Set up partner access
Request partner access once — the DAT Supply team reviews the request and confirms how referred projects are tracked.
Partners DAT Supply
Partner with DAT Supply — for consultants
Independent regulatory, formulation or go-to-market consultants working with brand owners.
Who it's for
Consultants
Independent regulatory, formulation or go-to-market consultants working with brand owners.
How it works
Refer or co-manage a client project
Submit a referred project
Submit each client project as it comes in. Formulation, format and target market are scoped against the brief, same as any direct order.
Co-manage through production
Stay in the loop through formulation, packaging and documentation review — or hand off once the brief is placed.
Why partner
Advice needs somewhere to land once it becomes a production decision
An independent consultant is retained for judgement — regulatory direction, formulation reasoning, or how a brand should sequence a go-to-market plan. None of that advice closes a launch on its own; at some point the brand owner needs an actual manufacturing relationship, and a consultant with no answer to that question either watches the advisory relationship end early or spends unpaid time helping a client shop for a supplier.
A partner track gives that advice somewhere concrete to land. The consultant keeps the advisory role — the reasoning behind a formulation direction or a regulatory position stays theirs — while the production side runs against an existing catalogue rather than a from-scratch search the client has to run alone.
That trade-off matters because a consultant's own reputation travels with every recommendation. Pointing a client toward a dependable process, rather than leaving them to find one alone, keeps the consultant's advisory relationship intact through the stage where many engagements otherwise go quiet.
Working together
Point the client to production, or stay across the decisions
Two shapes fit most consulting engagements. A referral: the consultant introduces the brand owner once the direction is set, and the brand owner takes the brief forward directly. A co-managed project: the consultant stays across formulation choices, packaging and documentation review as the brand's ongoing advisor, useful when the engagement continues past the initial recommendation.
The mechanics underneath either shape are the same as a direct client: a brief, then samples, then production. Personalisation on an existing formula sits inside the Make it Yours boundary — approved flavour, colour and shape changes — while anything touching actives, dosages or claims becomes a separately scoped Custom Formula R&D conversation, worth flagging to a client before the direction is finalised.
Whichever shape a consultant chooses, partner access is requested once. Every client afterwards is scoped and submitted as its own project, so a growing consulting practice doesn't need repeat approval for each new referral.
Before referring
What to settle before the first referred client
Referrals go smoothly when a consultant has settled three things before the introduction, none of which require production expertise from the consultant.
- The relationship shape. Decide referral versus staying engaged through production before the brief is sent, so the client knows what continued involvement looks like.
- Who owns compliance. Final label and market-compliance responsibility sits with the brand owner, even where the consultant's advice shaped the direction; supporting product documentation is provided for that review.
- A scoped brief. A brief that reflects the consultant's own direction — category, format, positioning — moves through sampling with less back-and-forth than a vague one.
- Partner access. Request it once, then submit each client project individually as it comes in, without a fresh approval step.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions — Consultants
Does a consultant manage the production relationship or introduce the client directly?
Either — a straight referral introduces the brand owner and steps back, while a co-managed engagement keeps the consultant across formulation, packaging and documentation decisions for as long as the engagement runs.
Can a brand owner sample a formula before a consultant finalises a recommendation?
Yes — the route runs brief, then samples, then production, so a client can judge taste, texture and finish before committing, which supports whatever direction the consultant has recommended.
Where does a consultant's formulation advice end and Make it Yours begin?
Flavour, colour and shape changes to an existing formula sit inside Make it Yours. A direction that changes actives, dosages or claims moves into a separately scoped Custom Formula R&D conversation instead.
Who is legally responsible for claims once a consultant's advice reaches a label?
The brand owner. A consultant's regulatory or formulation direction informs the project, but final label and market-compliance responsibility, and sign-off, remain with the client, supported by product documentation.
How does a consultant start referring brand-owner clients?
Request partner access once. From then on, each client is submitted as its own project, scoped against that client's brief, whether the consultant refers it or stays engaged through production.
Related reading
Ready to partner with DAT Supply as consultants?
Request partner access, or submit a referred project directly — our team reviews every request.