The short answer
Verified means a supporting quote was found on the supplier’s own website, in a stored copy of that page. Claimed means the claim only appears in a search result or directory. Unknown means no evidence was found, so it becomes a question in your RFQ. Not met means a stored quote contradicts your requirement. Look for the claim on the supplier’s own site and keep the quote. If you only find it in a directory, it is a claim. If you find nothing, ask.
Four labels. A next step for each.
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Verified
A supporting quote on the supplier’s own website, found in a stored copy of that page.
Next: inspect the quote and its source. Check that it covers the product and requirement you mean.
A quote on their own site.
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Claimed
A claim in a search result or directory, without a supporting first-party quote.
Next: treat it as a soft signal. Look for the supplier’s own page before relying on it.
Said in a directory, not by them.
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Unknown
No evidence found. Ordren keeps the gap visible and never guesses.
Next: ask about it in your request for quotation. Say what you need the supplier to confirm.
Becomes an RFQ question.
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Not met
A stored quote contradicts your requirement: from the supplier’s own page, or from another page about them.
Next: deprioritize a supplier that misses a must-have.
Their page contradicts it.
What verified is not
Verified is not an independent certification or a guarantee. It tells you where the supporting quote was found, not that Ordren audited the supplier.
Read the quote in context. For an FSC requirement, check which materials or products the supplier describes, then ask for the documentation you need before you buy. A stored page lets you inspect what Ordren read; it cannot guarantee that the supplier’s statement is current.
Check a certificate at its source
A certificate has a second check that no supplier’s web page can give you: the register kept by the body behind it. Ask the supplier for the certificate number and the legal name it is held under, then look it up yourself.
- FSC: search the certificate code or the company name in the FSC public certificate search. Do it for any brief like FSC-certified folding cartons from a packaging supplier.
- ISO 9001 and other ISO management-system certificates: look up accredited certificates in IAF CertSearch, for example when you need a contract manufacturer with ISO 9001.
- USDOT numbers: look up a carrier’s record in the FMCSA company snapshot before you hire a freight carrier.
On the record, check three things: the name matches the company you would buy from, the status is current, and what it covers matches the product, site or service you need.
A Verified label means the supplier says it on its own site. It does not mean a register was checked, so do this lookup yourself for any certificate you depend on.
Claimed vs verified: follow the source
A directory listing can help you find a supplier. Without a supporting quote on the supplier’s own website, the claim stays claimed.
To verify supplier claims on a website, look for the page that addresses your requirement: materials, certifications, minimum orders or shipping. Keep the exact quote and page address. A search snippet alone is a soft signal, even when it points to the supplier’s domain.
Turn unknowns into RFQ questions
Unknown means no evidence was found. It does not tell you whether the supplier can meet the requirement.
If you cannot find a minimum order, ask: “Can you supply 500 cartons in this specification? Please confirm your minimum order quantity.” Ordren drafts questions for unknown requirements on your shortlist. You send the RFQ. For wording that covers the usual gaps, see the RFQ questions to ask a supplier.
If Ordren cannot read a candidate’s pages, that candidate is “not assessed,” not matched.
Not met, weak fit and exclusion
Not met needs a contradicting quote. If you need an order of 500 units and the supplier’s page states a 2,000-unit minimum, that requirement is not met.
Fit is not a score. Ordren uses four words: strong, promising, weak or excluded. Strong means the primary requirement and every checkable must-have are verified, on a brief specific enough to rank. A must-have that is not met rules out strong and promising, so the supplier is weak. Excluded is kept for a rule-out you set that is found, or a primary requirement or required location that is contradicted. Missing evidence alone never excludes a supplier.
Ranking is deterministic: the same evidence produces the same order. Inspect the checks behind the fit label before deciding who to approach.
The same brief, different evidence
Brief: FSC-certified board, an order of 500 cartons and delivery to the EU. Treat all three as must-haves for this example.
Fictional · FSC board · Order of 500 · EU delivery
| Supplier | FSC board | Order of 500 | EU delivery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sample supplier A Supplier A | Verified | Verified | Verified |
| Sample supplier B Supplier B | Claimed | Unknown | Verified |
| Sample supplier C Supplier C | Verified | Not met | Unknown |
- A: inspect all three sources before outreach. check all three sources.
- B: find first-party FSC evidence; ask about the minimum order. find first-party FSC evidence.
- C: a published 2,000-unit minimum contradicts the brief. Weak fit; EU delivery is still unknown. a 2,000 minimum contradicts the brief.
A five-step check you can do yourself
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Write a precise brief. Write a precise brief
Separate must-haves, preferences and disqualifiers. State the quantity, material and destination.
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Read each supplier’s own pages. Read their own pages
Use directories to discover candidates, then follow the first-party source.
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Keep the evidence. Keep the quote and the page
Save the quote, page address, a copy of the page and the date you checked it.
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Label each requirement. Label each requirement
Use verified, claimed, unknown or not met. Keep unreadable candidates marked not assessed.
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Draft the RFQ around the gaps. Draft the RFQ around the gaps
Ask suppliers to confirm unknowns and provide relevant documentation. Review the evidence before you send.
Ordren does the reading and the labelling for you: a Standard search assesses up to 15 suppliers and reads up to 3 pages of each one’s own site. You review the evidence and send the RFQ yourself. See what a search costs.
Questions
What does "verified" actually mean?
The exact quote supporting a requirement was found in a stored copy of a first-party page. If a claim only appears in a search snippet or a directory listing, it is "claimed". "Not met" needs a contradicting quote. Anything else is "unknown". A rule-out excludes a candidate only when it is found on the candidate’s pages or claimed about it; an unknown never excludes anyone.
What happens when nothing can be verified?
It stays visible. A requirement with no evidence is marked unknown, never guessed, and a candidate whose pages could not be read is marked "not assessed" rather than matched. Every unknown for a shortlisted vendor becomes a question in the RFQ, so the first email you send asks exactly what the research could not confirm.
Is fit a score?
No. Fit is one of four words computed from the checkable must-haves: Strong (the primary requirement and every checkable must-have verified, on a brief specific enough to rank), Promising (the primary requirement verified or claimed, at least half verified, none contradicted), Weak (assessed, but neither) or Excluded (a rule-out found, or the primary requirement or a required location contradicted). Every card also shows a coverage line, such as “4 of 5 checkable must-haves verified · 2 to ask”. Ranking is deterministic, so the same evidence always produces the same order.
Does Ordren contact suppliers or candidates for me?
No. Ordren drafts the RFQ for each shortlisted vendor; you copy it or open it in your own email client and send it yourself. Nothing is sent on your behalf and nobody is contacted without you.