| 1 | Structural Safety | Critical | The design should identify the structural system, design loads, connection details, foundation requirements, and allowable occupancy conditions for the destination location. | Stamped structural drawings, calculation summaries, material specifications, weld procedures, and an independent engineering review where required. | No load calculations, unclear connection details, or claims that every site can use the same foundation design. |
| 2 | Building-Code Compliance | Critical | The supplier must be able to adapt the unit to the applicable residential, commercial, fire, accessibility, electrical, and plumbing requirements. | Code compliance matrix, local approval history, fire-rating documentation, electrical diagrams, plumbing layouts, and permit-support scope. | A statement that ISO container dimensions alone guarantee building approval. |
| 3 | Container Condition and Traceability | Critical | For reused containers, the condition of the corner castings, bottom rails, floor, doors, roof, and side walls should be inspected before conversion. | Container identification records, inspection reports, steel condition photos, repair records, and material-origin documentation. | Heavy corrosion, unverified repairs, chemical-treatment concerns, or no record of the original container condition. |
| 4 | Thermal and Moisture Performance | Critical | The wall, roof, floor, windows, doors, and thermal bridges should be designed as one envelope system for the target climate zone. | Insulation type and thickness, U-value or R-value calculations, condensation-control details, ventilation strategy, and installation specifications. | Only the insulation material is listed, with no thermal-bridge, condensation, or ventilation design. |
| 5 | Fire and Life Safety | Critical | The layout should address escape routes, smoke and carbon-monoxide alarms, fire separation, emergency access, and the fire performance of interior finishes. | Fire-test reports, material classifications, alarm specifications, exit dimensions, emergency-lighting details, and fire-separation drawings. | Highly combustible interior finishes, blocked exits, or no documented fire strategy. |
| 6 | Manufacturing Quality Control | Critical | A reliable supplier should use documented inspections for welding, dimensional accuracy, waterproofing, insulation installation, electrical work, and final commissioning. | Inspection and test plans, factory acceptance checklist, welding inspection records, leak-test results, and nonconformance procedures. | No inspection checkpoints, inconsistent finishes, or refusal to permit third-party factory inspection. |
| 7 | Customization and Site Adaptability | High | The design should account for local wind, snow, seismic, corrosion, access, lifting, utility connections, and site-specific foundation conditions. | Site questionnaire, lifting plan, transport dimensions, utility-interface drawings, foundation loads, and modification limitations. | The supplier cannot explain how modifications affect structural integrity, transport, or warranty coverage. |
| 8 | Transport and Installation Planning | High | The quotation should separate factory work, inland transport, port handling, delivery, crane or lifting operations, assembly, and site commissioning. | Packaging plan, shipping dimensions and weights, lifting points, installation sequence, delivery responsibilities, and site-readiness checklist. | An apparently low price excludes unloading, crane hire, permits, foundations, utility work, or final assembly. |
| 9 | Warranty and After-Sales Support | High | The contract should distinguish structural, waterproofing, finishes, appliances, mechanical, electrical, and replacement-part coverage. | Written warranty terms, exclusions, response times, spare-parts policy, service contacts, and a documented claims process. | Verbal promises, unclear exclusions, no local service plan, or warranty coverage that ends after delivery. |
| 10 | Total Cost and Supplier Transparency | High | Compare the complete delivered and commissioned cost, including design, permits, foundation, transportation, installation, utility connections, taxes, and contingency. | Itemized quotation, bill of materials, payment milestones, change-order rules, lead-time assumptions, and references for comparable completed projects. | A low factory-only price with vague exclusions, large unexplained deposits, or frequent post-contract changes. |