How to Resolve Conflicts Between a Purchase Order, Datasheet, Drawing and Supplier Quotation
Tower packing projects often involve several documents at the same time:
- purchase order;
- technical specification;
- datasheet;
- approved drawing;
- supplier quotation;
- clarification record;
- project standard.
Problems begin when these documents do not say the same thing.
For example:
The RFQ requires SS316L.
The supplier quotation states SS304.
The latest drawing says SS316L.
The purchase order simply says:
As per supplier quotation.
Which requirement controls?
This should never be decided informally after fabrication has started.
1. Document Conflict Is a Project-Control Problem
Different documents are created at different stages.
The original RFQ may later be modified by:
- technical clarifications;
- approved deviations;
- revised drawings;
- commercial negotiations.
Therefore, the newest document is not automatically the governing document.
Likewise, the purchase order is not automatically technically complete if it incorporates other documents by reference.
A project needs a clear document precedence rule.
2. Establish the Contractual Hierarchy
A purchase package should ideally define which document governs if inconsistencies occur.
A project-specific hierarchy might look like:
- Purchase Order and amendments
- Approved project datasheet
- Approved technical specification
- Approved drawings
- Closed technical clarifications
- Supplier quotation
But there is no universal hierarchy that applies to every contract.
The actual order should be stated by the purchaser.
3. Do Not Assume Supplier Quotation Overrides the RFQ
A supplier may include standard wording such as:
Material: SS304.
If the customer RFQ required SS316L and never approved the change, that quotation line may represent an unresolved deviation—not an accepted specification.
The TBE or clarification process should have resolved it before award.
4. Approved Deviations Must Be Traceable
Suppose the RFQ requires:
0.50 mm sheet thickness.
The customer later accepts:
0.40 mm.
That decision should appear in:
- clarification;
- deviation approval;
- revised datasheet;
- PO attachment.
Do not expect the workshop to reconstruct the decision from a six-month-old email chain.
5. Drawings Do Not Automatically Override Material Specifications
A fabrication drawing may contain dimensions while a separate material specification controls alloy requirements.
If a drawing contains an outdated material note, the supplier should raise the conflict.
It is dangerous to assume:
Drawing always wins.
Some drawings are intended primarily for geometry.
6. Revision Status Matters
Document identity is not enough.
The team must also identify:
- revision;
- issue date;
- status.
For example:
Drawing Rev. B — For Review
should not override:
Drawing Rev. A — Approved for Fabrication
until Rev. B has been formally approved.
7. Create a Conflict Register
When inconsistencies are found, record:
- document reference;
- conflicting requirement;
- affected product;
- required decision;
- responsible party;
- final resolution.
Example:
Issue: Structured packing layer heightDrawing: 200 mmQuotation: 300 mmDecision: 200 mm requiredStatus: Closed
This prevents the same question from reappearing.
8. Stop Affected Fabrication Where Necessary
Not every conflict requires stopping the entire order.
But production should not continue blindly if the conflict affects:
- alloy;
- dimensions;
- geometry;
- quantity;
- segment arrangement;
- critical QA requirement.
Producing first and resolving later can turn a document problem into physical scrap.
9. Commercial and Technical Documents Must Align
A technically correct drawing is not enough if the PO price was based on a different scope.
If a clarification changes:
- material;
- thickness;
- quantity;
- inspection;
- packaging;
commercial impact should also be reviewed.
Technical closure without commercial closure can create later disputes.
10. Final Manufacturing Basis Should Be Simple
Before production begins, the workshop should not need ten documents open simultaneously to understand what to manufacture.
A controlled manufacturing release should summarize:
- product;
- material;
- size/model;
- quantity;
- drawing revision;
- special inspection;
- approved deviations.
Supporting documents remain available, but the manufacturing basis should be unambiguous.
Engineering Takeaway
When documents conflict, the correct response is not:
“Use whichever document is newest.”
Use:
**Contractual Precedence
- Revision Status
- Approved Clarifications
- Approved Deviations
- Formal Resolution**
The goal is one controlled technical basis before fabrication proceeds.