What contracts, NDAs and quality agreements do I actually need with a manufacturer?
The short answer
At minimum you want three documents: an NDA before you share your formulation or design, a manufacturing/supply agreement that locks pricing, lead times, IP ownership and inventory risk, and a quality agreement (or a spec + AQL inspection clause) that defines what 'acceptable' means and who eats the cost of a bad batch. Put payment on milestones tied to a passed inspection, never a flat prepay. A cheap template you actually customise beats an expensive lawyer you engage after the dispute.
A quick summary to orient you. The real value is below: the resources worth your time, from people who've actually done it, not us.
Here are the resources
Hand-picked from around the web, each with a note on why it earns your time. India-specific ones carry a badge.
Why we picked it
The classic, hard-won account of how factory relationships quietly degrade, quality fade, spec creep, and margin games, essential mental models for anyone about to trust a manufacturer with their brand.
Why we picked it
Walks through the ten manufacturing-specific clauses that protect a brand, delivery terms, quality control, inventory risk, IP, and links to editable templates so you don't start a supply agreement from a blank page.
Why we picked it
A free, fill-in-the-blanks NDA built for product development, the document you sign before you hand a factory your formulation, drawings or bill of materials.
