01 / REVIEW
Name the gap
Specify whether the missing information concerns identity, quantity, issuer, date or a claimed origin. Link the request to the exact record under review.
02 / REVIEW
Ask a bounded question
Include the relevant lot or shipment reference and explain the information needed. Avoid requesting unnecessary personal or confidential data. This site’s workspace stores no uploaded supplier documents.
03 / REVIEW
Track the response
Record request date, response reference and the remaining question. Receiving an attachment does not automatically close the gap; someone must review whether it answers the original request.
Turn a blank field into a precise request
Missing evidence is easier to resolve when the question names a lot, a claim and the relationship that is absent. Asking for all documentation often produces another large folder without answering the original question. Ask for the specific link needed to complete the review.
Keep a distinction between a document that is absent, one that exists but does not cover the material, and two documents that conflict. Each needs a different response. A conflict should not disappear into a generic missing-information note.
Choose the next action by the gap
| Gap | Useful follow-up |
|---|---|
| No packing reference | Request the shipment-to-bundle relationship |
| Statement names another lot | Ask the issuer to clarify its physical scope |
| Quantity units differ | Obtain the tally basis before comparing totals |
| Two origin statements disagree | Request a documented correction or explanation |
| File cannot be opened | Request a readable original with the same identity and revision |
For a fictional lot, the invoice and receiving tally agree, but no document links the supplier lot to the origin statement. The narrow request is that relationship. Reissuing the invoice with a new filename would not answer it.
Assign the question, record when it was sent and preserve the response. If no answer arrives, leave the claim unresolved. A deadline or a complete-looking dashboard does not justify replacing missing evidence with an assumption.
A lot-record scenario
Fictional example: a source statement names the supplier but no lot. The follow-up asks which shipment and lot the statement covers, rather than asking the supplier to resend the same statement.
Use the result
Keep the completed review with the relevant project record. Assign unresolved items before relying on a conclusion. If the material, condition or document changes, revisit the affected questions.
Evidence workspaceTechnical references
General background for the subject. Project worksheets and fictional situations are original review aids, not official agency forms.
APHIS: Lacey declaration guidance