## A brief and a tech pack are not the same document

A [production brief](/hub/blog/how-to-write-an-rfq-for-a-clothing-factory-template) tells a factory what you're trying to make: garment category, fabric type, quantities, target price, timeline. It's enough for a factory to say yes, we can do this, and give you an initial quote.

A tech pack is a different, more precise document entirely. It's the engineering specification a pattern maker and sewing line actually work from to construct the exact garment you have in mind, not a general description of it. A factory can quote from a brief. A factory cannot accurately sample from one. The gap between those two documents is where most first-sample disappointments actually come from, not from the factory doing sloppy work, but from the factory building precisely to a spec that never captured the detail the founder assumed was implied.

## What a complete tech pack actually contains

**Flat sketches or technical drawings.** Front and back flat drawings of the garment, not a mood-board photo or a hand-drawn sketch. These show construction details, seam placement, pocket location, closures, at a level a pattern maker can work from directly.

**A measurement spec by size.** Every key measurement, chest width, body length, sleeve length, and so on, specified for every size in your range, with a tolerance (how much variance is acceptable) for each. This is called grading, and it's the difference between a garment that fits consistently across your size run and one where only the sample size actually fits as intended.

**Fabric and trim callouts.** The exact fabric composition and weight (GSM), plus every trim: zippers, buttons, labels, drawcords, specified by type, size, and where relevant, supplier or reference. "Cotton fleece" is a starting point. "320 GSM 80/20 cotton-poly loopback fleece" is a specification a factory can source against.

**Construction details.** Seam types, stitch counts, topstitching, and any specific construction method (bonded seams, flatlock, specific finishing) that isn't obvious from the flat sketch alone.

**Colourways.** Every colour variation you need, referenced against a physical swatch or a recognised colour standard rather than a screen colour, which renders differently across devices and doesn't match dyed fabric reliably.

**Labeling and care instructions.** Where labels go, what they say, and the care instructions required for the fabric and construction you've specified.

## Why an incomplete tech pack costs more than the time it saves

Skipping tech pack development to get a sample moving faster is a common shortcut for first-time founders, and it almost always costs more time than it saves. A factory working from an incomplete spec fills the gaps with their own defaults, their standard seam allowance, their assumed size grading, their interpretation of a vague fabric description, and those defaults frequently don't match what the founder actually had in mind. The result isn't a factory mistake. It's a sample built correctly against an incomplete instruction, which then triggers a revision round that a complete tech pack would have avoided.

Every additional sample round costs real time and money, typically another **€150 to €500** per style and one to three weeks of calendar time, covered in full in the [production timeline guide](/hub/blog/clothing-production-timeline-how-long-everything-actually-takes). A tech pack that's complete on the first submission is one of the few genuinely controllable levers a founder has over how many of those rounds actually happen.

## You don't need a finished tech pack to start a conversation

A complete, professional tech pack is the goal before sampling begins, not a prerequisite for reaching out to a factory in the first place. Most Portuguese factories are used to working with early-stage brands who have a clear concept and a rough spec but haven't yet formalised a full technical document, and many will help develop the tech pack collaboratively as part of the first sampling round, particularly on a full package (FPP) basis where the factory is more involved in translating your idea into a workable spec.

What matters is being honest about where your documentation actually stands when you first make contact. Saying plainly "I have a clear concept and reference images but no formal tech pack yet" gets you a more useful, realistic response than presenting a half-finished document as complete and discovering the gaps only once the first sample arrives.

:::faq

### What's the difference between a brief and a tech pack?

A brief is a project initiation document: garment category, fabric type, quantities, timeline, target price, enough for a factory to quote and confirm interest. A tech pack is an engineering specification: flat sketches, a full measurement spec by size, fabric and trim callouts, and construction details, the document a pattern maker and sewing line actually build the garment from.

### What does a complete tech pack include?

Flat technical sketches, a measurement spec with tolerances for every size in the range, fabric composition and weight, every trim specified by type and size, construction and seam details, colourways referenced against physical swatches, and labeling and care instructions.

### Does an incomplete tech pack really cause sampling problems?

Yes. A factory working from an incomplete spec fills the gaps with their own standard defaults, which frequently don't match what the founder had in mind. This produces a sample built correctly against an incomplete instruction, which then requires a revision round, typically adding €150 to €500 per style and one to three weeks, that a complete tech pack would likely have avoided.

### Do I need a finished tech pack before contacting a Portuguese factory?

No. Most Portuguese factories work regularly with early-stage brands that have a clear concept but not yet a formal tech pack, and many will help develop it collaboratively during the first sampling round, particularly on a full package basis. Being upfront about where your documentation stands gets a more useful first response than presenting an incomplete document as finished.

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NovaSupplier's project intake is built around the same structure a real tech pack needs, so factories quote and sample against a complete spec from the start, not a partial one that surfaces gaps mid-production. Completely free for brands. The commission is capped at 3.5%, charged to the manufacturer.

[Start your production brief on NovaSupplier →](http://novasupplier.com)

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