FOR PROCUREMENT / SOURCING
A quote is not a quote. It is a hint.
Unit price tells you one thing. Landed cost tells you whether you should sign. GingerControl layers the full tariff stack onto every quote, so you compare apples to apples.
The starting point
Procurement teams that still compare quotes on unit price alone are leaving money on the table. Once Section 301, Chapter 99, and the base MFN rate are layered in, the supplier with the lowest invoice is often not the supplier with the lowest landed cost. The problem has never been that teams do not know this. The problem is that layering those tariffs mid-negotiation used to take hours. GingerControl compresses that to minutes, so the negotiation stays fast.
Jobs to be done
A day in the life, rewritten.
- 01
The situation
You are evaluating three suppliers for a single SKU, sourced from China, Vietnam, and Mexico.
The job
Know the real landed cost on each before you pick up the phone to negotiate.
With Ginger
Parts Library runs all three origins side by side, highlights the lowest landed cost, and the FTA Compare Drawer shows the exact dollar savings of claiming a preference versus the MFN rate. The cheapest quote might not be the cheapest supplier, and now you can prove it.
- 02
The situation
A small spec change, a different fastener, a different fabric blend, might move a product into a different HTS code.
The job
Find out before engineering freezes the design, not after the first entry clears.
With Ginger
Run both spec variants through the HTS Classification Researcher. Ginger returns the candidate HTS codes for each, with the duty rate attached, so the engineering decision and the landed-cost decision happen in the same conversation.
- 03
The situation
A supplier pushes back on your counter-offer.
The job
Show them, with numbers, why their unit price is not competitive once tariffs are in.
With Ginger
The Tariff Calculator gives you a printable landed-cost breakdown with the full tariff stack spelled out. You bring data to the negotiation, not hunches.
The proof
What changes, in numbers.
Up to 90%
less time on landed-cost research per quote cycle
What used to take an afternoon of cross-referencing HTSUS chapters and tariff announcements now takes minutes, based on the positioning brief’s 5 to 6 minute classification benchmark and sub-millisecond HTS lookups.
Full tariff stack
on every supplier quote, with FTA savings in dollars
MFN + Section 232 + Section 301 + Chapter 99 + Section 122, layered in the correct order by entry date, and the FTA Compare Drawer quantifies the preference delta per shipment.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
How do I document tariff costs on POs so they are auditable?
Break the landed cost into its tariff components with the Tariff Calculator, which returns a printable breakdown of the full stack, MFN plus Section 122, 232, 301, and Chapter 99, so each PO carries a line-item duty record instead of a lump sum. For a sourcing manager, that keeps surcharges out of a misc bucket and gives finance a defensible trail. PO Reconciliation then validates supplier tariff surcharges line by line. We produce the documentation, we do not book entries or pay duty.
Is my supplier's tariff surcharge legitimate, or are they padding it?
Check it line by line with PO Reconciliation, which validates the tariff surcharges a supplier passes through against the correct duty for that product and origin. Procurement teams see suppliers add tariff line items that are sometimes inflated or misapplied, and this gives you the independent number to push back with. Pair it with the Tariff Calculator to confirm the correct stack per entry date. We surface the discrepancy for your negotiation, we do not adjudicate the contract or file a claim.
How do I track tariffs when sourcing across multiple suppliers and origins?
Keep every product and origin in one Parts Library matrix, where the full tariff stack applies to each supplier scenario and Selection History records what you committed to and when. For a sourcing team, that replaces scattered spreadsheets and broker emails with one canvas that flags the lowest landed cost. Compliance Radar can alert you when a policy shift hits products you already classified, though it is in private beta. Parts Library models and tracks, your broker handles the actual entry.
How do I compare landed cost by origin for an RFQ before I negotiate?
Run all candidate origins through Parts Library side by side and it highlights the lowest landed cost while the FTA Compare Drawer shows the exact dollar savings of claiming a preference versus MFN. In an RFQ the cheapest quote is often not the cheapest supplier once Section 301 and Chapter 99 layer in, and now you can prove it before the call. Figures are current as of their calculation date. We give you the comparison, not a customs ruling on preference eligibility.
How do I book tariff surcharges so they are auditable rather than lost in a misc line?
Attach a component-level duty breakdown to each PO using the Tariff Calculator, then reconcile the booked surcharge against the supplier invoice with PO Reconciliation. For procurement, that means every surcharge maps to a named tariff component and an origin, so an auditor can follow it. This creates the record finance and any later duty review can lean on. We build the auditable trail, we are not a broker and do not file the entry or remit duty to CBP.
A small spec change might move a product into a different HTS code. How do I catch it before design freezes?
Run both spec variants through the HTS Classification Researcher and it returns candidate HTS codes for each, with the duty rate attached and GRI reasoning plus CROSS citations behind it. For a sourcing manager, that puts the landed-cost consequence of a fastener or fabric change on the table while engineering can still act, not after the first entry clears. The output is an audit-ready reasoning report to support your decision. Final classification still rests with your team and broker.
What to look at next
Parts Library
Rank suppliers by true landed cost, and let the FTA Compare Drawer show the dollar delta of claiming a preference.
Open →
Tariff Calculator
Layer the full tariff stack onto every supplier quote before you negotiate.
Open →
HTS Classification Researcher
Spot tariff engineering opportunities at the spec and sourcing stage.
Open →
Trade Advisory
Advisors for country-of-origin and FTA qualification strategy on high-value programs.
Open →
The Two-Week Assessment
Quantify the opportunity in your trade spend.
A two-week Assessment runs your import entries, freight charges, and purchase orders through GingerControl’s audit layer and returns a recovery figure you can take to the board, evidence attached. Your broker stays your broker.