Review part-completed orders before releasing capacity

Topic
Customers, stock and orders
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3 minutes
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  1. Prepare one decision paper for the order
  2. Look beyond the remaining physical work
  3. Make a proposed change precise

Review each part-completed order as a customer commitment before deciding what can be released. Establish what has been delivered, what remains and which options the business can actually support. Goods becoming idle does not make the customer question disappear.

This guide compares decisions. It does not choose a legal remedy, permit unilateral changes or establish that work can be transferred. Bring the actual agreement and any dispute to the authorised commercial contact and appropriate adviser.

Prepare one decision paper for the order

Begin with the accepted scope and current evidence. Separate work performed from work accepted by the customer where that distinction remains open. Identify the missing information before presenting an option as available.

Compare four positions:

Position to consider Facts needed Question that must remain explicit
Complete the existing commitment Remaining work, people, materials, equipment and realistic sequence Can the business provide the actual agreed outcome?
Propose an agreed change Exact difference and its practical effect for the customer Who must approve it and what has the customer accepted?
Propose another business’s involvement Receiving capability, scope, records and appropriate terms What authority, consent and continuing responsibility need advice?
Keep the case unresolved for advice Current evidence and the decision preventing progress Who owns the enquiry and when is the next action?

The comparison should state assumptions and evidence beside each option. Do not describe the cheapest-looking possibility as agreed merely because the closure date is approaching.

Look beyond the remaining physical work

A nearly finished order may still need inspection, customer information, a demonstration or another accepted service. Ask the people responsible for that work what capability it actually needs. Avoid measuring completion only by materials used or hours already spent.

The customer payment review connects money received to the same order. Keep that financial and contractual decision with the right people. A partly completed product is not itself an answer to a refund question.

Make a proposed change precise

Use the substitution and change record to describe the original promise and the proposed alternative. Include consequences such as omitted work, changed timing or information the customer will receive. Obtain the required decisions before altering the operational instruction.

If another business may finish the work, use the three-party proposal. Its availability does not establish that the customer agreement or personal data can be transferred.

Record the chosen authorised outcome, supporting evidence and any remaining task. If no outcome is agreed, give the open case an aftercare owner rather than marking it complete because the premises are closing.

Give UK Auction Group the resulting release conditions for affected goods and equipment. Keep the decision paper controlled, sharing only the information needed to explain availability. The asset-sale programme can then follow the confirmed customer outcome rather than force one by removing the capability first.

Customers, stock and orders

Sources

This guide is general information and education only. Legal, tax, employment and safety decisions may need a qualified adviser who knows your situation. Read the disclaimer.

Closing a business with assets to sell?

UK Auction Group values everything on site, runs the sale and hands the premises back clear, with a full statement of proceeds at the end.

Send a list of what you have, where it is and your deadline. Decisions that are still open can be included.

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