Varustajate

Varustajate is the genitive plural form of the Estonian noun varustaja, meaning supplier, outfitter, or equipment provider. The term is used in procurement, logistics, and everyday language to denote something belonging to or associated with suppliers, for example varustajate kohustused (the suppliers’ obligations) or varustajate nimekiri (the list of suppliers). The word derives from varustus, meaning equipment, with the agentive suffix -ja forming varustaja, and the genitive plural suffix -te yielding varustajate. In standard Estonian orthography varustajate is lowercase in ordinary text; it is capitalized only at the beginning of a sentence or in headings as required by general capitalization rules.

In usage, varustajate typically appears in phrases that specify responsibilities, contracts, or evaluations related to suppliers. It is distinct from varustaja (singular), which refers to a single supplier, and from varustus, which denotes the equipment itself rather than the provider. See also: varustaja, varustus, hankija, tarneahel.