Normalization is a second step, not the first
A comparison table is where sourcing evidence most often dies. The moment quotations are forced into one column of unit prices, the basis that made them different disappears — and the number that survives is the one nobody can defend.
Record the quotation as received first. Then, separately, record any normalization you performed and the assumption it required.
Fields that must survive the table
If any of these is absent, it stays visibly absent.
- 01Price basis and Incoterm
- 02Pack, unit definition, and minimum order quantity
- 03Currency, validity window, and payment terms
- 04Tooling, sample, and one-time costs
- 05Which fields the supplier did not state
A comparable set is a claim with a state
“Comparable” is not a formatting outcome; it is an evidence state that can be supported, partial, or open. One quotation missing an Incoterm makes the set partial — and the next action is a restatement request, not an estimate.