Manufacturers normally issue invitations to bid to all their accredited suppliers, and not just to you. Thus, you will be participating in these biddings if you want to make a sale. Supplier Accreditation Getting yourself and your supplier accredited by manufacturers can be a tedious and sometimes frustrating process. However, accreditation is a procedure imposed by most manufacturers to protect themselves from unreliable suppliers. Some suppliers post the lowest bid, but deliver products that fall short of the specifications, delayed shipments, or may not be able to deliver at all.
Manufacturers have production schedules and timetables to beat.
Any disruption to their raw material supplies could mean tremendous losses. If a supplier fails to deliver on time, the buyer maybe forced to buy from other suppliers for a 'prompt shipment' deal and the price would be much higher than those contracted on a 'forward shipment' deal. Forward shipment means the price is set for a future shipping period. For example, in November, you make an offer for a shipment in February, next year. Prompt shipment means your supplier has to execute shipment as soon as they received the payment, normally the Letter of Credit.