Supply Agreements
By default, every corporation buys and sells on the open market, where orders clear cheapest-first and there's no guarantee of who you trade with turn to turn. A supply agreement is the alternative: a private, standing contract between two corporations, where a supplier commits to sell a particular commodity directly to a specific buyer.
It's the in-game version of a wholesale supply deal: a locked-in relationship that sits outside the open scramble and gets settled first.
How it works#
An agreement is between two corporations for one commodity:
- One side is the supplier, who commits to sell.
- The other is the buyer, who commits to take that supply.
When the market clears each turn, the contract is honored before the open market:
- The buyer's demand is filled from the supplier's output first, up to the volume the supplier can actually produce.
- The supplier's excess (whatever it makes beyond the contract) flows out to the open market as normal.
- If the supplier falls short of what it promised to produce, the buyer covers the gap on the open market and the supplier pays damages to the buyer (half the shortfall's market value, capped). A mothballed plant that still has a live contract is a damages machine.
So a supply agreement is a priority claim, not a magic supply. It moves the buyer to the front of the supplier's queue; it doesn't create commodities that don't exist.
Both sides must agree#
An agreement can't be imposed. One corporation makes an offer, and it only takes effect once the other accepts. Either party can cancel an existing agreement.
The price stays honest#
The two corporations set the contract price themselves, but it has to stay within ±35% of the prevailing market price for that commodity. It can't drift far below (a disguised gift, dumping supply into an ally for free) or far above (gouging a captive partner). The band keeps the contract anchored to what the commodity is actually worth, and it moves as the market moves.
Exclusivity and loyalty#
Agreements can be made exclusive, which, paired with scarcity, is genuinely powerful: a supplier-and-buyer pair can lock up a slice of a commodity that rivals then have to do without. It's a real strategic tool for controlling a supply chain.
It also interacts with brand loyalty. A guaranteed contract means guaranteed sales for the supplier, which helps its fill rate, and delivering what you offer is exactly what earns loyalty. There's no separate bonus stapled on; the benefit flows through the normal loyalty rules. For the buyer, a locked-in source is a stable, predictable input, which makes planning production far easier.
Clearing order, at a glance#
Each turn, demand is satisfied in this sequence:
- Contracted: supply agreements are filled first.
- Loyal slice: loyal customers get their reserved share (see brand loyalty).
- Cheapest-first: everything that's left clears on the open market.
Non-player corporations#
NPP CEOs use the same contract book. They auto-accept an inbound proposal when they actually consume the commodity and the premium is honest (within 20%). They propose same-country NPP-to-NPP contracts when a seller has uncommitted plant and a buyer is input-starved, at a small glut discount or shortage premium. They never inbox-spam a player, and they serve cancel notice before a mothballed plant starts paying shortfall damages. State-owned enterprises are left to the command-economy pass.
Strategy notes#
- Secure your critical inputs. If a commodity you depend on is prone to shortage, a contract with a reliable supplier means you're filled before the open-market scramble even starts.
- Lock in a buyer to protect your fill. Selling under contract guarantees you move volume: good for cash-flow certainty and good for your brand loyalty.
- Exclusivity is a weapon, and a commitment. Cornering a scarce commodity can starve rivals, but it ties up your own supply, and the ±35% band means you still can't extract an abusive price from your partner.
Related#
- Commodities: supply, demand, and how the open market clears
- Corporations: running the businesses that sign these deals
- Market System: A Player's Guide: how posted-price clearing works