# Independence, Review, and Limitations

## What independence commitments back the analysis? {#what-independence-commitments-back-the-analysis}

Intratec assessments rely for the vast majority of their data on public official sources — statistics bureaus, trade agencies, multilateral organizations, and market exchanges — processed through impartial, auditable methods. Private sources and producers' data are used only with permission from the rights holders, and Intratec is not a primary source for pricing data. Intratec maintains no commercial relationships with commodity market participants — the producers, traders, and other firms active in a market — and surveys are used only in very exceptional circumstances, removing the incentive for any single party to influence the results.

## How is transparency maintained without exposing internals? {#how-is-transparency-maintained-without-exposing-internals}

The methodology approach is fully public, requiring no login or subscription: the data sources, the five modeling approaches, the pillar structure (the thematic groupings used to organize indicators), the baselines, and the data status labels are all disclosed. What remains proprietary is the precise calibration — the pillar weights, regression coefficients, and normalization constants: the approach is disclosed, the parameters are protected.

## What are the main limitations of the analysis? {#what-are-the-main-limitations-of-the-analysis}

Scores are relative to the 33-country set rather than absolute investment thresholds, so they rank position rather than certify viability. Figures depend on official source data, which can lag or be later revised, and some values are modeled estimates where official data is missing. Reference-dataset forecasts, covering roughly six months ahead, are estimates published without confidence intervals, and industry-specific results depend on the dominant production route assumed for a country. Usage limitations specific to each product — what each dataset should and should not be used for — are documented in the Intratec Help Center.

## How is uncertainty communicated to readers? {#how-is-uncertainty-communicated-to-readers}

Each figure carries a data status label — Final, Preliminary, or Forecast — signaling how settled the underlying value is. Forecasts are shown with reduced significant figures (two rather than three) to indicate lower precision. Benchmark anchors at the 10th and 90th percentiles (P10 and P90) accompany comparisons, conveying the spread of the distribution at the point of reading.

## Is the methodology reviewed on a fixed schedule? {#is-the-methodology-reviewed-on-a-fixed-schedule}

Yes — at minimum, every methodology undergoes a formal review once a year, and model reviews and methodology improvements run continuously in between. What a review can change, how customers are notified in advance, and how changes are documented in the monthly Release Notes is described in the Validation & Accuracy section.

## How can a subscriber question a published figure? {#how-can-a-subscriber-question-a-published-figure}

A formal assessment-complaint process is available to subscribers who wish to question any published figure. A submitted complaint is investigated, and, when the investigation confirms an issue, the affected figure is corrected and the change is documented in the monthly, publicly available Intratec Release Notes — so the path from complaint to correction remains traceable. Beyond individual corrections, subscriber feedback is also one of the standing inputs to methodology reviews; how feedback drives broader improvement is described in the Validation & Accuracy section.

## Are the prices suitable as a sole contract reference? {#are-the-prices-suitable-as-a-sole-contract-reference}

Some subscribers use Intratec pricing data as an index for structuring contracts between suppliers, processors, and end customers. For that purpose, the data are best combined with other price indexes rather than relied on as the sole reference. This recommendation reflects no concern about accuracy — it ensures a contract benefits from a broader industry perspective. Combining multiple indexes draws on diverse datasets and polling bases, strengthening robustness through a wider range of market insights.

## Is there a single right price for a commodity? {#is-there-a-single-right-price-for-a-commodity}

No single "right" price exists for a commodity: the price actually paid depends on factors such as order size, trade terms, geographical location, and contract type. Rather than claim one definitive value, every published figure is constructed through a consistent, robust methodology designed to deliver reliable estimates. This also shapes how accuracy is measured — preliminary price models are evaluated against consolidated historical values produced by that same methodology for the specific assessment, not against any single market price.