Framework Order / Letter-of-Intent Order

An order laying out a partnership framework or purchase intent, not the same as actual delivery and revenue.

A framework order is when buyer and seller first sign a framework agreement setting out price, specifications, the partnership period, and an expected total volume, with actual quantities and delivery timing determined by formal orders placed later in batches; a letter-of-intent order comes from a letter of intent (LOI), expressing a wish to buy, usually with little or no legal binding force. Humanoid-robot companies often announce, at launch events or fundraising rounds, that they've “won a framework order worth several hundred million RMB” or “thousands of units in intent orders” — these numbers show customers are interested, but don't mean the robots have actually been delivered, accepted, or booked as revenue. When reading this kind of news, it's worth distinguishing between the framework or intent amount, a formal purchase contract, actual units delivered, and revenue confirmed in financial statements — only the latter reflect real commercial progress.

ExampleSuppose a company announces an RMB 100 million framework agreement, but the first formal purchase order covers only a few dozen units, with the rest contingent on how the trial goes.

Also called

Framework Agreement, Letter of Intent (LOI) Order

Related

Shipment Volume · Mass Production · Public Tender / Winning-Bid Orders · Closed Commercial Loop · Pilot / Small-Batch Delivery · Embodied AI Bubble

Sources

Letter of intent - Wikipedia
Framework agreement - Wikipedia