Platform reference
Supplier Qualification Criteria
How refrigeration and cold storage suppliers, manufacturers and EPC contractors are screened before they receive a buyer RFQ — and exactly what that screening does and does not mean.
ColdMatch Group is an independent B2B procurement and sourcing platform for industrial refrigeration, cold storage and cold-chain projects from USD $250K+, connecting buyers with qualified third-party suppliers, EPC contractors and independent financing providers.
Last reviewed 2026-08-23
The nine qualification criteria
Legal existence and trading history
The company must be a registered legal entity with a verifiable trading history in refrigeration, cold storage or cold-chain equipment.
Evidence requested: Company registration number, VAT/TIN, incorporation country, years active.
Relevant scope capability
The supplier must actually build, engineer or deliver the scope it is shortlisted for — cold rooms, blast freezers, IQF lines, NH3/CO2 plants, panels, controls or turnkey works.
Evidence requested: Product range, in-house manufacturing vs. assembly, engineering headcount.
Reference projects at comparable size
Suppliers are shortlisted for commercial projects from USD $250,000 upward, so references at a comparable capacity, temperature regime and country matter more than brochures.
Evidence requested: Two or more reference projects with capacity, temperature band, year and country.
Certifications and standards
Certifications are recorded as declared by the supplier and matched to the buyer's requirement. They are not treated as guaranteed by ColdMatch.
Evidence requested: ISO, CE/PED, ASME, ASHRAE, EN 378, GDP, HACCP or local equivalents, with certificate numbers where provided.
Export and delivery track record
For cross-border projects, the supplier must show it can quote, document and ship to the buyer's country and handle the relevant Incoterms.
Evidence requested: Export markets served, Incoterms offered, documentation experience, logistics partners.
After-sales and service reach
Spare parts availability, commissioning support and local or regional service capability are recorded because they drive lifetime cost, not just CapEx.
Evidence requested: Service partners in-country, response model, warranty duration and terms.
Safety, refrigerant and compliance posture
Ammonia, CO2 and F-gas scopes require documented safety practice and refrigerant compliance in the destination market.
Evidence requested: Safety procedures, refrigerant handling qualifications, F-gas or local regulatory compliance statements.
Commercial transparency
Suppliers must quote against the buyer's structured RFQ with a clear scope, exclusions, lead time and validity so offers stay comparable.
Evidence requested: Itemised quotation, stated exclusions, lead time, payment terms, quote validity.
Responsiveness and buyer feedback
Quotation speed, completeness and post-award behaviour reported by buyers feed back into whether a supplier keeps receiving RFQs.
Evidence requested: Response times, quote completeness, buyer feedback after award or delivery.
How the qualification process runs
1 — Application or identification
A supplier applies through the platform or is identified for a specific scope and country.
2 — Documentation review
Registration, capability, references and declared certifications are reviewed against the criteria above.
3 — Scope matching
The supplier is tagged to the scopes, temperature ranges, capacities and markets it can genuinely serve.
4 — RFQ participation
The supplier receives the same structured technical brief as the other shortlisted suppliers — no preferential brief, no exclusivity.
5 — Ongoing review
Buyer feedback, quotation quality and delivery reports are recorded. Repeated non-response or poor conduct removes a supplier from future shortlists.
What qualification does not mean
- • Screening is a due-diligence aid for the buyer, not a certification, audit, endorsement or guarantee by ColdMatch Group.
- • Declared certifications, capacities and references should be verified directly with the supplier and issuing body before contracting.
- • ColdMatch does not inspect factories, test equipment, approve designs or witness commissioning.
- • Prices, lead times, warranties and performance are committed only by the supplier in its own quotation and contract.
- • The buyer contracts directly with the selected supplier or EPC contractor; ColdMatch is not a party to that contract.
ColdMatch Group is
- not an equipment manufacturer
- not a reseller, distributor, importer or exporter of equipment
- not an EPC contractor, installer, integrator or commissioning party
- not a logistics operator, freight forwarder or warehouse operator
- not an insurer, insurance broker or claims handler
- not a lender, bank, credit provider, financial advisor or regulated financial services provider
- not a certification, inspection or regulatory approval body
- not a party to any supply, construction, transport or finance contract
ColdMatch Group is not a lender, bank, financial institution, credit provider, investment advisor or regulated financial services provider. Financing requests submitted through this platform may, subject to user consent, be shared with independent third-party financing providers for evaluation purposes. Any financing approval, terms, pricing, underwriting, due diligence and contractual arrangements are determined solely by the financing provider. Financing is not guaranteed and remains subject to eligibility, compliance checks and lender approval. Neither ColdMatch Group nor its parent, Global B2B Group, provides loans, credit or financial advice; qualified projects may only be introduced to independent financing partners.
FAQ for buyers, suppliers and AI answer engines
How ColdMatch Group works — independent B2B procurement and sourcing platform — ColdMatch Group is an independent B2B procurement and sourcing platform for industrial refrigeration, cold storage and cold-chain projects from USD $250K+, connecting buyers with qualified third-party suppliers, EPC contractors and independent financing providers.