A Proposal for Alpha RV
Alpha RV | Initial Two Units — Inspection Standard, Pre-Shipment Inspection, Rectification Verification
Thank you for the detailed brief and for the time you gave Nick on the call. Our proposal for the inspection of the first two Alpha RV units is set out below.
Hervey Bay Caravans is launching Alpha RV as an Australian caravan brand, with the first two units nearing completion in Shandong Province. The objective of this engagement is to confirm that what leaves the factory is what was ordered, and to ensure anything wrong is identified and corrected while the units are still in China and the balance is still unpaid.
The Alpha RV inspection checklist already covers the right ground. The first task is to develop it into a working inspection standard, giving every line item a measurable acceptance criterion, a defined test method and a defect classification, so that a Pass or a Fail is a matter of documented evidence rather than opinion. That standard is then applied on site, unit by unit, with photographic evidence throughout.
C2W acts as Alpha RV's appointed representative at the factory. We are independent of the manufacturer, appointed by you and reporting to you. The standard we build belongs to Alpha RV and applies to every unit produced from this point forward, at this factory or any other.
Recommended Structure
The engagement is structured in two stages, with one optional addition. The second stage is charged only if it is actually required.
| Stage | Purpose | Trigger |
|---|---|---|
| Stage 1 | Build the Alpha RV inspection standard and carry out the on-site pre-shipment inspection of both units | Confirmed now |
| Stage 2 | Liaise with the factory on rectification and return to site to verify the corrected items before release | Only if a return visit is required |
| Optional | Factory capability and quality system audit of the manufacturing partner | Your decision, can be added to the same trip |
Fixing the standard before attending site is what makes the inspection defensible. Without measurable criteria, a defect becomes a matter of debate with the factory. With them, it becomes a matter of record.
Stage 1: Inspection Standard and Pre-Shipment Inspection
The eight-stage checklist Alpha RV has prepared is developed into a working inspection document covering:
This document is issued to Alpha RV and belongs to you. It is reusable for every future unit and every future factory.
Before attending site we consolidate the documents the units will be verified against: the purchase order and agreed specification, model specification sheets, appliance and component schedules, and the specification your Australian approval is being granted against. Anything ambiguous or contradictory is raised with you and clarified with the factory in advance of the inspection rather than argued during it.
A C2W quality engineer attends the factory and inspects both units against the agreed standard. The inspection covers:
Functional testing is carried out on all systems and appliances that can be operated at the factory. Photographic and video evidence is recorded throughout. Findings are walked through with factory management on site before we leave, so the corrective action conversation starts immediately rather than after the report lands.
A separate written report is issued for each unit within 3 working days of the site visit, containing:
Stage 2: Rectification Liaison and Re-Inspection
Charged only if a return site visit is required. Where defects are identified in Stage 1, this stage covers:
If the factory rectifies everything and can evidence it to our satisfaction without a second visit being necessary, you do not pay for one. This stage is invoiced on your instruction to proceed, not before.
Optional: Factory Capability and Quality System Audit
Recommended, not required. Alpha RV intends to build a range of around six models with this manufacturing partner. An independent audit gives you a clear view of the factory before that commitment deepens, covering:
The audit report includes photographic evidence, identified risks and recommended corrective actions. Where it is taken alongside the Stage 1 inspection it is completed on the same trip, with no additional travel cost.
Timing and Sequencing
Two sequencing points materially affect the value of this engagement.
The inspection needs to take place before the balance payment is released and before the units are cleared for shipment. Once the balance has been paid, the ability to have defects rectified at the factory's cost largely disappears. Once the units are on the water, the realistic options reduce to rectification in Australia at your own cost or a warranty claim against the factory from the other side of the world.
Our recommendation is to book the inspection window as soon as your approval position is clear, and to sequence the balance payment after our release recommendation has been issued.
On a unit that is already built and lined out, anything closed up inside the structure is inaccessible. Wall and roof framing, insulation, and concealed wiring and plumbing routing behind linings cannot be directly inspected once the interior is fitted.
We will inspect everything that is accessible, note anything visible that suggests a concern behind a lining, and record explicitly what could not be inspected and why. On future builds an in-process inspection at the framing and services stage closes that gap entirely, and we would recommend that for your next order.
Commercial Schedule
All fees are fixed and quoted in USD. They are inclusive of inspector travel, accommodation and all on-ground costs for one factory location. There is no day rate, no travel surcharge and no expenses claim to settle afterwards.
| Service | Fee (USD) |
|---|---|
| Stage 1: Inspection standard, specification verification pack, on-site pre-shipment inspection of both units, and a written report and defect register per unit | 3,500 |
| Stage 2: Rectification liaison, return site visit to verify corrected items, close-out report and shipment release recommendation. Charged only if a return visit is required. | 1,750 |
| Optional: Factory capability and quality system audit | 950 |
| Further return visit, where the factory fails to rectify at the second attempt | 1,450 per visit |
Where the optional audit is taken on the same trip as the Stage 1 inspection, it carries no additional visit cost. Invoices are issued in USD by China 2 West Services Ltd.
Payment Terms
| Stage | Fee (USD) | Payment Trigger |
|---|---|---|
| Stage 1 | 3,500 | Payable on confirmation, before the inspection is scheduled |
| Stage 2 | 1,750 | Invoiced on your instruction to proceed with the return visit |
| Optional factory audit | 950 | Payable on confirmation, decided at any point before travel is booked |
Payment is made by bank transfer against C2W invoices. Bank details are issued on the invoice itself from a china2west.com address and nowhere else.
Scope Boundaries and Compliance Position
The boundary of this engagement on compliance matters is set out below.
C2W is not an approval or certification body. We do not issue Australian Design Rule compliance, we do not hold or apply for RVSA approvals, we cannot enter a vehicle on the Register of Approved Vehicles, and we do not certify gas installations to AS/NZS 5601.1 or electrical installations to AS/NZS 3000. Those approvals sit with the approval holder and with licensed Australian certifiers.
Narrower, and at this point in the process more useful. We verify that the units physically built match the specification your approval is being granted against, and we flag visible non-conformities on the items that can be checked at the factory:
Where Alpha RV supplies specific ADR clauses or measurable criteria, we inspect against those clauses directly and report against them item by item.
Assumptions
Where This Goes Next
Once the standard exists and the first inspection is complete, ongoing inspection becomes both simpler and cheaper per unit. The standard is built, the factory understands the process, and the same engineer already knows your product.
Indicative ongoing rates, for planning purposes:
| Service | Fee (USD) |
|---|---|
| Pre-shipment inspection, where 2 or more units are inspected in a single visit | 1,100 per unit |
| Pre-shipment inspection, single unit visit | 1,650 |
| In-process inspection at framing and services stage | 1,650 per visit |
| Factory audit, additional or repeat | 950 |
Wider supplier management, supplier identification and product development are separate engagements, scoped when you are ready for them. At the volumes discussed, our recommendation is to stay on a per-visit basis rather than a monthly retainer until Alpha RV is running consistent monthly production. We will tell you when a retainer starts to make sense for you, rather than sell you one before it does.
Why C2W Group
Recommended Next Step
Confirm Stage 1 and we will begin work on the inspection standard immediately, in parallel with your approval process, so the standard is agreed with you and the factory is briefed before the units are ready for inspection. That sequencing matters, because it means no time is lost once your approval lands.
Two things are needed to start:
Whether the optional factory audit is included can be decided at any point up to the booking of travel.
The objective here is not simply to inspect two caravans. It is to make sure the first two units of your own brand leave China right, and to put a standard in place that holds every unit after them to the same line.