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A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11Verify the supplier as a legal entity, confirm that the person and bank account belong to that entity, and separately test whether it can deliver the specified materials. Obtain written identifiers, check independent government records, investigate every mismatch, and retain dated evidence before releasing funds. UK examples below are jurisdiction-specific; elsewhere, use the equivalent official company and tax authorities.
What a proper verification actually proves
A company-register search answers only whether an entity exists and what information it has filed. A VAT or other tax-number check answers a different question about registration. Neither result proves that the person emailing you controls the company, that the quoted stock exists, or that the supplier will deliver on time.
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For a building-materials order, treat due diligence as four linked tests:
- Identity: the legal name, registration number and registered address resolve to one entity.
- Authority: the representative negotiating and accepting the order is connected to that entity.
- Payment: the intended beneficiary is the contracting supplier, or a documented commercial reason explains any difference.
- Capability: the business can provide the specified product, quantity, provenance, delivery arrangement and contractual recourse.
HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) advises checking information supplied by a prospective trading partner against other sources and obtaining relevant registration evidence. Its due-diligence guidance also points to contract terms, transport, goods provenance and insurance as matters to examine.
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Think of the checks as a chain rather than a single pass or fail. A valid registration can coexist with an impersonated email account; a genuine supplier can still lack the stock or transport capacity for your project; and a correct invoice can be redirected after a bank-detail change. The order is ready only when the identity, authority, payment and capability links agree.
Collect the supplier’s identifiers before you search
Ask the supplier to provide these details in writing, preferably on a formal quotation or proposed contract:
- Exact legal name, including any company suffix.
- Company or business registration number and jurisdiction of registration.
- Registered office and the trading or warehouse address.
- VAT, GST or other relevant tax number.
- Official domain, landline and named senior contact.
- Name and role of the person authorised to accept your order.
- Bank beneficiary name, account details and the contracting entity.
- Product descriptions, grades, standards, quantities, lead times, delivery point and payment terms.
Request a written quote and the proposed terms before relying on a website, email signature or certificate supplied by the seller. Those documents are useful evidence to compare, but they are not independent confirmation.
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Ask the supplier to distinguish its legal entity from any trading name, parent company, agent, manufacturer or logistics provider. Have the quotation identify who is selling the goods, who will invoice, who will receive payment and who is responsible if the materials are late or non-conforming. This prevents a later argument that a different group company or intermediary was the actual counterparty.
For cross-border orders, request the country of registration and the customs identifiers used for the shipment. Do not assume that a tax number, an EORI number or a manufacturer’s certificate proves all the other details. Each identifier should be checked for the purpose and jurisdiction for which it was issued.
Step-by-step supplier verification
1. Search the official company register
Use the government register for the supplier’s jurisdiction, searching the exact legal name and registration number. For a UK company, UK trade-fraud guidance directs buyers to Companies House and its WebCHeck service; the guidance is available from the UK Government’s crime and fraud prevention page.
Compare the register entry with the quote, contract, invoice, website, email domain and contact details. Check status, registered address, incorporation details and filed information that is relevant to your risk. Save the result with the date and search terms. If the number belongs to a different legal name, an inactive entity or a different address with no credible explanation, stop the order while you investigate.
Use the legal entity shown by the register in the contract, even where the supplier markets itself under a brand. If the jurisdiction has separate company and business registers, select the official register that applies to the supplier’s legal form. A seller’s certificate or a screenshot of a registry page can support your file, but it does not replace a search you perform directly.
2. Verify tax identifiers through the competent authority
Where tax registration is relevant to the transaction, enter the number into the issuing authority’s official service rather than a private lookup site. HMRC guidance discusses VAT checks and, for relevant European Union transactions, the VIES service. The same customs due-diligence guidance covers checking whether an EORI number is required for customs activity involving non-UK businesses and using the appropriate official tracker.
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Record exactly what the result establishes. A VAT validation does not guarantee that the supplier is legitimate or that the contact controls it. An EORI lookup may confirm that a number is valid without identifying its holder. Resolve differences between the tax record, company record and contract before proceeding.
Check the result against the transaction details: legal name, country, invoicing entity and, where relevant, the shipment’s customs party. If the official service returns a limited result, retain that limitation in your file rather than treating a positive-looking status as full identity confirmation. Ask the supplier to explain any difference and verify the explanation through a separate channel.
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3. Corroborate the people and the operating business
Call a named senior representative using a number obtained independently or already held in your records. Do not rely solely on the phone number in an unsolicited email or on a newly supplied signature. Confirm the representative’s role, the legal entity taking the order, the delivery location and the bank beneficiary.
For a material order, request trade references that you can contact directly. Depending on value and risk, examine the supplier’s trading history, seek credit or background information as a supplementary check, or arrange a visit to the office, yard or warehouse. New Zealand Government Procurement describes due diligence as independently verifying identity, financial ability and delivery capability, with actions documented in its supplier due-diligence guide.
When speaking with a reference, ask factual questions tied to your order: what entity contracted, whether deliveries matched the specification, how disputes were handled and which contact and payment process were used. Record the date, person and number used. A reference is corroboration, not a substitute for the official register or a signed contract.
4. Match the payee before any transfer
Compare the beneficiary on the payment instructions with the legal supplier named in the contract and official records. If payment is requested to a parent, agent, logistics company, individual or other third party, obtain a written explanation and independently verify that arrangement with the contracting entity. An unexpected offshore account, unexplained intermediary or urgent request to pay is a reason to pause, not a reason to make a small “test” transfer.
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5. Confirm bank-detail changes out of band
Handle every change to bank instructions as a new verification event. Call a genuine supplier contact on a previously used number or a number independently confirmed from a trusted source. Do not use the phone number, reply address or link contained in the change request. The National Crime Agency’s construction-industry invoice-fraud leaflet warns that criminals can divert a legitimate construction payment into their own account.
Keep the original and revised instructions, note who confirmed the change and obtain a second internal approval for a high-value transfer. If confirmation cannot be obtained, keep the old instruction on hold rather than paying the new account while the project deadline approaches.
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6. Test the deal and the goods, not just the company
Check that the written specification identifies the exact material, grade, dimensions, standards, quantity and acceptable substitutes. Ask for evidence of provenance where it matters, such as manufacturer documentation, batch information or chain-of-custody records. Confirm who bears transport risk, whether goods are insured in transit, the delivery schedule, inspection or acceptance procedure, and the remedy if goods are late, damaged or not as described.
Assess whether the price, credit terms, deposit, payment timing and delivery arrangement are commercially plausible. A low price is not proof of fraud, but the supplier should be able to explain unusual financing, an unusually large advance or a complicated chain of intermediaries.
Separate stock evidence from identity evidence. A product photograph, catalogue page or manufacturer logo may describe the item without proving that the supplier owns the quantity offered. For a large or bespoke order, use staged deliveries, inspection or acceptance rights where the contract permits, and make the required documents part of the delivery conditions.
7. Document the decision
Create a dated file containing the request for identifiers, quote, contract, registry results, tax-number result, references, call notes, site-visit findings, product and provenance evidence, payment-account confirmation and every discrepancy with its resolution. HMRC construction guidance on labour-fraud indicators also advises keeping detailed records of checks; see its record-keeping guidance.
Record who performed each check, the source used, the date and what was actually confirmed. A screenshot without its URL or date is weaker evidence than a saved report accompanied by the search details.
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How to handle common evidence conflicts
| Conflict or signal | What it may mean | Action before ordering |
|---|---|---|
| Legal name on the quote differs from the register | Trading name, group company or an incorrect identity | Obtain the legal contracting entity and a documented explanation; amend the contract if necessary. |
| Registered address differs from warehouse or invoice address | Normal separation, relocation or an impersonation attempt | Confirm each address and its role independently; do not treat a mailbox as proof of stock. |
| Tax number is valid but the contact or company details do not align | Number copied from another business or a limited validation result | Ask the tax authority what the result covers and perform separate identity and authority checks. |
| Beneficiary is a third party | Legitimate factoring, agency or logistics arrangement—or payment diversion | Verify the arrangement with a known senior contact and document the commercial reason. |
| Bank details changed shortly before payment | Compromise of an email account or invoice fraud | Use an out-of-band call to a previously known number; hold payment until confirmed. |
| Supplier cannot provide references, provenance or a coherent delivery plan | Insufficient operating capacity or concealment | Increase verification, require protective terms or select another supplier. |
A mismatch is a prompt for further verification, not by itself proof of fraud. The decision should remain on hold until the explanation is independently supported.
Escalate rather than rationalise when several small inconsistencies point in the same direction: a newly created contact, a different legal name, a rushed deposit and an offshore beneficiary together create a different risk picture from any one item alone. Ask for a corrected quotation or contract so the final documents, not informal explanations, contain the agreed identity and responsibilities.
Scale the checks to the transaction risk
Use the order’s value, geography, delivery complexity and warning signs to decide how far to go. HMRC discusses choosing checks appropriate to the business and transaction, while New Zealand procurement guidance frames the assessment around identity, financial ability and delivery capacity.
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| Risk profile | Minimum evidence | Additional controls |
|---|---|---|
| Low-value, domestic, standard stock from an established supplier | Written identifiers, official register check, tax check where relevant, payee match and written terms | Confirm a known contact and retain the record. |
| Medium-value or unfamiliar supplier | All low-risk checks plus references, authority confirmation and product/provenance evidence | Use staged payments, inspection or acceptance rights and verified transport arrangements. |
| High-value, cross-border, bespoke or advance-funded order | All preceding checks plus financial-capacity evidence, site or video verification and detailed contract remedies | Obtain independent advice on customs, insurance, security and payment controls; require a second internal approval. |
Increase scrutiny when several risk factors combine, such as an unfamiliar overseas supplier, a large advance, a long or complex delivery route, or materials whose origin and conformity are difficult to inspect after shipment. Conversely, an established relationship can reduce repetition without eliminating checks on new bank details, a new contracting entity or a materially different order.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Comparing two or more candidate suppliers
Do not compare a polished website with another supplier’s bare registry entry. Request the same evidence set from each candidate and evaluate it on identical axes:
| Decision axis | Evidence to compare |
|---|---|
| Legal-identity consistency | Register name and number, addresses, contract entity and invoice identity. |
| Tax status | Official VAT, GST or other relevant result, including its stated limits. |
| Ownership and authority | Named decision-makers, independently confirmed contact channels and authorization to contract. |
| Financial ability | References, available credit information and evidence appropriate to the order value. |
| Stock and provenance | Manufacturer, batch or origin evidence and confirmation that the quantity exists or can be sourced. |
| Delivery capability | Lead time, transport responsibility, insurance, inspection and acceptance arrangements. |
| Contract protection | Specification, warranty, remedies, cancellation rights and recourse for non-conforming goods. |
| Payment controls | Beneficiary match, deposit size, staged payments and procedure for bank changes. |
| Audit trail | Completeness, dates, sources, unresolved questions and internal approvals. |
These are decision axes, not a validated scoring system. A supplier with fewer marketing materials may still be the safer choice if its legal identity, authority, goods and payment trail are independently clear.
Use the same questions and evidence standard for every bidder. Otherwise, a supplier that responds quickly or presents a polished website may appear stronger simply because it supplied more marketing material. The comparison should show not only price and lead time, but also which assumptions have been independently supported.
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Release the order only after these conditions are met
- The contract names the same legal entity identified in the official register, or explains a verified group or agency relationship.
- The authorized representative has been confirmed through a trusted channel.
- Required tax and customs identifiers have been checked with the relevant authority.
- The payment beneficiary has been matched and any third-party arrangement documented.
- Specifications, provenance, quantity, delivery, insurance and remedies are written clearly enough to enforce.
- All discrepancies have an evidence-backed resolution and the due-diligence file is dated.
- The approving manager understands any remaining uncertainty and accepts it explicitly.
If one of these conditions cannot be met, delay the transfer, request clarification through an independently verified channel and consider an alternative supplier. Do not allow a deadline or pressure tactic to replace a missing identity check.
Approval is not the same as certainty. It means the buyer knows what has been verified, what remains uncertain and which contractual or payment controls address that uncertainty. Recheck the beneficiary and final invoice immediately before payment, especially if the order has been amended or the supplier has changed personnel.
Jurisdictional limits and official sources
Companies House, HMRC VAT services, VIES and the UK EORI tracker are UK or EU-related systems with different purposes and limitations. They should not be presented as universal checks. Buyers elsewhere should identify the supplier country’s official company register, tax authority and customs authority, then confirm what each result establishes and what it does not.
The New Zealand Government Procurement framework is useful for its identity, financial-capacity and delivery-capacity approach, but it is procurement guidance rather than a universal legal rule for private building-material purchases. Local laws may impose additional requirements for licensing, sanctions, import controls, product safety or construction standards.
Paid credit or business-information reports can supplement direct checks, references and site verification, but no report guarantees legitimacy, stock or performance. If used, treat the provider’s coverage and date as evidence with limits, not as a replacement for the official register, an independent call and a clear contract.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is a company-registration result enough to approve a supplier?
No. It supports the legal-identity check only. You must still confirm that the contact is authorised, the payment beneficiary is appropriate, and the supplier can provide the specified goods and delivery terms.
What should I do if the supplier trades under a different name?
Ask for the exact legal contracting entity and registration number. Put that entity in the quote and contract, and document the relationship between the trading name and legal entity using independent records.
Does a valid VAT number prove the supplier is legitimate?
No. HMRC notes that VAT validation does not guarantee supplier status. It also does not prove that the person contacting you controls the business or that the goods exist.
Can I pay a parent company, agent or logistics provider?
Only after obtaining a written commercial explanation and confirming it with a known senior contact at the contracting supplier. Record the arrangement and ensure the contract states who remains responsible for performance.
How should a changed bank account be verified?
Call a genuine supplier contact on a previously used or independently confirmed number. Do not use the phone number, reply address or link in the change request. Hold payment until the change is confirmed.
Should I visit the supplier’s premises?
For a higher-value, unfamiliar or complex order, a visit or video verification can support checks of identity and delivery capability. It is supplementary and does not replace official records or contract review.
What evidence should be retained?
Keep the identifiers request, quote, contract, registry and tax results, references, call notes, site findings, product and provenance documents, payment-account confirmation, discrepancies and their resolutions, with dates, sources and the person completing each check.
What if the supplier refuses reasonable verification?
Treat reluctance as a warning sign. Pause the order, request the missing information through an independently verified channel, strengthen protective terms if appropriate, or select another supplier.
Are paid credit reports a guarantee?
No. They can supplement official-register checks, references and direct contact, but they do not guarantee legitimacy, stock, delivery or payment safety. Check the report’s coverage and date and retain its stated limitations.
The Bottom Line
Before placing a building-materials order, make the legal entity, authorised contact, tax identity, payment beneficiary and delivery capability tell the same story. Verify each through independent official or trusted channels, investigate every mismatch, confirm bank changes out of band, and keep a dated evidence file. If identity, payment or capability remains unresolved, pause the transfer and choose a safer path.
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