Define the reason for replacement
State whether the driver is supply continuity, cost, preparation difficulty or an unmet separation requirement. Keep critical requirements that must not deteriorate visible. A cost-led replacement still needs to preserve the acceptable process result.
Give the candidate supplier the incumbent code and available documents without treating the old sheet as a complete formulation. If confidential information is involved, agree an appropriate disclosure arrangement before sharing it.
Compare a controlled sample set
Use identifiable incumbent and candidate material with representative feed. Prepare each code under its documented instructions and retain the differences. Compare commercial consumption or a supported common basis, not an assumed active conversion.
Record liquid quality and solids behavior at relevant dose points. The viscosity comparison prevents an unexplained number from substituting for operating evidence. A candidate can match a catalogue range yet behave differently in the separator.
Verify the preparation and transfer system
Check stock consistency, usable preparation volume and dosing delivery before moving to an equipment trial. Confirm whether the candidate requires a changed procedure and assess that change under plant controls. Do not let a hidden preparation adjustment become a false claim of direct substitution.
Follow the floc through the actual route. Use the pumping and transfer check when laboratory and equipment results disagree. Define a fallback and stopping condition for the first plant comparison.
Keep first-order approval bounded
Link the selected sample to the proposed production code, release specification and package. Agree receipt evidence for the first commercial lot and who reviews a discrepancy. A small successful trial does not justify an unlimited equivalence claim.
Compare the delivered treatment cost and supply terms after technical acceptance. Update the approved material record only when the required evidence is complete; keep the incumbent fallback identified until the replacement decision is formally made.
Decision record for the quotation
| Decision | Evidence needed |
|---|---|
| Replacement objective | Cost, continuity or performance driver is stated alongside non-negotiable outcomes. |
| Equivalence evidence | Matched trial and equipment observations, not a name or molecular-weight range. |
| First order | Production identity, receipt check and fallback remain explicit until approval. |