> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.vinmake.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Material Sourcing

> Suggest materials from the library and surface gaps for the sourcing team

# Material Sourcing

⚪ **Planned (Phase 3)**

After a BOM structure exists, the next step is assigning real materials to each line.
This stays mostly human-led at first — sourcing decisions involve relationships,
quality, and pricing context that the AI doesn't have. Brain's role is to suggest and
surface gaps, not to decide.

## What Brain does

Brain can suggest, from the material library:

* Similar materials previously used
* Existing suppliers for matching material types
* Trims used on similar styles
* Material options that fit the BOM specification
* Missing material records that need to be created
* Supplier records that may need to be created

## What humans decide

The merchandiser or sourcing team owns:

* Which specific fabric to use
* Which supplier to contact
* Whether to create a new material record
* Whether to create a new supplier record
* Which price applies
* Which MOQ applies

## Trigger

After the true cost draft, Brain prompts:

> "The BOM is ready, but 5 material lines are not assigned. Would you like me to
> suggest matching materials from the library?"

If accepted, Brain shows ranked matches for each unassigned line.

## Matching logic

Brain ranks material library candidates by:

* Material type
* Composition
* Construction
* Weight
* Color
* Finish
* Supplier
* Previous client usage
* Price range
* MOQ
* Lead time

## Output

For each BOM line, Brain shows a ranked list of candidates with the relevant
attributes side by side. The merchandiser selects, edits, or rejects each
suggestion and creates new material records when needed.

## Approval gate

Material assignments are written to the BOM via the normal CutMake interface.
There's no separate approval step here — the assignment IS the approval.

## Related

* [Tech Pack → BOM](/brain/staging/workflows/tech-pack-to-bom) — produces the BOM
  lines that need assignment
* [True Cost](/brain/staging/workflows/true-cost) — picks up after material
  assignment