation; a container loading plan does not settle the site’s installation sequence.
What should you ask before appointing a company?
- Which schedule and drawing revisions does your proposal use?
- Which products and services are included, and which are excluded?
- How is your charge calculated for this particular package?
- Who approves an alternative before it replaces a specified item?
- How will an accepted change appear in the order record?
- Who handles inspection, destination receiving and any warranty claim?
How does FBM Sourcing fit the project?
All quotations, invoices and shipping documents are issued by FBM Sourcing — you deal with us, and we carry the responsibility. For suppliers you nominate, we charge a 5% commission; for products we source for you, we quote a direct price.
Read what our charging arrangements cover. For hotel and apartment developments see FF&E procurement China, and for the agent-selection question see Chinese sourcing agent for hotel developers and contractors. For a furniture package, see the guidance for hotel and property developers or FF&E contractors. Send your project brief, BOQ or schedule and drawings; our team will review them and get back to you.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a hospitality purchasing agent and a buying group?
The label does not settle the arrangement. Ask each company to explain its own proposal: whom it contracts with, whose name is on the purchase order, how its charge is calculated, and who handles inspection and claims. Confirm the answers in the contract.
Can a buying group procure the FF&E for a new hotel?
That depends on the programme and the agreement. Ask the group which product categories its programme covers, whether it can price a designer’s specification, who approves samples and who inspects the goods, and record the answers in the contract.
Is a China sourcing partner the same as a purchasing agent?
The names do not decide it; the scope in each proposal does. FBM Sourcing manages the China procurement package for the project: we source against the project requirements, coordinate factory drawings, follow production and consolidate goods into full containers, and all quotations, invoices and shipping documents are issued by FBM Sourcing. Ask any other company to state its own scope in writing.
How does FBM Sourcing charge?
All quotations, invoices and shipping documents are issued by FBM Sourcing — you deal with us, and we carry the responsibility. For suppliers you nominate, we charge a 5% commission; for products we source for you, we quote a direct price. What that fee covers is set out in what a China sourcing agent’s fee actually covers.
About FBM Sourcing
FBM Sourcing manages the entire China procurement package for overseas construction projects. We are the sourcing partner and sourcing agent in China for developers, general contractors, builders, commercial project owners, interior design and construction companies and FF&E solution providers — from the BOQ or room schedule through factory selection, sampling, inspection by our own team, consolidation and shipping, with every document issued in our own name. If you have a hotel or apartment package to price, start at https://fbmsourcing.com/china-building-materials-ffe-procurement/.
