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 formulation & r&d partners
Formulation consultancies whose client briefs move into Formula Adaptation or a Custom Project, then production.
Who it's for
Formulation & R&D partners
Formulation consultancies whose client briefs move into Formula Adaptation or a Custom Project, then production.
How it works
Refer or co-manage a client project
Refer or co-manage, once approved
Once access is approved, submit each client project as it comes in. A catalogue order configures straight from the product page; a Formula Adaptation or a Custom Project is started the same way as when a client comes to us directly.
Co-manage through production
Stay in the loop through formulation, packaging and documentation review — or hand off once the project is placed.
Client projects that change the actives, dosage or ingredients of a reviewed catalogue formula are scoped as Formula Adaptation — a fixed-fee development stage, then a production quotation. A genuinely new formula is a Custom Project.
Why partner
A formulation only becomes a product once it can be produced
A formulation or R&D partner carries a brief from concept through development — work that is genuinely technical, and genuinely separate from manufacturing. But a developed formulation only becomes a real product once a production relationship can actually make and pack it at scale, matching what the development work specified rather than approximating it.
That handoff is where formulation work most often stalls: a specification that a production partner can't execute cleanly forces rework, or forces the R&D partner to keep managing a manufacturing search on top of its own development scope. A supply-side relationship removes that gap by giving a completed specification somewhere to go that will actually build it as designed.
That trade-off is exactly where formulation work is most exposed. A specification that has already been through development still needs a production partner willing to build it as designed, rather than substitute a close approximation once tooling and packaging enter the picture.
Working together
Hand off a finished specification, or stay through the production run
Two shapes fit formulation and R&D work. A referral: the R&D partner hands a finished specification to production once development is complete, and steps back once the project is placed. A co-managed project: the R&D partner stays through production to verify the manufactured product matches the developed specification, which suits work where fidelity to the original development is the whole point.
Existing-catalogue work follows the standard route: a brief, then samples, then production. Approved flavour, colour and shape changes on an existing formula sit inside the personalisation boundary, but genuine formulation development — new actives, new claims or a new formula — is a Custom Project — the boundary this segment is positioned to define clearly, ahead of any production commitment.
Whichever shape fits a given specification, partner access is requested once. Every developed formulation afterwards is scoped and submitted as its own project, rather than needing fresh approval for each handoff.
Before referring
What to settle before the first referred specification
A formulation handoff goes smoothly when three things are settled before the specification is sent to production, ahead of any sampling round.
- The relationship shape. Decide referral versus staying through the production run before handoff, since fidelity checks usually need the R&D partner present at sampling and at the production stage.
- Who owns compliance. Label and market-compliance responsibility sits with the brand owner, though supporting product documentation is provided alongside the specification review at each order stage.
- Scope clarity. State clearly whether the work is catalogue-based personalisation, Formula Adaptation of an existing DAT Supply formula, or a genuinely new Custom Project, since each routes differently.
- Partner access. Request it once, then submit each developed specification as its own project from there.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions — Formulation & R&D partners
Does an R&D partner hand off a finished specification, or stay through production?
Either — a referral hands the specification to production once development is complete, while a co-managed project keeps the R&D partner through the run to confirm the manufactured product matches it.
Can early formulation concepts be sampled before a full R&D scope is committed?
Catalogue-based concepts can be sampled before any production order. A genuinely new formula is a Custom Project, quoted on its scope, with its own development stages ahead of samples.
Where is the line between personalisation, Formula Adaptation and a Custom Project?
Flavour, colour and shape changes to an existing formula sit inside personalisation. Anything changing actives, dosages or claims is Formula Adaptation on an existing DAT Supply formula, or a Custom Project for new claims or new development.
Who owns claims and labelling once an R&D partner's formulation reaches market?
The brand owner. The R&D partner's specification defines the product, but final label and market-compliance responsibility, supported by product documentation, remains with the client throughout.
How does a formulation partner start routing specifications through the partner track?
Request partner access once. From there, each developed specification is submitted individually, scoped against its own brief, whether the partner refers it or stays through production.
Related reading
Start
Ready to partner with DAT Supply as formulation & r&d partners?
Partner access is reviewed by the DAT Supply team — set up once, then refer or co-manage as many projects as you bring. Commission terms are confirmed at approval; we do not publish a standing rate.