RFQ Template for Manufacturers and Distributors

Picture Priya at a fastener distributor on a Monday morning. An RFQ from a good OEM account is sitting in her inbox. The whole thing reads: "Need pricing on 2,500 of these, by Friday," with a photo of a bracket on a workbench.

No drawing. No material. No delivery date. None of the fields an RFQ template would have asked for. Priya spends the next three days asking questions the buyer thought were obvious, and the quote goes out on Thursday night with two assumptions she couldn't get confirmed.

If you sell for a manufacturer or a distributor, you've had that inbox. You've probably also been on the other side, sending a request up to a principal or a factory and getting back a price that answers a different question than the one you asked.

An RFQ template fixes both problems. It's a fixed set of fields a request for quote has to fill in, so the person quoting can quote once and the person buying can compare like with like.

This guide gives you the template in both directions: a buyer-side RFQ to send to a supplier, a supplier-side quote response for when the RFQ lands on you, and one stamped-bracket RFQ example filled in on both sides. It ends with what to do when the RFQ arrives as a sentence on the phone or a question on the plant floor.

If you'd rather talk the request through than type it, you can try ParrotNotes free and dictate the fields on the drive back. More on that below.

What is an RFQ?

A request for quote (RFQ, sometimes request for quotation) is a document a buyer sends to one or more suppliers describing exactly what they want to buy, in what quantity, to what specification, and by when, so each supplier can return a firm price. It's the right tool when you already know what you need and the open question is cost, lead time and terms.

An RFP (request for proposal) is different: it asks suppliers how they'd solve a problem, and the answer is a proposal, not a price list. If you're being asked to design the solution, you're answering an RFP even if the email says RFQ.

In manufacturing and distribution, RFQs run in both directions in the same afternoon. An OEM's purchasing team sends one to a distributor. The distributor sends one to the factory or the principal for the part it doesn't stock.

A manufacturers' rep carries one from a plant walk back to the home office. The same template works for all three, and the fields don't change.

What an RFQ template should include

A working RFQ template has 12 fields. Each one exists because a supplier who doesn't have it will either guess or call you, and both cost time. Here's the list, with what happens when each field is missing.

1. RFQ number and date. A reference the quote can cite, so revision two of the request isn't confused with revision one.
2. Buyer contact. Who answers technical questions, and who accepts the quote if that's someone else.
3. Part or item description. The part number, description, and the drawing number with its revision. A quote against revision B of a drawing that's now at revision C is a quote for the wrong part.
4. Specification. Material and grade, finish, coating, plating, hardness, and the drawing standard the tolerances follow. For U.S. drawings that's usually ASME Y14.5, the dimensioning and tolerancing standard. Name the two or three dimensions that matter most.
5. Quantity and price breaks. The quantity you need now, the annual usage, and the quantity breaks you want priced (for example 2,500, 5,000 and 10,000). One number gets you one price; three numbers get you a decision.
6. Delivery. The date you need the parts, or the lead time you can accept, and whether that's a first shipment or a schedule of releases.
7. Ship-to and shipping terms. The destination, and who pays and carries risk for freight. Use one of the Incoterms 2020 rules, which the International Chamber of Commerce describes as "a set of eleven three-letter trade terms" for contracts to buy and sell goods. "FOB" written without a named place isn't a term.
8. Quality and documentation. Certifications the supplier must hold (ISO 9001, IATF 16949, AS9100), and documents that must ship with the parts: material certs, certificate of conformance, a first article inspection report.
9. Packaging and labeling. Units per carton, pallet rules, labels, anything the receiving dock will reject.
10. Commercial terms. Payment terms, currency, tooling ownership, and the price validity you need.
11. Quote due date and format. When and where the quote is due, and which line items to price separately (part, tooling, freight, expedite).
12. Questions and attachments. Space for the supplier's questions, and the list of files attached.

Fields 3, 4 and 5 are where manufacturing RFQs go wrong. A photo isn't a drawing, "steel" isn't a material spec, and "about 2,500" isn't a quantity. If you fix nothing else in your RFQ format, fix those three.

The RFQ template (buyer side)

Copy this into an email, a document or a spreadsheet. Keep the field names; delete the prompts in brackets as you fill them in.

REQUEST FOR QUOTE

RFQ number: [your reference] Date issued: [date] From: [company, buyer name, role, email, phone] Technical questions to: [name, role, email]

1. Item(s) requested

Line	Part number	Description	Drawing and revision	Quantity
1	[PN]	[description]	[drawing no., rev]	[qty]

2. Specification Material and grade: [ ] Finish or coating: [ ] Drawing standard: [for example ASME Y14.5] Critical dimensions or tolerances: [list the ones that matter] Standards or approvals the part must meet: [ ]

3. Quantities to price Price breaks requested: [qty A] / [qty B] / [qty C] Estimated annual usage: [ ] Tooling: [quote separately, one-time]

4. Delivery Required date or acceptable lead time: [ ] First shipment or release schedule: [ ]

5. Ship-to and terms of delivery Ship-to address: [ ] Incoterms 2020 rule and named place: [for example DAP, Lansing MI]

6. Quality and documentation Certifications required: [ISO 9001 / IATF 16949 / AS9100 / other] Documents to ship with parts: [material certs / C of C / first article inspection report]

7. Packaging and labeling: [units per carton, pallet, labels, barcodes]

8. Commercial terms Payment terms requested: [ ] Currency: [ ] Price validity required: [days] Tooling ownership: [buyer / supplier]

9. Quote due: [date, time, time zone] Send to: [email] Please price these line items separately: [part, tooling, freight, expedite]

10. Attachments: [drawing files, models, samples, specs]

11. Supplier questions: [we'll answer questions from all bidders by (date)]

12. Notes: [anything else the quoter needs to know]

The two lines most people cut are the price validity and the "questions answered by" date. Keep both. Validity tells the supplier how long to hold material pricing, and a questions deadline stops the RFQ from being quoted three different ways.

The quote response template (supplier side)

When the RFQ lands on your desk, answer in the order the buyer's RFQ template asked. A buyer comparing five quotes will read the one that follows their fields first, and the one that makes them hunt last.

QUOTATION

Quote number: [ref] In response to RFQ: [buyer's RFQ number] Date: [date] From: [company, rep name, email, phone] To: [buyer name, company]

1. Pricing

Line	Part number	Drawing and rev quoted	Qty	Unit price	Extended
1	[PN]	[drawing, rev]	[qty A]	[ ]	[ ]
1	[PN]	[drawing, rev]	[qty B]	[ ]	[ ]
1	[PN]	[drawing, rev]	[qty C]	[ ]	[ ]

Tooling (one-time): [ ] Freight: [included / estimated / collect] Minimum order: [ ]

2. Lead time: [tooling: X weeks after drawing approval; production: Y weeks after tooling approval; repeat orders: Z weeks]

3. Delivery terms: [Incoterms 2020 rule and named place, as requested or as changed]

4. Quality and documentation: [certifications held; documents included; inspection method]

5. Packaging: [as specified / as proposed]

6. Clarifications [Each assumption you made, and what changes if it's wrong]

7. Exceptions [Each RFQ requirement you're not meeting, and what you offer instead]

8. Commercial terms: Payment: [ ] Currency: [ ] Tooling ownership: [ ] Price validity: [days from quote date, and what it depends on]

9. Questions for the buyer: [anything that would change the price if answered]

Sections 6 and 7 are the ones that win or lose the order after price. A clarification says "we quoted rev C, and we assumed no plating." An exception says "you asked for a 0.1 mm slot tolerance; we hold 0.15 mm with standard tooling, and 0.1 mm adds a secondary operation at this price." Either one is better than a silent quote that gets rejected at inspection.

RFQ template example: one stamped-bracket job, both sides filled in

Here's the pair filled in for an illustrative job. The companies and people are fictional, and the prices are illustrative, not market data.

The RFQ as sent

REQUEST FOR QUOTE RFQ HR-26-0412, issued September 22 From: Harbor Ridge Conveyor Systems, Dana Okafor, Purchasing. Technical questions to Luis Ferreira, Design Engineer.

Item: Line 1, part HR-2231, mounting bracket, drawing HR-2231 rev C, 2,500 pieces. Specification: 304 stainless steel, 2.0 mm sheet, no coating. Drawing standard ASME Y14.5. Critical: slot width 14.5 ±0.1 mm, flatness 0.5 mm over the mounting face. Deburred, no sharp edges. Quantities to price: 2,500 / 5,000 / 10,000. Estimated annual usage 12,000. Tooling quoted separately. Delivery: first 2,500 pieces by November 20, then monthly releases of about 1,000. Ship-to and terms: Harbor Ridge, Plant 1, Lansing, Michigan. DAP Lansing (Incoterms 2020). Quality: ISO 9001 required. Mill certs and a certificate of conformance with every shipment; first article inspection report with the first shipment. Packaging: 250 per carton, cartons on a 40 x 48 pallet, part number and quantity on each carton label. Commercial: Net 30 requested. USD. Price validity 60 days. Buyer owns tooling. Quote due: October 3, 5:00 PM Eastern, to purchasing@ (fictional). Price part, tooling and freight separately. Attachments: HR-2231-C.pdf, HR-2231-C.step. Questions: answered to all bidders by September 26.

The quote as returned

QUOTATION KPS-Q-3318, in response to RFQ HR-26-0412, September 30 From: Keystone Precision Stampings, Marcus Bell, Territory Sales. To: Dana Okafor, Harbor Ridge Conveyor Systems.

Pricing, part HR-2231, drawing rev C: 2,500 pieces at $4.82 each; 5,000 at $4.31; 10,000 at $3.96. Tooling, one-time, $3,800. Freight: DAP Lansing included at the 2,500 quantity, quoted per release above that. Minimum order 2,500. Lead time: tooling 4 weeks after drawing approval; first production 3 weeks after tooling approval, so the November 20 date is met if tooling is released by October 10. Repeat releases 2 weeks. Delivery terms: DAP Lansing, as requested. Quality: ISO 9001 certified. Mill certs and C of C with every shipment. First article inspection report with the first shipment, measured on a CMM. Packaging: as specified, 250 per carton. Clarifications: we quoted rev C as attached; a revision change re-opens pricing. We assumed the flatness callout applies after deburring. Deburr is by tumbling, which slightly rounds the slot edges. Exceptions: the slot tolerance of ±0.1 mm needs a secondary sizing operation. Prices above hold ±0.15 mm with standard tooling; add $0.22 per piece at every quantity for ±0.1 mm. Please confirm which one the assembly needs. Commercial terms: Net 30 with approved credit. USD. Buyer owns tooling after payment of the tooling invoice. Validity: 45 days, because 304 sheet pricing is on a monthly index. We'll re-confirm on request. Questions: is the 12,000 annual usage a forecast or a blanket order? A blanket order changes the 10,000 price.

Read the two side by side. Every field Dana asked for has an answer in the same place. The one number that wasn't achievable as written came back as an exception with a price, not a surprise at inspection, and the buyer now has a clear question to take to engineering.

When the RFQ arrives by phone or on the plant floor

The template assumes the RFQ arrives as a document. In this trade, it often arrives as a sentence.

Marcus, the rep in the example, first heard about the bracket during a walk through Harbor Ridge's assembly area. Luis pointed at a jammed conveyor mount and said, "We're redesigning this. Can you guys stamp something like it, maybe 2,500 to start?" That's the RFQ, and it's missing 11 of the 12 fields.

Eight questions to ask before you quote

When the request is verbal, ask these before you leave, or on the call:

1. Is there a drawing, and which revision? Can you send the PDF and the model?
2. What material and finish, and does it need a cert?
3. How many now, how many a year, and which quantity breaks do you want priced?
4. Which two or three dimensions decide whether the part works?
5. When do you need it: a date, or a lead time you can live with?
6. Where does it ship, and who's paying freight?
7. What has to come with the first shipment: certs, an inspection report, samples?
8. When is the quote due, who approves it, and who else are you asking?

Question 4 separates a good quote from a cheap one. A buyer who says "the slot has to be tight, the rest is cosmetic" has told you where the cost is. Our sales engineer guide has a read-back script for that moment, and it applies to every number in this list.

Some of these can't be answered on the floor. That's fine. Leave with the questions written down and an owner for each, not with guesses.

Dictate the RFQ before the detail fades

Marcus can't type on a plant floor, and he won't remember "14.5 with a tenth" by the time he's back at the office. So before he starts the car, he opens ParrotNotes, taps record, and talks through the 12 fields in order, saying "unknown" where he has nothing and naming who's going to find out.

That recording becomes a transcript, an AI summary and a list of action items ("get drawing rev C from Luis," "confirm 304 versus 316," "ask Dana about freight terms"). Recording continues with the screen off, so the phone can sit in the cup holder while he talks. Every recording is searchable, so "rev C" or "flatness" finds the right job a month later.

On ParrotNotes Pro, a custom insight template can follow the 12 RFQ fields, so every debrief comes back already sorted into the request. AI chat lets you ask the recording "What did Luis say about the slot tolerance?" And if the plant conversation happened in Spanish or German, Pro transcribes in 99+ languages and can translate, so the request reaches your estimator in English.

Two habits keep this clean. First, if you record a customer call rather than your own debrief, ask before you press record. In the United States, federal law permits recording when one party to the conversation consents (18 U.S.C. § 2511(2)(d)), but some states require everyone's consent, other countries have their own rules, and this isn't legal advice. Ask everyone, every time, and respect a no.

Second, on a plant floor, don't record at all: follow the site's phone policy and dictate your own debrief after the walk. Our manufacturing plant tour run sheet covers the floor rules and the post-walk debrief in detail.

Doing this on your next visit? Download ParrotNotes free. The free plan gives you 100 minutes of recording a month, up to 30 minutes per recording, an AI summary on every recording, and AI action items on five recordings a month. Pro is $19.99 a month, or $14.99 a month billed annually, with 3,000 minutes a month and recordings up to 3 hours. Recording works offline; transcription and the AI features need a connection.

Send the written RFQ back for confirmation

The last step turns a verbal request into a real one. Paste the filled-in template into an email to the buyer with one line at the top: "Here's the request as I understood it. Please correct anything before we quote." Mark every field you couldn't fill as open with a name next to it. The same message works as your RFQ email to vendors when you're the one sending the request up to a principal or a factory: template in the body, drawings attached, due date in the subject line.

ParrotNotes can draft that email from the debrief, so you're editing a draft rather than starting from a blank message. If you want a structure for the email itself, the five-line format in our follow-up email after a sales call guide works for an RFQ confirmation too: their priority in their words, what you'll do by when, what you need from them by when, and one question.

Picture the difference for Priya, back at the fastener distributor. She calls the OEM buyer, asks the eight questions, dictates the answers, and sends the written RFQ back at 11:00 AM on Monday. The buyer corrects one field (it's 316 stainless, not 304) and replies by lunch. Her quote goes out Tuesday, complete, with no assumptions, and three days before the deadline the buyer gave her.

RFQ mistakes that cost the order

A few patterns show up on both sides of the table.

Sending an RFQ without a revision. The supplier quotes the drawing they have. If it's the wrong one, the price is fiction and the first article fails.

"FOB" with no place, or no terms at all. Freight and risk land wherever the argument goes. Name the Incoterms rule and the place.

Quoting silently around a requirement you can't meet. It saves a hard sentence now and costs the order at inspection. Put it in Exceptions with a price.

No validity date on the quote. Metal prices move. A quote without a validity period is a promise you didn't mean to make.

Letting a verbal RFQ stay verbal. If the customer hasn't confirmed it in writing, it isn't a request yet. It's a memory, and memories drift.

Quote once, from a request that's complete

An RFQ template does one job: it makes the request complete before anyone prices it. The buyer-side template gives a supplier what they need to quote once. The quote response answers in the same order and puts assumptions and exceptions in writing. The eight questions turn a sentence on the plant floor into a request you can send to a principal the same afternoon.

The short version:

• Never send or accept an RFQ without a drawing revision, a material spec and quantity breaks
• Name the Incoterms rule and the place, and put a validity period on every quote
• Put what you can't meet in Exceptions, with a price
• Turn every verbal RFQ into a written one the customer confirms, before you quote

Think back to Priya's one-line RFQ with a photo. With the template and the eight questions, the missing fields become a five-minute call, not a three-day chase.

Your next RFQ will probably arrive as a sentence. Download ParrotNotes free, copy the RFQ template above, and dictate the 12 fields before you leave the customer's parking lot.