The Procurement Manager's Checklist for Evaluating Packaging Vendors (Like Amcor)

Procurement manager at a 250-person CPG company. I've managed our flexible and rigid packaging budget (roughly $1.2M annually) for six years, negotiated with 20+ vendors, and documented every order—from a $500 carton run to a $200,000 film contract—in our cost tracking system. The question isn't "who's the cheapest?" It's "who gives us the best total value without risking our brand on the shelf?"

This checklist is for anyone sourcing packaging—flexible films, rigid plastics, cartons, you name it—and wants to move beyond just comparing price-per-unit quotes. It's what I wish I had when I started. We'll walk through five concrete steps, from defining your real needs to the final negotiation. Simple.

Who This Checklist Is For (And When To Use It)

Use this when you're evaluating a new primary packaging vendor, re-bidding an existing contract, or scaling up production with a new product line. It's designed for B2B scenarios where packaging is a direct touchpoint with your end customer. If you're just ordering internal shipping boxes, this is overkill. But if that package carries your logo into a store or a consumer's home, every step here matters.

The 5-Step Vendor Evaluation Checklist

Step 1: Map Your Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) – Not Just the Unit Price

Most buyers focus on the cost per thousand bags or per carton. They completely miss the setup fees, minimum order quantities (MOQs), palletization charges, and freight costs that can add 30-50% to the total. I learned this the hard way in 2021.

Here's your TCO map. For any quote, you must account for:

• Pre-Production: Artwork setup/plate fees, dieline creation, prototyping costs.
• Production: The quoted unit cost. (Obvious, but verify if it includes standard inks/coatings).
• Post-Production: Palletizing, stretch-wrapping, labeling, and warehouse staging fees.
• Logistics: Freight to your facility (FOB origin vs. destination matters).
• Administrative: Payment terms (net 30 vs. net 60 impacts cash flow), order change fees, and rush charges.

After tracking 150+ orders over six years, I found that 22% of our "budget overruns" came from unplanned rush fees and freight surcharges. We implemented a mandatory TCO spreadsheet for all quotes and cut those overruns by half.

Price Reference: Setup fees in commercial printing/packaging can include plate making ($15-50 per color for offset) and die cutting setup ($50-200+). Many large-scale vendors like Amcor bundle this, but always confirm. (Based on industry pricing structures, 2025; verify with your vendor).

Step 2: Audit Their Sustainability Claims – Beyond the Marketing Copy

This was true 10 years ago when "green" was a buzzword. Today, with ESG reporting and consumer scrutiny, it's a compliance and brand risk issue. You need proof, not promises.

Your audit questions:

1. Material Composition: "What percentage of this structure is post-consumer recycled (PCR) content?" Get a spec sheet.
2. End-of-Life: "Is this package technically recyclable in the majority of U.S. curbside programs today?" (Not "theoretically" or "in development"). Ask for the How2Recycle store drop-off or curbside label status.
3. Certifications: Request documentation for any claims (FSC-certified paper, specific recycled content certifications).
4. Their Own Goals: Ask about their corporate sustainability targets. A vendor investing in circular economy infrastructure is a better long-term partner.

Never accept "100% recyclable" without qualification. A multi-layer flexible pouch might be technically recyclable at one facility in California—but not practically for most consumers. That's a greenwashing risk for your brand.

Step 3: Stress-Test Their Operational Reliability

Price and specs are meaningless if the truck doesn't show up. You need to assess their capacity and contingency planning.

How? Don't just ask "are you reliable?" Do this:

• Ask for On-Time-In-Full (OTIF) Rate: Request their average OTIF percentage over the last 12 months. A professional vendor tracks this.
• Scenario Plan: "Walk me through what happens if your primary production line goes down. What's the backup plan?"
• Visit (or Virtually Tour) a Plant: Seeing a facility like an Amcor plant in Nicholasville, KY or elsewhere tells you more than a brochure. Look for organization, tech, and safety culture.
• Check Scale & Breadth: Can they handle your volume growth? Do they have multiple plant locations to mitigate regional disruption? This is where a global player's network can be a real advantage—or a red flag if they're overextended.

One of my biggest regrets: not doing this deep-dive with a "low-cost" vendor. Their single plant had a fire. Our production line was down for three weeks. The "savings" evaporated instantly.

Step 4: Evaluate Innovation as a Cost-Saver, Not a Buzzword

Innovation isn't just about cool new materials. It's about solutions that reduce your total cost or de-risk your supply chain. Frame your questions around value.

Ask:

• "Can you help us lightweight this structure without compromising integrity?" (Saves on material cost and shipping).
• "Do you have a more efficient pallet pattern for this carton to increase truckload utilization?" (Saves on freight).
• "What are you doing to incorporate more PCR content while maintaining performance?" (Future-proofs against regulation).

In my opinion, a vendor's R&D investment is a signal. Are they just running presses, or are they solving next year's problems? When a major vendor like Amcor buys a competitor like Berry Global, part of the value proposition is consolidating and scaling that innovation pipeline. But you have to probe to see if it's real for your account size.

Step 5: Negotiate the Relationship, Not Just the Contract

The final step happens after you've crunched the numbers. You're now negotiating the partnership terms.

Key negotiation points beyond price:

1. Communication Protocol: Who is your single point of contact? How are production delays communicated (proactively, or after the fact)?
2. Continuous Improvement Clause: Can you build in an annual review to jointly find cost savings? Shared savings contracts align incentives.
3. Exit Strategy: Understand the process and costs if you need to transition artwork/plates away from them. Get it in writing before you sign.

To be fair, not every vendor will agree to all of this. But asking separates transactional suppliers from strategic partners. I get why people just hammer on unit cost—budgets are real. But the hidden cost of poor communication or inflexibility is huge.

Common Pitfalls & Final Reality Check

Pitfall 1: Over-indexing on Geographic Proximity. The "local is always better" myth comes from an era before modern logistics. A well-managed national supplier with a dedicated fleet can be more reliable than a disorganized local shop. Focus on their systems, not just their zip code.

Pitfall 2: Ignoring the Human Element. The best contract is worthless if your main contact quits and nobody picks up the phone. Gauge turnover and team cohesion during your interactions.

Pitfall 3: Forgetting to Budget for Samples & Testing. Always, always run a production sample batch before full rollout. Factor that cost and time into your timeline.

Final Reality Check: This process might take 60-90 days for a major vendor. That's okay. Rushing it is how you get locked into a bad three-year contract. In Q2 2024, we spent three months comparing 8 vendors using a scored version of this checklist. The winner wasn't the cheapest bid. But their TCO was competitive, their sustainability claims were verified, and their operational plan was robust. That's the goal: confidence, not just a cost code.

This framework is based on my experience through early 2025. The packaging industry changes fast—consolidation, new materials, shifting regulations. Verify every claim, get every promise in writing, and remember: your packaging is the last thing you make and the first thing your customer sees. Don't let procurement be the reason it fails.