Switchgear Exporters in Bangladesh: Verified Supplier Checklist

A switchgear order fails most often before production starts, when the buyer accepts a supplier on a brochure and a price. Use this checklist to check the supplier itself: its export documents, what it actually makes, the ratings and test evidence for the exact model, and the commercial terms in writing. Work through it before you pay a deposit, and keep the copy with the purchase order.

Why this checklist matters

Switchgear is bought to a specification, not to a catalogue photo. A breaker, panel or assembly that does not match the rated voltage, current and short-circuit duty of your project cannot be fixed by a discount, and a substitute component inside it can change its behaviour. Checking the supplier first separates a factory that builds the model from a trader that resells it, and it surfaces missing evidence while you can still walk away.

The checklist also protects the order after signature. When every item is recorded as pass, fail or not applicable, with the supporting document, later disputes turn on evidence instead of memory.

Before you start

Fix the specification before you contact suppliers: the application, voltage class, indoor or outdoor use, protection and control functions, and the standard the model must meet. For metal-enclosed switchgear, IEC 62271-200 covers alternating current equipment for rated voltages above 1 kV and up to and including 52 kV.¹ For low-voltage power assemblies, IEC 61439-2 covers assemblies rated up to 1 000 V alternating current or 1 500 V direct current.² Name the applicable standard in your enquiry so every supplier answers against the same requirement.

Gather your reference set: the single-line diagram, the load list, the site conditions, and the destination rules for marking, documentation and packing. Ask each supplier the same questions in the same order, and score answers against documents.

The full checklist (numbered, printable)

Identity and export documents

1. Confirm the legal name, registered address and factory address, and check that the quotation name matches the trade licence and bank details.

2. Request a copy of the Export Registration Certificate (ERC) and check its validity dates and that the exporter name matches the quotation. Businesses exporting from Bangladesh require an ERC, and the application documents include the trade licence, chamber or trade association membership, tax identification number (TIN) and bank and incorporation certificates.³

3. Request the trade licence, TIN certificate and VAT registration (BIN) and check that names and addresses agree across all three.³

4. Confirm whether the supplier manufactures the model, assembles it from bought-in components, or trades it, and which steps happen at its own factory.

5. Ask for the component brands used inside the assembly, and whether any substitution needs your written approval.

6. Check the supplier's export history for the same product family: destination markets, years of supply, and whether it has supplied the same voltage class before.

Factory capability and scope

7. Request dated photos or a short video of the production floor, assembly area and test area, and check that the equipment shown matches the work claimed.

8. Ask how many units of the same model the factory can build per month, and what limits that number: labour, test capacity or component supply.

9. Ask which assembly steps are done in-house and which are outsourced, and who is responsible for testing outsourced work.

10. Confirm the supplier can build the enclosure, busbar work and wiring to your drawing, and ask what happens when a drawing detail conflicts with its standard build.

11. Ask for the lead time in writing, broken into engineering approval, component procurement, assembly and testing, so a delay can be traced to one stage.

12. Confirm the process for engineering changes after approval, including who approves a change and how it is recorded.

Ratings and standards evidence for the exact model

13. For each model on the quotation, request its datasheet and check the rated voltage, rated current, rated frequency and short-circuit rating stated for that model, not for the product family in general.

14. Check that the standard named on the datasheet matches the standard in your enquiry, and ask for the edition or year of the standard the model was tested against.

15. Ask whether the offered model is identical to the tested model. If any major component differs, ask for the test evidence covering the offered configuration.

16. For metal-enclosed equipment, check the internal arc classification claimed for the model and the accessibility type it applies to, since IEC 62271-200 treats internal arc classification as a rated item for the assembly.¹

17. For low-voltage assemblies, check whether the assembly is a power switchgear and controlgear assembly under IEC 61439-2, and confirm the rated voltage stated stays within that standard's scope.²

18. Record every rating in your own comparison sheet. Do not accept a rating that appears only in a sales email and nowhere in a datasheet or test report.

Type tests, routine tests and traceability

19. Request the type-test report for the exact model and check the report number, testing laboratory, model designation and ratings tested. A report for a different model is not evidence for yours.

20. Ask which routine tests are carried out on every unit before dispatch, and request a sample routine-test record with the same fields your order will carry.

21. IEC 62271-200 lists routine tests including dielectric tests on the main circuit, tests on auxiliary and control circuits, measurement of main-circuit resistance, tightness tests and design and visual checks.¹ Ask the supplier to confirm which of these apply to your model and to show them on the routine-test record.

22. Ask how test records are linked to a unit: serial number, job number or batch number, and whether you receive the record before shipment or with it.

23. Ask for the calibration status of the test equipment used for routine tests, and how often it is checked.

24. Confirm the marking and nameplate details that will appear on each unit, and check them against the datasheet before production starts.

Quality system and commercial standing

25. Ask for the quality management certificate, check its scope, certification body and expiry date, and confirm the scope covers switchgear manufacture or assembly rather than trading alone. ISO 9001 sets requirements for a quality management system that supports consistent products and services and ongoing improvement.⁴

26. Ask how non-conforming work is handled: who stops a unit, how it is marked, and what record you receive.

27. Confirm the warranty terms in writing: what is covered, for how long, and who pays for transport of a replacement part.

28. Agree the payment terms, the inspection point before shipment, and the documents that must arrive before the balance is released.

29. Confirm the packing method for the transport route, including protection against moisture, shock and dust, and whether panels ship assembled or flat-packed.

30. Confirm who arranges export clearance and which export documents the supplier provides, and check the supplier can name them before you sign. The Bangladesh Trade Portal points businesses seeking exporter lists and partnership information to the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) and the FBCCI, and its customs guidance covers declarations and clearance procedures for goods leaving Bangladesh.⁵

Common failures and how to fix them

The most common failure is a type-test report for a different model. Ask for the report whose model designation, ratings and laboratory match the quotation exactly. If the supplier cannot produce it, treat the model as untested and change the model or the supplier.

The second failure is mismatched documents: a trade licence in one name, a bank account in another, a quotation in a third. Ask for corrected documents before payment, and pay only the legal name on the registration documents.

The third failure is a rating that exists only in a sales message. Require it on the datasheet and the test report, and write it into the purchase order as a contract term.

The fourth failure is component substitution. Put a written rule in the order: no substitution without your written approval, with a component list the routine-test record must match.

Downloadable template / summary table

Copy the checklist into your supplier file, add columns for the result and the evidence document, and file the copy with the purchase order.

How Exportain helps

Exportain is a B2B marketplace connecting buyers with Bangladeshi suppliers, so these checks can be applied to suppliers you find through the platform before you commit. Browse suppliers and compare profiles, then use RFQs to send the same specification to several suppliers and compare their documented answers. Supplier profiles show which document and photo checks have been recorded, not factory inspections. Exportain is not a party to the goods contract and does not inspect goods.

FAQs

When should this checklist be used?

Use it before you pay a deposit, approve drawings or confirm production, and repeat the document and rating checks if the model or a major component changes.

Who should complete it?

The buyer or the buyer's engineer should complete it, since ratings and test evidence must be judged against the project specification. A local agent can gather documents, but the buyer should review the rating and test items.

What are the most common failures?

A type-test report for a different model, mismatched names across registration documents, ratings that appear only in sales messages, and component substitution without approval are the failures buyers find most often.

Can a third party do it?

Yes, if you share the specification, the standards in your enquiry and the evidence standard for each item first. A third party can collect documents and visit the factory, but the final decision on ratings and test evidence should stay with the buyer.

Next steps on Exportain

Before you shortlist, write your specification and the standard each model must meet, then browse suppliers and send the same checklist to each candidate through RFQs. Keep the completed checklist with the purchase order, and re-check the type-test report and component list if anything changes after approval.