Clear answers to
common questions.

Every engagement follows a six-stage controlled flow: (1) Requirements definition: scope, specification and governance parameters agreed in writing; (2) Market mapping: suppliers identified and assessed against documented criteria; (3) Controlled RFQ issuance: one traceable process applied equally to all suppliers; (4) Response management: responses captured, normalised and structured for evaluation; (5) Evaluation and decision log: scored against pre-agreed criteria, documented and signed; (6) Governance handover: the complete artefact pack delivered to your organisation. No stage proceeds without authorisation from the previous stage.

At the conclusion of every engagement you receive a complete governance artefact pack: the requirements and scope record, supplier vetting register with full assessment records, RFQ documentation pack including all correspondence, evaluation matrix with full scoring and weighting transparency, signed decision log with rationale and authorising authority, and a consolidated governance summary report. All records are yours: owned, retained and controlled by your organisation permanently. BetterAlta holds no ongoing proprietary interest in your procurement records.

All supplier contact is managed through a structured, traceable channel governed by BetterAlta. Every communication — every question, every response, every piece of information shared — is routed through a single controlled point, documented, and retained as part of the governance record. No informal contact occurs outside this framework. This prevents information asymmetry between suppliers, protects process integrity, and ensures every supplier receives identical access to information.

Timelines depend on the complexity, scale, and urgency of your sourcing requirement. A straightforward SME engagement — single category, shortlist of three to five suppliers — may complete in two to four weeks. A complex enterprise or public sector process may take six to twelve weeks. We agree a timeline at engagement outset and report against it at each governance stage. Governance quality is never sacrificed for speed.

Yes. Where clients have an existing procurement policy, BetterAlta's governance framework is designed to operate within and in support of that policy, not to replace or override it. For clients without a formal procurement policy, BetterAlta can provide advisory support in developing a proportionate policy framework as part of the engagement scope.

Your organisation. BetterAlta never signs contracts, enters commercial agreements, or assumes any contractual position with suppliers. All agreements are made directly between your organisation and the chosen supplier. BetterAlta has no legal role, no financial exposure, and no contractual relationship in that supply arrangement. This is absolute and applies without exception to every engagement we undertake.

No. BetterAlta does not conduct commercial negotiations of any kind. We manage the controlled, structured flow of information between your organisation and suppliers: issuing documented RFQs, managing responses, and facilitating the evaluation process. Negotiation, if required, is conducted directly by your organisation, supported by the governance records BetterAlta has produced.

No. BetterAlta does not handle, process, hold, or manage any payments: to suppliers, from clients, or on behalf of any party, under any circumstances. All financial transactions occur directly between your organisation and your suppliers. This boundary is absolute.

Inspections are carried out by independent inspection partners, not by BetterAlta. Our role is to source and vet those partners, coordinate sample and pre-shipment inspections within the engagement, and hold the results as part of your governance record. The inspection contract and payment sit directly between your organisation and the inspection provider.

BetterAlta does not transport goods, act as a freight forwarder, or take any commercial role in the movement of goods. What we do is source and vet freight and logistics providers, coordinate the logistics plan within the governed process, and keep the documentation on record. The contract and payment for any freight or logistics service sit directly between your organisation and the provider.

BetterAlta does not: act as agent, broker, trader, or intermediary; buy, sell, or negotiate on your behalf; enter contracts or commercial agreements with suppliers; handle, process, or manage payments of any kind; make procurement decisions or award contracts; assume legal or financial liability for supplier performance; guarantee supplier compliance, quality, delivery, or conduct; hold commercial interests in any supplier relationship; engage in any undocumented or informal contact with suppliers; or undertake any activity that places BetterAlta in a position of commercial conflict with our advisory independence.

Yes, as supplementary advisory only. BetterAlta can support public sector organisations with process design, evidence review, supplier engagement controls, evaluation governance facilitation, and audit trail documentation. The contracting authority, all procurement decisions, all award approvals, and all legal obligations remain entirely with the public sector organisation. BetterAlta does not substitute any part of the authority's statutory procurement responsibility.

For SMEs, governance is calibrated to size and risk: practical, proportionate, and directly protective of the decisions that matter most at growth stage. For enterprise clients, we provide more complex, stage-gated governance frameworks aligned to existing procurement policy, compliance requirements, and the scale of parallel workstreams. The principles are identical; the scope, complexity, and depth of documentation differ proportionately.

Yes. Amazon FBA & E-Commerce Products is a dedicated sourcing category at BetterAlta. We support FBA sellers with factory vetting and verification, product specification documentation, supplier RFQ governance, sample and quality inspection governance, packaging specification management, and fulfilment-ready supplier engagement. Every supplier considered for FBA engagement passes the same vetting standard as any other category. You stay in full control of all commercial decisions. We govern the sourcing and vetting process.

Yes. BetterAlta's governance model is designed for organisations sourcing both domestically and internationally. Our Vetted Vault includes suppliers from the UK, Europe, Asia & Far East, and the Middle East. Our governance frameworks work regardless of where suppliers are headquartered or physically located.

The Vetted Vault is BetterAlta's pre-assessed supplier register. Verified suppliers are held in the Vault and can be engaged through our governed RFQ framework when a relevant client requirement arises. It is not a marketplace, directory or lead-generation service. Engagement happens only through BetterAlta's controlled, documented process when a specific, qualified client requirement matches the supplier's verified category and capability profile.

No. Inclusion in the Vetted Vault is not a guarantee of procurement engagement, contract award, or referral. It means your organisation has been assessed and verified against BetterAlta's published criteria, and can be considered for relevant client RFQs through our governed process. All award decisions are made independently by the client organisation.

There is no charge to apply. The application and assessment process is conducted at no cost to the supplier. BetterAlta does not charge suppliers for Vault inclusion, listing, assessment, or engagement. There is no commission on engagements that arise from Vault inclusion. No hidden fees exist at any stage.

Initial review is completed within 5 working days of a complete application being received. Document verification may take a further 3–5 working days depending on the completeness and clarity of your submission. You will be notified of the outcome in writing with documented reasons, whether that is successful inclusion, a request for additional information, or an unsuccessful application.

The Vetted Vault register is reviewed quarterly. All Vault members are subject to periodic re-assessment to ensure their credentials, capability, and compliance status remain current and consistent with their original assessment. Vault members will be contacted in advance of any re-assessment.

Contact us via the form on our Contact page to request an initial discussion. This is a confidential, no-obligation conversation to understand your procurement context, governance needs, and risk profile. If there is a fit, we will propose a structured scope of advisory support for your review and agreement. No work commences without a formally agreed and signed scope document.

No fixed minimum. Governance support is scoped and priced proportionately to the size, complexity, and duration of your procurement activity. We work with SMEs making a single significant sourcing decision and with enterprise organisations requiring ongoing governance frameworks. Each engagement is individually scoped.

All client information shared with BetterAlta is treated as strictly confidential. We do not share client details, procurement requirements, supplier correspondence, budget information, or any commercially sensitive information with any third party outside the agreed governance framework. Confidentiality terms are established formally at engagement outset.

Your organisation. All governance documentation produced during a BetterAlta engagement is owned by your organisation and delivered to you at the conclusion of each engagement stage and in full at completion. BetterAlta holds no ongoing proprietary interest, access rights, or claims over your procurement records.