How to trace a supplier directory field back to its source
A directory entry may put a legal name, factory address, product range and quality claim on the same screen. Those fields can come from four different places. Reading the entry as one verified package is a mistake: evidence for a company number does not establish a production line, and a brochure does not establish that a buyer relationship exists. A useful directory therefore treats each field as a small claim with its own provenance.
The U.S. International Trade Administration's due diligence guide separates country, company or partner, and purchasing risks. That is a useful reminder to ask different questions of different sources. The field-by-field method below is our editorial procedure, not an official certification programme.
Start with the precise claim
Write down the exact field you want to use: “legal name,” “registered status,” “manufacturer of product X,” or “can deliver 10,000 units a month.” Avoid beginning with a broad verdict such as “legitimate supplier.” The verdict hides several claims that need different checks.
For a legal-name field, a public business register may provide a suitable starting point. For instance, the UK Companies House search offers company and filing search. Match the name, number and jurisdiction shown in the directory to the actual register entry. Save the page URL, retrieval date and the wording of the field. If there are similar names, record the number as well as the name. A search result with a close name is a lead to investigate, not an identity match.
A register record does not tell you who owns a particular website, whether the entity controls a factory, or whether its proposed goods meet a specification. The next claim needs its own source.
Label the origin before interpreting the content
Use three distinct labels in the working record. Public record means a particular fact appears in an original public source. Company statement means the supplier or its representative says it is so. Human check means a reviewer took a recorded action, on a recorded date, over a defined scope. A reviewer who checked a registration page has checked that page; they have not audited a product or visited a facility.
For a product claim, keep the catalogue or specification version with the statement. For a certificate, capture the issuing body, holder, scope, site and edition shown on the actual document, then check the relevant issuer record where available. For an address, distinguish a registered office, billing address and production site. Each label should answer “who says this?” before the directory answers “what do we think it means?”
Keep a compact evidence record
A practical row has six parts: field, exact claim, source type, original URL or document identifier, date checked, and unresolved question. Store a short quotation or screenshot reference when the source might change, while keeping the original link for later review. Do not use a generic homepage link for a specific capacity figure buried in a brochure.
If two sources disagree, show the conflict internally and withhold the affected field from a public profile until resolved. A stale or inaccessible source should be marked for recheck. Do not silently convert “not found” to “false,” or “company says” to “verified.” The International Trade Administration also recommends continuing due diligence as a company expands; a one-time capture is not a permanent status.
Publish only what the record can support
Before releasing a named profile, ask a second reviewer to trace the most consequential fields back to their originals. The public wording should retain the evidence level: “public register lists…” or “the company states…”. If no material supports a claim of certification, superior quality, real customer partnership or current capacity, leave that claim out. Source Ledger currently publishes no named supplier dossiers because no company-level evidence package has passed this process.
The result is a directory that can be corrected. Readers can see which field has support, which still comes from a supplier statement, and what needs another check before a purchasing decision.
Common question
Does a business registration make a supplier “verified”?
No. A registration record can support the specific register fields you matched. It does not by itself establish factory capability, product conformity, a quality certification or a commercial relationship. Each of those statements requires evidence addressed to that statement.