How We Screen Every Deal
Oil and gas brokerage is a high-value, high-fraud market. BarrelBridge applies a mandatory screening process to every inbound deal — before any buyer is introduced, before any document is signed, and before any party's time is wasted.
See the Process ↓"Proof of Product first. Signature never before documentation. Commission protected in writing before any introduction. No exceptions."
The 5-Step Deal Screening Sequence
Every deal that comes through BarrelBridge follows this sequence — in this order. Steps cannot be skipped or reversed.
Identity & Authorization
We require full legal company name, country of incorporation, contact name, and a trade reference — plus confirmation of mandate. Are you the product owner, or do you have documented authorization to offer on the seller's behalf? We do not sign any contract or MOU before this step is complete.
Product Verification — Soft Corporate Offer
The seller or mandate holder provides a Soft Corporate Offer (SCO) including commodity, grade, quantity (MT and barrels), loading port, Bill of Lading date, price on FOB or CIF basis, and destination options. Any named vessel is independently verified on AIS. We do not request — or pay — any storage, inspection, or release fees at this stage.
Commission Agreement — In Writing, Before Intro
Before any buyer is introduced, the commission structure is confirmed and protected in a signed NCND/IMFPA or equivalent agreement. We do not operate on handshake deals. We do not work in open chains where our position can be bypassed after the introduction.
Buyer Introduction — Matched to Mandate
Once product is verified and commission is protected, we introduce the deal to the relevant buyer mandate. Buyers are pre-qualified by commodity, volume, price range, and delivery basis. Timeline from verified SCO to buyer response: typically 24–48 hours.
Contract & Closure — ICPO → FCO → SPA
Standard transaction sequence: Buyer issues ICPO → Seller responds with Full Corporate Offer → Parties execute Sales & Purchase Agreement → Payment instrument issued per agreed terms (LC, DLC, MT103, or MT700). SGS/Q&Q inspection at load port. BarrelBridge remains engaged through to commission settlement.
Automatic Disqualifiers
The following patterns result in immediate termination of the deal discussion. We log all flagged contacts for internal reference and network warnings.
MOU/NCND Before Documentation
Requesting your signature before providing proof of product or authorization to sell. Classic trap — we never sign first.
Advance Fees of Any Kind
Storage fees, tank release fees, inspection prepayments, or "good faith deposits" requested before delivery. Always fraudulent.
Unverifiable Mandate Chain
A broker presenting "on behalf of" another broker with no traceable authorization to the actual product owner.
Pricing Significantly Below Spot
"Urgent" allocations priced well below market requiring fast signatures. Real sellers price at market. Bait pricing is a hallmark of fraud.
No Registration or Trade Reference
A company that cannot provide a registration number, jurisdiction of incorporation, or a verifiable trade reference is rejected immediately.
Pressure to Bypass the Sequence
"The buyer is ready now," "skip the FCO," "just sign and we'll send documents" — urgency to compress the sequence is itself the red flag.
Download Our Screening Policy
Share this one-pager with your team, your compliance officer, or any counterparty asking how BarrelBridge operates. It sets clear expectations before the first message is exchanged.