Due Diligence on a Tanzanian Printing Supplier

A supplier that can show a website and a portfolio is not necessarily a supplier that can deliver. The printing and signage market in Tanzania is a mix of established workshops, brokers who sub-contract and traders who resell. The due diligence is the step that separates them.

The registration is the first check. A company should provide a certificate of incorporation, a business licence, a taxpayer identification number and a VAT registration where applicable. The bank details should match the company name, and the signatory should be authorised.

The workshop is the second. A visit shows the machines, the materials, the staff and the workflow. A supplier that claims to print in house but has no printer is a broker, and the broker may be a legitimate partner and a different risk.

The equipment is the third. A large-format printer, a cutting table, a welding bay and a finishing area are the capability. The buyer should see the equipment that the job requires, not only the equipment that the supplier wants to show.

The references are the fourth. A supplier should name clients with similar work and allow a site visit. A photograph is useful, and a conversation with a client is better. A supplier that cannot provide a reference for a comparable job is a supplier that has not done one.

The insurance is the fifth. A public liability and a goods-in-transit cover are the minimum for a supplier that installs on site or transports finished work. The certificate should be current, and the buyer should keep a copy.

The red flags are the sixth. A price that is far below the market, a promise of a delivery that the workshop cannot support, a refusal to allow a visit, a request for full payment in advance and a bank account in a different name are all reasons to stop.