Questions that might reveal product substitution include:
- Do you know or suspect, or have you heard, that any contractor might be substituting inferior quality or unapproved products?
- Have you observed or heard about any unusual or generic packaging of products?
- Are there any indications of apparently used or reconditioned products being furnished as new?
- Have instances of “inadvertent” product substitution by a contractor been detected?
- Are certain contractors involved in an unusually high rate of returns, complaints of sub-par performance, or test failures?
- Do the contract terms or standard procedures allow product substitution for any reason? If so, why, when and how?
- Are required product compliance certificates signed and issued for all contractors?
- Are products thoroughly tested to ensure compliance with contract specifications?
- Are controls and procedures to detect product substitution in place and enforced?