Choosing a stock-count contractor: eight questions

Handing a stock count to an outside team is, above all, a question of trust in the result. Two offers can cost the same, yet one finishes in a day and delivers a list of differences, while the other leaves you with a single number: "counted". So before you ask about price, ask eight questions. The answers show how the contractor really works.

Method and team

1. How do they count?

With scanners or by hand, what do they do with goods that have no code, and do they recheck positions with a difference? A good answer is simple: items are confirmed by code, the rest are marked from the list, and rows that do not match are counted a second time. If the reply is only "we work fast and well", repeat the specific question.

2. Who exactly does the counting?

A permanent team, or temporary people gathered for the day? What briefing do they get before the work, and who leads the group? There must always be one person on site who answers for the result, otherwise, when a question comes up during the count, nobody knows whom to ask. Also ask how many people will come on count day and how many hours they need to finish. The answer should fit the size of your warehouse.

Format of the result

3. In what form is the result delivered?

An Excel or PDF table, or a file for loading into 1C? Ask for a sample in advance: a template without data from a real report is enough. It should show the book quantity, the counted quantity and the difference in separate columns, so your accountant can use the report without retyping it.

4. Are the causes of differences given?

A bare figure such as "shortage of 12 pieces" is not enough. A useful report has a list of differences, with a note beside each large one: found in another place, different pack size, document not closed. A list without notes leaves you to recheck everything yourself.

Working arrangements and responsibility

5. Will the warehouse stop?

Can the contractor work at night, at weekends or zone by zone? Do they travel to branches in the regions? If sales or dispatch must not stop, agree it beforehand and put in the schedule which part of the warehouse closes and when.

6. How are responsibility and confidentiality handled?

Counters see product names, balances and prices. A promise not to pass data to third parties should be written into the contract. The same text should say clearly who is responsible if goods are damaged during the count. However short the document is, these two clauses belong in it.

Price and recounts

7. What makes up the price?

Does it depend on the number of positions, the area or the working hours? Is there a surcharge for nights, weekends and travel to a region? When the calculation is open, no unexpected extras appear once work has started. For example, one offer looks cheap but night work and recounts are charged separately, while another costs more with everything included. Compare the final totals.

8. What happens if differences turn up?

Is a recount included in the price or paid separately? Who approves the result, and how long is allowed for corrections? Most disputes arise precisely because this question was not settled in advance.

Write the questions down and ask for the answers in writing. Where someone says "it will all be fine" out loud, the details usually go missing later.

Warning signs

• When you ask for a sample report, the answer is "we'll send it later".
• A price is quoted without seeing the site, as a single figure, with no question about positions or area.
• The result is delivered only on paper or as a picture, with no editable file.
• The contractor promises that "there will be no differences". The job of a count is to find differences, not to hide them.
• There is no clear answer about the make-up of the team and the working hours.

None of these signs alone makes a contractor bad, but if two or three appear together, look at other offers as well.

Conclusion

When choosing a contractor, look not for the lowest price but for the clearest answers: method, team, format of the result, responsibility and the recount rule. At StockCheck the result is delivered as an Excel and PDF report, with a file for loading into 1C if you wish, and we agree the remaining terms in advance, when the order is placed.