When comparing BFS contract manufacturing suppliers, ask how each would produce your formula in the proposed container. Their responses should identify the production line, compatibility work, sample approval process and documents available for review. Check that they refer to the same container version, fill volume and opening method.
This guide is written for topical skincare and cosmetic single-dose programmes. It does not cover injectables or other parenteral products.
Can the proposed line produce your format?
Questions for your BFS supplier
For topical skincare and cosmetic single-dose products. Injectable products need a separate assessment.
- Production lineWhich line setup and batch size would the supplier use?
- Formula compatibilityWho will assess the formula in the proposed container and process?
- Production sampleWhich approved sample and specifications will production follow?
- DocumentsWhich records and certificates can you review, and how?
- Order requirementsDo the proposed quantities and packaging work suit your order?
Send each supplier the same formula status, intended fill volume, container reference and finished-pack requirements. Ask which proposed line and container configuration they would evaluate, which requirements they can already address and which need a trial. Keep those answers with the quotation.
In BFS contract manufacturing, the polymer container is formed, filled and sealed in one sequence. Have the supplier specify the proposed line setup, batch size and production schedule, together with limits on fill volume, opening style, strips or individual units, and outer packaging. These details still need assessment for your formula and container.
A written response should identify the unit style, opening method and any assembly after filling. For example, supplying an unlabelled strip and supplying individually packed retail units involve different work. Record who separates, labels, inspects and packs the units, and ask the supplier to flag any step outside its proposed scope.
Who will assess formula and container compatibility?
Identify the person or team responsible for assessing the formula in the proposed polymer container. Agree who records any constraints and how changes to a formula still in development will be reviewed.
Request observations about filling behaviour, any concerns about contact with the container material, and relevant work with similar containers and textures. Record which formula and container each observation concerns. Earlier work may help plan an evaluation, but it cannot establish whether your formula will pass a later study.
For the formats discussed on this site, see skincare solutions. Specify the format you are considering when requesting a compatibility review.
Agree which sample production will follow
Before moving from a pilot run to production, identify the approved reference sample and its specifications. Record the container version, fill volume, opening method and inspections so both teams can check that the production plan matches the sample.
Agree which results need approval, who signs them off and when. The production schedule should account for that work and any unresolved specifications.
Check certificates and access to production records
Ask which specifications, production records and inspection results the supplier will prepare for your project, and which you can review. For any certificate offered, check the named entity, site, scope and validity against the work you are buying. Request the certificate details if the supplier has only shown a logo.
List the records that will accompany each batch separately from those available through an agreed review process. Confirm access arrangements for any records not yet listed. Our Facilities and Quality page covers the site, proposed line and document review. The article on quality control for aseptic single-dose manufacturing explains the checks to discuss.
A comparison file you can reuse across suppliers
Download the BFS supplier comparison worksheet (CSV) to record two suppliers' responses to the same product brief. Mark missing answers for follow-up. The sheet covers:
- Container version, fill volume, opening method and final packaging.
- Formula status: approved, still in development or moving from another pack.
- Who assesses formula and container compatibility.
- The approved reference sample for production.
- Documents supplied with the batch and records available for review.
- The entity, site, scope and validity of any certificate supplied.
- Unresolved questions and who will answer them.
Check what each document establishes
- Company or site information: identify the organisation and location performing the work. Match any certificate to its stated scope; it does not establish that your particular formula has been evaluated.
- Process and container evidence: ask which line, material, container version and operating conditions were assessed, and how relevant they are to the proposed product.
- Sample results: record the formula and pack versions, the question evaluated, the method and the result. Separate an appearance sample from a filling or compatibility evaluation.
- Batch records: agree which specifications and results will accompany a production lot, and what will be available for review before release.
For each response, note the document reference, scope, reviewer and unresolved question. Avoid reducing the comparison to a score based on the number of documents supplied. A detailed report for a different container may be less useful than a clearly scoped trial proposal for yours.
Before proceeding, distinguish questions that can be answered from existing records from those that need new work. A supplier may need a feasibility trial before confirming a route. Ask what that trial will deliver, what it costs and what decision it will support. For a separate comparison of order quantities and commercial scope, use the MOQ and quotation guide.
Example: following up on a supplier's response
Suppose you ask two suppliers about the same twist-off polymer unit. One sends a plant photograph and a capability list. The other identifies who will assess the formula, which sample production will follow and the legal entity on the certificate it plans to share. You can use the second response to assign follow-up questions; you still need to request and review the supporting documents. The first supplier needs to provide those project details. This is a hypothetical example, not an audit result or a recommendation of either supplier.
Discuss your proposed formula and container
To open a project review, send the container version, fill volume and opening method you are considering, along with the documents you need to review and any responsibilities still to be agreed.