RFQ template for manufacturers

What is an RFQ template?

An RFQ template is a form that sets out everything an enquiry needs before anyone can price it: the drawing and revision, quantities, delivery, commercial terms and who to ask.

What should a request for quotation include?

A request for quotation should say what's being made, to which drawing revision, in what quantities, by when and where, on whose payment terms, and who can answer a question. Anything left out turns into a chase or an assumption in the price.

1. 01The enquiry and who is asking: enquiry reference, date received, quote needed by, customer, technical contact, commercial contact.
2. 02What is being made: part name or description, drawing number, revision, material and finish, tolerances, treatments or tests.
3. 03Quantity and delivery: quantity to quote, repeat requirement, other quantities to price, delivery date, delivery address.
4. 04Commercial terms: payment terms, currency, quote validity wanted, charges to state.
5. 05What's missing, and who is chasing it: missing details, asked by, and when, answer received, assumptions priced.

The RFQ template

How do you use an RFQ template?

Send the blank form to customers whose enquiries arrive with gaps, so the next one comes complete. Or fill it in yourself when an enquiry lands, marking what's missing and who is chasing it, so the estimator knows what's confirmed and what's assumed.

RFQ example

This one is for 250 machined aluminium brackets to drawing BRK-210 revision C. The anodise colour wasn't on the drawing, so it was chased and confirmed the next day, before anyone priced the job.

The same enquiry carries on in the quotation example.

How do you track RFQs?

Keep one log of every open enquiry: the reference, customer, part, date received, date the quote is needed, status, what's missing, when the quote went and the outcome. The Excel download has this log on its second sheet. A weekly look shows which quotes are running late and which customers send incomplete enquiries.

What's the difference between an RFQ and a quotation?

The RFQ is the customer's request: what they want priced, in what quantity and by when. The quotation is your answer: the price, lead time and terms you offer. The customer may accept your quotation as it stands, so it's the one that needs your terms, a validity date and a second check before it goes.

There's more on RFPs and RFIs in the guide What is an RFQ?

Can AI read RFQs?

Yes, for the reading and logging. AI can read an enquiry email and its list of attachments, fill in this form or your quote log, and flag what's missing for someone to chase. It can't tell whether a drawing is the right revision for the job, so a person checks each entry before estimating starts.