Confidentiality by default
Briefs are handled on a need-to-know basis. Your identity and your intent are not disclosed to the market, and we're happy to work under an NDA from the first conversation.
Sourcing services
Confidential sourcing for high-value requirements.
Some sourcing needs can't go through open channels. TMA Global runs a discreet sourcing desk for companies that need a material or supplier located quietly — without the requirement, or the buyer's identity, entering the open market.
What this is
A private desk, not an open marketplace
Companies come to us when a sourcing requirement is sensitive: a product line that hasn't launched, a supply chain being quietly restructured, or a strategic material that shouldn't be visible to competitors until the deal is done.
Posting that requirement on a trading platform or circulating it through brokers does the opposite of what the client needs. We work it through our own relationships instead — the same supplier network across four continents that we use for our own import book — keeping the client's name and intent out of every conversation until they choose otherwise.
Why clients choose this
Built around discretion
Three things distinguish a confidential sourcing engagement from a normal procurement exercise.
Genuine global reach
Direct relationships across Asia, Africa, North America and Australia, built over a decade of buying for our own book, mean we can work a requirement in origin markets a single-market procurement team has no route into.
Direct counterparty access
We approach counterparties ourselves rather than routing a sensitive requirement through a chain of brokers, each of whom becomes another person who knows what you're looking for.
The process
How a confidential brief moves forward
Confidential brief
You share the requirement under confidentiality — material, specification, volume, timeline and any constraints. Nothing enters the open market.
Discreet search
We work our counterparty network across four continents to identify credible options, without naming you to any of them.
Verification
Options are checked for credibility, capacity and terms before anything reaches you, so you review a shortlist rather than a longlist.
Handover or execution
You take the verified outcome forward yourself, or we execute the trade — whichever keeps your involvement where you want it.
Who this is for
Companies that need discretion, not just a supplier list
Our sourcing clients are typically in one of a few situations — all of which get worse if the requirement becomes public before it's resolved.
- Executing a sensitive purchase ahead of a product or market launch
- Restructuring a supply chain where early visibility would damage negotiating position
- Entering a new origin market without signalling intent to incumbents
- Needing a second, quiet source of supply alongside an existing relationship
How an engagement starts
A short, no-obligation conversation to establish whether we can actually serve the requirement. If we can't, we'll tell you at that point rather than after you've spent time on it.
We're comfortable signing an NDA before you share anything specific. Nothing about the enquiry goes beyond our team unless you ask it to.
Common questions
Before you get in touch
Will you sign an NDA before I share details?
Yes. For confidential sourcing work we expect to, and we'd rather you asked for one than held back detail that affects whether we can help. Send us the NDA you use, or ask and we'll propose a simple mutual one.
Do you only source metals?
Metals and metal scrap are where our own trading expertise sits — we import over 15,000 tonnes a year on our own account — and that's where we're strongest. For requirements outside metals, we'll tell you honestly at the first conversation whether our network gives you a real advantage or whether you'd be better served elsewhere.
Is my identity disclosed to potential suppliers?
Not unless you authorise it. We approach counterparties on our own account and only introduce you when you decide the time is right — usually once an option has been verified and you want to deal directly.
How is the service charged?
Commercial arrangements depend on the scope, volume and complexity of the brief, and are agreed in writing before work starts. There's no charge for the initial conversation that establishes whether we can help.
Have a sourcing requirement?
Reach out directly. Every enquiry is handled in confidence, and the first conversation costs nothing.