What a Commercial Furniture Sourcing Partner Does for an FF&E Contractor
From the FF&E schedule to loaded containers: what sits with the sourcing partner, and what stays with your project team.
A commercial furniture sourcing partner in China takes an FF&E contractor’s schedule and turns it into a quoted, produced, inspected and shipped furniture package. It selects the factory that actually makes each product, checks compliance for the destination market before quoting, coordinates drawings and finish approvals, inspects the finished goods before shipment and loads full containers, so that the contractor deals with one counterparty that carries the responsibility.
This article is written for FF&E contractors, commercial project owners and furniture distributors who are deciding how to run the China side of a furniture package for a hotel, office, aged-care or healthcare facility, apartment building or student accommodation project. It describes how FBM Furniture, the furniture sourcing line of FBM Sourcing Limited, works. We are a sourcing agent, working on your side. We do not manufacture, run a showroom or sell a range.
01 · It matches each product to the factory that makes it
Furniture manufacturing is highly specialised. Seating, casegoods, upholstery, metal frames and fixed joinery come from different factories, and a schedule for one project usually crosses all of them. The first job of a sourcing partner is to split the schedule by product type and place each group with the factory that runs the production line for that product, using each factory only for what its line actually makes.
For the contractor this means one schedule goes in and one like-for-like quotation comes back, even though several factories sit behind it. We collect quotations from those factories, compare them, and quote against your specification line by line.
02 · It checks compliance before it quotes
Contract furniture is specified against local standards, so the first step in choosing a factory is checking that it holds the test reports or certifications for that specific product, confirmed before we quote. Our main markets are North America and Australia. Examples of what that check covers:
- Office seating: ANSI/BIFMA X5.1 in North America; AS/NZS 4438 with AFRDI certification in Australia and New Zealand.
- Upholstered furniture for California: flammability to TB 117-2013, with the required label.
- Composite wood in casegoods for the United States: TSCA Title VI compliant and labelled.
This is why we ask where your project is at the very start. The destination decides which documents a factory has to hold before it is worth pricing. Our compliance page sets out how we handle this by market.
03 · It quotes like-for-like against your schedule
A useful quotation can be checked against the FF&E schedule without interpretation. Ours shows, per line: item, specification, materials, fabric and finish, dimensions, unit price, quantity, packing and lead time. Any substitution is flagged rather than absorbed into the line.
To produce that, we need four things from you:
- An FF&E schedule or product list, room by room, with quantities, plus drawings for any custom pieces.
- The specification or a reference photo or link for each item: dimensions, materials, fabric and finish.
- Your fabric and finish selections, or a request for us to propose them. Tell us if fabric is supplied by you (COM).
- Where your project is, so we check the standards your market requires.
Many clients start with one category. We share examples of previous quotations to show the price range; further sourcing work requires an upfront sourcing fee, fully credited toward your first order.
04 · It runs samples, shop drawings and finish approvals
For large orders, samples are couriered to you for approval before production. For custom pieces the factory prepares shop drawings and material lists, and you sign off drawings, fabrics and finishes before production starts. Several rounds are normal, and production follows the signed-off specification rather than the first quotation.
A furniture package can also run without a visit to China. For company clients with a defined specification we work from your list and drawings, send photos and video of shortlisted products, courier samples and fabric and finish swatches, and walk you through selections on video calls. The full sequence, from quotation to after-sales, is on our How We Work page.
Have an FF&E schedule to price?
Send the schedule, room by room with quantities, and tell us where the project is. We will check the standards for your market before we quote.
05 · It stands as one counterparty
We contract with the factory in our own name, and that contract is what protects you: how non-conforming goods are handled, penalties for late delivery and warranty terms are all enforceable under Chinese law. All quotations, invoices and shipping documents are issued by FBM Sourcing, and payment goes only to the company account named on the PI, never to an individual and never to a factory.
There are two ways to work with us. For products we source, we find the factory and we quote a direct price, with sea freight quoted before shipment. For suppliers you nominate, we manage the order for a 5% commission. The differences between the two are set out side by side on the How We Work page.
06 · It inspects the finished goods with its own team
Before shipment, our own QC team checks quantities, dimensions, finish, fabric and foam, hardware and packing against the signed-off specification, and you receive a QC report with photos and video. Any item that does not meet the agreed standards is recorded in the inspection report. Your own project team is welcome to attend the inspection with us.
07 · It consolidates, loads and ships full containers
The minimum order is a full container. Categories of the same project can share containers, and we do not ship loose cargo. We arrange container loading, sea freight and documents, normally with our own forwarder, and send a loading report so unloading is easy. If you nominate a forwarder, we book with it. Price terms are EXW as standard and C&F on request.
After arrival, send us photos or videos of any transit damage within 3 working days so a claim can be raised with the carrier, insurer or factory. Products we source carry the warranty period stated on the PI.
What stays with the FF&E contractor?
The design intent, the schedule and the approvals stay with you. You decide the specification, select or approve fabrics and finishes, sign off shop drawings and samples, and confirm the order on the PI. The sourcing partner’s role is to make sure that what you approved is what the factories produce, what our QC team inspects and what is loaded.
Once a category has been bought from a factory, we keep it for your following projects so quality stays consistent. Any change is agreed with you in advance. You can see how this has worked on hotel, restaurant and accommodation packages in our case studies.
Frequently asked questions
What does an FF&E contractor need to send to get a furniture quotation from China?
An FF&E schedule or product list, room by room, with quantities, plus drawings for any custom pieces; the specification or a reference photo or link for each item; your fabric and finish selections, or a request for us to propose them, including whether fabric is supplied by you (COM); and where the project is, so we check the standards your market requires.
Does one factory make the whole furniture package?
No. Furniture manufacturing is highly specialised: seating, casegoods, upholstery, metal frames and fixed joinery come from different factories. We use each factory only for what its production line actually makes, and consolidate the package into full containers.
When is the furniture inspected?
Before shipment, when production is finished. Our own QC team checks quantities, dimensions, finish, fabric and foam, hardware and packing against the signed-off specification, and you receive a QC report with photos and video. Any item that fails is recorded in the inspection report.
Can a commercial furniture package be sourced without travelling to China?
Yes. For company clients with a defined specification we work from your list and drawings, send photos and video of shortlisted products, courier samples and fabric and finish swatches, and walk you through selections on video calls.
What is the minimum order?
A full container. Categories of the same project can share containers. We do not ship loose cargo.
Have an FF&E schedule to price?
Send the schedule, room by room with quantities, and tell us where the project is. We will check the standards for your market before we quote.