Procurement guide
Use these questions with any supplier you are considering, including us. Each one comes with what a clear answer sounds like and when to ask again. They work for hotels, clinics, offices and schools in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
Uniform quotes are hard to compare. One supplier quotes a per-piece price, another a package; one includes sizing, another charges for it later. Two quotes that look 20% apart can end up the same, or the reverse, once setup, sizing, freight, duty and reorders are counted.
The questions below make suppliers answer the same things in writing. Put them in your request for quotation and score the answers side by side. A good supplier will be glad you asked.
By the Falaj programmes team. Updated 10 November 2026.
The questions
Many uniform companies sell, design and make; others buy from factories. Both can work, but you should know which factory sews your order and in which country.
A clear answer: They name the factory and its country in writing for each garment family.
Ask again if: Answers like "our factories" with no name or country, even after you ask.
Minimums decide whether small roles (a spa team of six) are affordable, and whether new joiners can get kits later.
A clear answer: A number per design for new programmes and a separate, lower rule for top-ups.
Ask again if: No minimum at all for custom garments, or a minimum that only appears in the quote.
Pre-openings and school years have fixed dates. Lead times depend on where the garments are made.
A clear answer: Separate sample and bulk times, and an explanation of what lengthens them (volume, fabric, country, Ramadan and Eid).
Ask again if: One short delivery time for everything, regardless of quantity or fabric.
A catalogue photo does not show how a fabric feels after a shift or how your logo sits.
A clear answer: Samples of each garment in your colours with your logo before production is approved.
Ask again if: Production starts from a catalogue reference with no sample of your version.
Wrong sizes are the most common reason an order disappoints, and fixing them costs time.
A clear answer: A described method: size sets, measuring guide or measuring days, ending in a size breakdown per role.
Ask again if: "Send us the sizes" with no guide, chart or try-on.
A kitchen, a lobby and a clinic need different fabrics for heat and washing.
A clear answer: Suggestions per role tied to how the role works and how it is washed.
Ask again if: One fabric for every role, or claims like "antibacterial" with no certificate.
Claims about protection, flame resistance or antimicrobial finishes need proof.
A clear answer: A certificate for each claim, shared with the quote. No certificate, no claim.
Ask again if: Claims in brochures that cannot be backed by a document.
Logo size, thread colour and position should not drift between orders.
A clear answer: Embroidery or print method, size and position fixed on the approved sample and recorded.
Ask again if: Logo details that are decided again for every order.
Setup, sizing, freight, duty and VAT can double the gap between two quotes.
A clear answer: A quote that lists every line, including what is stated separately.
Ask again if: A per-piece price with freight, duty or setup left vague.
Finance needs terms that fit its process.
A clear answer: Clear deposit and balance terms and whether LPOs are accepted.
Ask again if: Full payment in advance with no written terms.
A programme lasts years. The tenth kit should look like the first.
A clear answer: A kept record of specs, fabric and colour references, logo and sizes, and a stated reorder process.
Ask again if: No record kept: every reorder starts from scratch.
Garments made abroad need customs steps, and Saudi shipments usually need SABER documents and Arabic labels.
A clear answer: A plan agreed with your customs broker, with duty and VAT stated separately.
Ask again if: "Everything is included" with no detail on who imports and how.
Give each answer 0 (no answer), 1 (vague) or 2 (clear, in writing). Questions 1, 7, 9 and 11 matter most for a programme that will run for years: knowing who makes the garments, what backs each claim, what the full price is and how reorders work.
Ask every supplier the same questions in the same order, and keep the written answers with the quote. They become part of your supplier file.
Our own answers are on How it works (factory checks and the supplier file), Uniform programme (every quote line and the payment terms) and Sizing. Judge them by the same scoring.
Send your roster and these questions; our reply comes within one business day.
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