Your overseas supplier says everything is fine. What if you cannot go and check?
You cannot travel right away, and a contact's reply is not enough. Public observations from people already there help fill gaps in your supply chain picture.
The questions behind the headline
Suppose an overseas supplier tells you stock is not a problem. Yet you hear about transport disruptions and cannot arrange a visit. You need recent records showing whether goods are actually circulating in that area.
People already there can check stock and prices in public markets, along with transport notices. Records aligned by place, product and date let you compare remote assurances with local conditions. Internal company details that cannot be observed remain separate.
Clues from a real case
Transport disruptions and rising food prices
FAO reported that its global Food Price Index rose 1.5% month on month in September 2026. It cited transport disruptions and weather concerns, explaining that pressure on international commodity prices could feed through to consumer prices in import-dependent countries.
FAO Newsroom · Read the sourceWhat to ask people on the ground
The proposal below adapts a published example to HUMINT. It does not imply that the referenced organization uses HUMINT.
Assume a team cannot visit the market region linked to an overseas supplier. Ask local contributors to record public rice, maize and cooking-oil prices, availability and transport notices during the same week. Internal production volumes and private inventories are outside the observation scope.
RequirementIn this area we cannot easily visit, what public stock, price and transport information can be checked this week for each product?
Specify products, pricing units, currency and observation dates. Collect public sales and logistics information, defining CSV columns and photographic evidence in advance so reports can be compared across regions.
Follow-up questions
- What are product prices and availability at public markets you can access, and when were the transport notices last updated?
- After matching the observation location, date and pack size, which findings agree with the supplier's account and which need further checking?
Evidence to request with the answer
Dated public price and stock records, transport-notice links and a CSV organized by product. Mark company details that cannot be established through public observation separately.
- CSV
- JPG
- PNG
View the collection fields
Fields to record
Include these fields in the report or CSV to connect observations with supporting files.
observed_atmarket_codeproductpack_sizeunitcurrencypriceavailabilitytransport_notice_refevidence_ref
How to read the limits of the evidence
Check units, dates and sources, without generalizing a temporary change at one store to an entire region. Use differences between submissions to guide follow-up research and strengthen the evidence behind decisions.
- Products, packaging, currency and units must match the brief, with price evidence linked to the observation date.
- Check duplicates and unit errors, and corroborate sharp price changes with another observation before using them in decisions.
Checking public distribution conditions in places you cannot visit gives you evidence for follow-up questions to suppliers. Use the reports to prioritize alternative sourcing areas and further checks. Verify a company's internal inventory and production through official records and authorized checks.
Participation and rewards
Separate the public overview from restricted details and set access levels and approval conditions. Deposit the reward and fee reserve, then review each submission package and its proposed HRS reward before approving recipients. Participation can be rated independently of payout selection.
Ask the questions that need a local answer.
Define your questions, deliverable criteria, access level and HRS reward, then publish a requirement.
Create a requirement