Before a last-time buy, turn the discontinuance notice into a decision

Check the exact part and notice

A distributor forwards an end-of-life notice for a component used in your access controller. Before asking for a large final order, obtain the manufacturer's notice and match its affected orderable part numbers to your bill of materials. Record the notice identifier, revision and source; a family name alone may not resolve package or grade differences.

Texas Instruments distinguishes not recommended for new designs, last time buy and obsolete. Those labels are not interchangeable. Analog Devices likewise distinguishes lifecycle categories and directs customers to confirm the status of specific models. Use the manufacturer’s current information for the exact part, not an old distributor screenshot.

Put ordering and shipment on separate lines

TI describes separate last-order and final-delivery dates in its discontinuance process. ADI's notice fields likewise include last-time-buy and last-time-ship dates. Read the actual notice and confirm the terms for your purchasing channel; do not turn one supplier's general policy into a universal deadline.

Ask the seller to confirm the final order cutoff, available quantity, delivery schedule and any cancellation or rescheduling restrictions. Record the response date and who provided it. A published deadline does not by itself confirm that your requested quantity has been allocated or your order accepted.

Build the decision record

Use this RivetBridge checklist with purchasing, engineering, operations and finance. It is a working review method, not a manufacturer's ordering policy.

• List the affected manufacturer part numbers, internal part numbers, assembly revisions and products still needing support.
• Record the last-order and last-shipment dates separately, plus an earlier internal approval date agreed by your team.
• Separate confirmed demand, forecast demand, service requirements, usable stock and open orders. Identify which open orders have a confirmed delivery commitment.
• Show the assumptions behind each demand scenario. Ask quality to define storage, handling and future usability requirements before treating inventory as a long-term bridge.
• Assign engineering an owner and date for evaluating alternatives. Record qualification work, redesign dependencies and unresolved compatibility questions.
• Name the purchasing approver and document the proposed quantity, financial exposure and conditions that must be resolved before commitment.

Illustrative example of a bridge quantity

A fictional controller team forecasts 1,200 component units for builds and 100 for service through its planned transition. It has 300 usable units in stock and 200 confirmed incoming units. The starting gap is 800 units: 1,200 + 100 − 300 − 200.

That arithmetic is not an approved order. It excludes any additional allowance for losses or forecast uncertainty, and assumes the incoming stock arrives in time. If the replacement schedule slips, demand may change. Keep those assumptions visible rather than quietly adding an unexplained buffer.

Keep a replacement recommendation separate from approval

A suggested alternative is a candidate for engineering review, not permission to substitute it on a production order. Ask the responsible team to assess the relevant electrical, mechanical, firmware and qualification differences. Preserve the approved baseline until the change is accepted.

Finish with one decision: place a scoped bridge order, obtain missing evidence, pursue a replacement review, or reconsider the product-support plan. Record the owner and next review date. Procurement can organize the evidence, but cannot promise lifetime availability or eliminate inventory risk.