You call the supplier, tell them you know nothing, and ask them to help you understand what they're capable of. You should find a mentor, this is the kind of retroactively obvious advice I got from mine.
Find the guy whose work you like the most at your company and bother him all the time. Most good technical people love to help, to be asked questions, and ultimately to be valued for the experience they've worked hard to get. In the end mentorship is something that you seek out and get for yourself. It's rare that someone will actually attach the title mentor to a such a relationship.