Key takeaways
- Independence matters more than size. Ask who pays the inspector and whether anyone earns commission from the factory.
- Compare the total cost of an inspection, not the day rate: travel, report, extra factories and reinspection.
- ISO/IEC 17020 accreditation is useful evidence, but check its scope covers your product, and ask for the certificate.
- Ask for a real sample report for your product before you book. It shows what you will receive.
Ten criteria and what good looks like
| Criterion | What good looks like |
|---|---|
| Independence | Paid only by the buyer, a written no-commission policy, the same fee whether the lot passes or fails. |
| Local coverage | Inspectors based near your factory's city, with travel costs stated before booking. |
| Product expertise | Inspectors who have checked your product type before, and a checklist written for it. |
| Sampling | Random sampling to ISO 2859-1, with the plan (level, AQL, sample size) shown in the report. |
| Report quality | Photos of every check and finding, measurements in tables, and one clear result. |
| Turnaround | A stated report time, in writing. Many firms promise 24 hours or less. |
| Pricing | A man-day price with travel, report and reinspection terms spelled out. |
| Accreditation | ISO/IEC 17020 with a scope that covers your product, or an honest statement of status. |
| Booking notice | A stated lead time per location, and a confirmed date and inspector before the visit. |
| Communication | A named contact who replies in your working hours and speaks to the factory on the day. |
Independence and conflicts of interest
An inspection is only useful if the inspector has no reason to pass a bad lot. Three set-ups create that reason:
- The factory pays. If the supplier books and pays for the inspection, the inspector's customer is the party being inspected.
- A sourcing agent inspects its own orders. An agent paid a commission on order value, by you or by the factory, loses money when a lot is rejected. Agents can add value, but their checks are not independent.
- The factory picks the pieces. If samples come from a set-aside pile, the result describes those pieces, not the lot.
Ask for the independence policy in writing. Look for four commitments: paid by the buyer only, no fee or gift from factories, the same fee pass or fail, and samples drawn at random by the inspector. Reports should go to you alone.
Pricing: man-day, travel and reinspection
Most inspection companies price by the man-day: one inspector, one factory, one working day. The day rate is only part of the cost. Before you compare quotes, ask:
- Is travel to the factory included, charged as a fixed surcharge, or billed at cost?
- Is the report included, and how many hours on site does one man-day cover?
- How are two factories on one day, or a half day, charged?
- What does a reinspection cost after a failed result?
- What is the cancellation fee if the factory is not ready?
When we checked inspection company websites on 12 Oct 2026, several platforms and specialists published a man-day price, but none of the eight global groups did. A published price lets you budget before you ask for a quote.
Accreditation: what ISO/IEC 17020 means
ISO/IEC 17020 is the international standard for bodies that perform inspection. It sets requirements for their competence, impartiality and consistent operation. A national accreditation body assesses an inspection company against it and issues a certificate with a defined scope.
A new edition, ISO/IEC 17020:2026, was published on 27 March 2026 and replaces the 2012 edition. It moves from three independence types (A, B and C) to two: Type A and Type non-A, with more weight on how impartiality risks are managed. Accreditation bodies are running a transition period, which in Singapore ends on 27 March 2029.
In India, inspection bodies are accredited by NABCB, part of the Quality Council of India. When a company states accreditation, check three things:
- The accreditation body and certificate number.
- That the scope covers your product. A scope for garments does not cover furniture.
- That the certificate is current.
Accreditation is not a legal requirement for most buyer-commissioned quality inspections, and for most goods leaving India the inspection itself is not mandatory either; see EIC export inspection vs buyer PSI. It matters most when a contract, letter of credit or authority asks for it. Sampling is a separate question: ask whether the company follows ISO 2859-1, the standard behind AQL tables. See AQL sampling explained.
Global network vs local specialist
Inspection companies working in India fall into three broad types. Each wins on different criteria.
| Global testing group | Inspection platform | Local specialist | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strength | Recognised name, labs, many countries | Online booking, set processes, many countries | Inspectors in the production clusters, product focus |
| Coverage in India | Offices in major cities; travel to clusters | Network of local inspectors, often freelance | Strong in its home region; check reach elsewhere |
| Published price | Rare | Often | Often |
| Sample reports | Rarely published | Usually behind a form | Varies; some publish them openly |
| Accreditation | Varies; check the scope covers India and your product | Some hold ISO/IEC 17020 | Few hold it; ask for status |
| Best for | Buyers who need labs and one supplier worldwide | Buyers with many suppliers across countries | Buyers with factories in one region or product |
Many importers use more than one: a lab for testing, and an inspection company near the factory for production and pre-shipment checks. Checking the supplier is a separate job, done before the first order: see how to verify an Indian supplier and SMETA, BSCI and capability audits. To compare named companies, see our ranked list of inspection companies in India.
12 questions to ask any inspection company
- Who pays your inspectors, and do you take any fee or commission from factories?
- Is the fee the same whether the lot passes or fails?
- Where is the nearest inspector to my factory, and is that person staff or freelance?
- How many inspections of my product type have you done in the last year?
- Which sampling standard and AQL do you use by default?
- Can I see a real sample report for my product?
- When will I receive the report, and in what format?
- What does one man-day include: travel, report, hours on site?
- What does a reinspection cost, and what is the cancellation fee?
- Are you accredited to ISO/IEC 17020, by whom, and for which scope?
- How much notice do you need to book, and when is the date confirmed?
- Who is my contact, and when are they available in my time zone?
Red flags: the factory offers to arrange the inspector; no sample report on request; prices that change with the result; vague answers about travel; accreditation claimed without a certificate number.
Where Clear To Load fits
Clear To Load is an inspection company based in Jodhpur, founded in 2017. Inspectors are paid by Clear To Load, not by factories, and we take no commission from suppliers (see about us). We use staff inspectors and vetted freelance inspectors, and price by the man-day with three published travel bands (pricing). Booking requests are confirmed within 24 hours and reports are sent within 24 hours of the inspection, ending in Cleared to load, Hold or Not cleared. Our sample reports are open to read without a form. Clear To Load is not yet accredited; ISO/IEC 17020 accreditation is in progress.
Sources
- ISO/IEC 17020:2026, Conformity assessment — Requirements for bodies performing inspection (iso.org)
- Singapore Accreditation Council: publication of ISO/IEC 17020:2026 and transition policy (22 May 2026)
- NABCB, National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies (Quality Council of India)
- ISO 2859-1:2026, Sampling procedures for inspection by attributes, Part 1 (iso.org)