Qualification
In your DAT Supply account: budget band, timeline, production volume and the exact requirements and deliverables. Attach the project files where the work is document-driven; otherwise a complete written brief is enough.
DAT Supply
Custom Projects
For requirements beyond our standard production services, including R&D, due diligence, regulatory/compliance work, bespoke testing, sourcing, export support, retailer qualification and complex technical requirements.
- Price
- Quoted on scope
- No universal public price
- Acceptance
- Reviewed first
- Commercial fit, then technical scope
- Starts with
- Qualification
- Budget, timeline, volume and requirements
- Production
- Quoted separately
- Standard Custom minimums apply
How we work
Every project is reviewed before acceptance. Scope, deliverables, timeline and commercial terms are agreed before work begins.
Custom Projects are paid professional and technical work, qualified before any technical time is committed.
Scope
What a Custom Project can cover
Work beyond our standard production services. If your requirement is not listed, describe it in the qualification.
Development & research
New-product R&D; genuinely new formulas; extensive formulation work; multiple prototype rounds; scientific and technical research.
Qualification & due diligence
Supplier due diligence; procurement and vendor qualification; retailer technical questionnaires and packs; enterprise technical onboarding.
Testing & compliance
Bespoke testing programmes; stability programmes; regulatory and compliance projects; label, claims and market-entry work.
Sourcing, documentation & packaging
Bespoke ingredient and supplier sourcing; export and import work; complex documentation; custom packaging development.
From qualification to project
How it works
Commercial qualification comes first. Work starts only once scope, deliverables, timeline and commercial terms are agreed.
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Step 01 -
Step 02 DAT review
DAT Supply reviews the project commercially first, then technically, and confirms whether it can accept it.
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Step 03 Scope proposal
An accepted project receives a defined scope: deliverables, timeline and commercial terms, in writing.
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Step 04 Acceptance & payment
You accept the scope and pay against its agreed milestones. Nothing starts before that.
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Step 05 Project
DAT Supply delivers the agreed scope. Where it leads to production, production is quoted separately.
Qualification
What we ask before review
Budgets are asked as bands, not exact figures. The project-service budget and the expected production budget are asked separately, so production economics are never read from the project spend.
- Project service budget
- Under €5k / €5k–€10k / €10k–€25k / €25k–€50k / €50k+The budget for the Custom Project work itself, as a band.
- Expected production budget
- Under €10k / €10k–€25k / €25k–€50k / €50k–€100k / €100k–€250k / €250k+Asked separately, so production economics are never read from the project spend.
- Timeline
- Under 1 month / 1–3 months / 3–6 months / 6+ months
- Current stage
- Exploring / Supplier selection / Approved internal project / Ready to start
- Requirements come from
- A retailer / Procurement / An authority / Investors / internal team / Our own product brief
- Volume
- Production quantity and number of SKUsAnd the expected annual volume, if known.
- Requirements
- The exact requirements and deliverablesWith the target markets.
- Project files
- For document-driven projectsRequired for document-driven projects — supplier due diligence, procurement and vendor qualification, retailer technical questionnaires or packs, enterprise onboarding packs and complex documentation. R&D, new-product and other projects can submit a complete written brief instead.
Which route?
Is it a Custom Project?
What changes decides the route. A Custom Project is the work beyond the three productised routes.
- 01 · Private Label
- Existing formula, no changeAn existing DAT formula, unchanged, on the standard production path.
- 02 · Made-to-Order Sample
- Flavour, colour, shape or presentationAn existing product with a flavour, colour, shape or other presentation change, and no change to ingredients, actives or dosage.
- 03 · Custom Formula
- An existing formula, adaptedAn existing DAT formula or platform adapted: ingredients, actives, dosage, serving or compatible components change.
- 04 · Custom Projects
- Technical work beyond the productised routesAnything that needs significant human technical work beyond the productised services: R&D, research, due diligence, compliance, sourcing, testing programmes or bespoke documentation.
Examples
Six requests, routed
- Made-to-Order Sample
“Make this existing gummy strawberry and heart-shaped.”
A flavour and shape change on an existing product, with no change to the formula.
- Custom Formula
“Increase magnesium and add B6 to this existing product.”
An existing DAT Supply formula, adapted: the actives and dosage change.
- Custom Project
“Design the best supplement for acne and justify the ingredients from scientific evidence.”
New-product R&D with scientific research behind it.
- Custom Project
“Our retailer needs a 70-question supplier due-diligence pack.”
A retailer technical questionnaire, answered as a defined project.
- Custom Project
“Stability, heavy metals, microbiology and market-entry work for three markets.”
A bespoke testing programme with regulatory and market-entry work.
- Custom Project
“Procurement needs vendor qualification before a €200k order.”
Procurement and vendor qualification ahead of production.
Not a Custom Project? Browse Private Label, order samples or adapt a formula with Custom Formula.
FAQ
Custom Projects questions
Is there a fixed price for a Custom Project?
No. There is no universal public price: a Custom Project is quoted on its reviewed scope. Every project is reviewed before acceptance. Scope, deliverables, timeline and commercial terms are agreed before work begins.
Is every project accepted?
No. Every project is reviewed before acceptance — commercially first, then technically — and DAT Supply confirms whether it can take it on before any scope is prepared.
Why do you ask for a budget before reviewing?
Technical time is committed only to qualified projects. Budget bands, timeline, volume and complete requirements tell DAT Supply whether a project fits before anyone scopes it — which keeps the review quick and the answer clear. The project-service budget and the production budget are asked separately.
Does production follow a Custom Project?
Where a project leads to production, production is quoted separately once the scope is delivered, and the standard Custom production minimums apply.
Can I use Custom Formula instead?
Yes, when you are adapting an existing DAT Supply formula — changing its ingredients, actives or dosage. Custom Formula is the fixed-fee route for that and needs no Custom Project review. A flavour, colour or shape change with no formula change is a Made-to-Order Sample, and an unchanged formula is Private Label.
How do I start?
Select "Submit project for review" to open the qualification in your DAT Supply account. Submitting it commits you to nothing: DAT Supply reviews the project and, if it accepts it, sends the scope, deliverables, timeline and commercial terms for you to accept.
Custom Projects
Submit your project for review
Submitting the qualification commits you to nothing. DAT Supply reviews the project and, if it accepts it, sends a defined scope, deliverables, timeline and commercial terms.