RFQ Template for Manufacturing: What to Include So Quotes Compare
The fastest way to receive three quotes you cannot compare is to let each manufacturer decide where its price ends. One quotes ex-works, one quotes delivered. One includes tooling, one lists it separately, one does not mention it. One assumes 97 percent yield, one says nothing.
A request for quotation (RFQ) fixes that. It turns your requirements into questions every candidate must answer the same way. This guide gives you a copyable RFQ outline, the ten things every response must state, and a side-by-side example of a good and a bad quote.
The examples follow Northline, a fictional startup quoting an aluminum laptop stand (3,000 units at launch, 12,000 in year one), and Rainwell, a fictional skincare brand quoting a 200 kg serum batch.
Two RFQs, not one
Use a short RFQ for first contact and a full RFQ for serious candidates.
| Short RFQ (1 page) | Full RFQ | |
|---|---|---|
| When | First contact, before an NDA | After NDA, for screened candidates |
| Contains | Product type, volumes, price basis, key capabilities, timeline | Everything below, plus drawings or formula ranges, critical-to-quality (CTQ) list, cosmetic standard, test and data requirements |
| Leaves out | Drawings, tolerances, formula | Full formula percentages and deep process know-how (those come after selection) |
| Answers help you | Screen for fit | Compare cost, risk, and evidence |
Before you write it: sort your requirements
Put every requirement into one of three groups. This is the part most templates skip.
| Group | Meaning | How it is used |
|---|---|---|
| Mandatory | Without it, the candidate cannot be selected | Pass or fail. A knockout, not a high score. |
| Developable | A gap that can close through a defined, affordable, time-bound plan | Scored, with the plan's cost and time added to the quote |
| Preferred | Useful but not required | Scored lightly. Never quietly promoted to mandatory later. |
Northline's mandatory list was seven lines: machine to the drawing including flatness of 0.3 mm or less, controlled anodize color, 100 percent hinge torque testing with a tester that records values, written design-for-manufacturing (DFM) feedback before tooling is quoted, Northline owns paid-for tooling in writing, lot traceability, and capacity from 3,000 to 20,000 a year. If everything is mandatory, nothing is.
The RFQ outline (copy this)
1. About us and the product
- Company, contact, decision maker
- Product description in two sentences
- Market and any standards or certifications required
2. Volumes and phases
- Build or batch sizes by phase (Northline: 20, 100, 500, then production. Rainwell: 1 kg lab, 20 kg pilot, 200 kg commercial.)
- Launch quantity, year-one forecast, realistic range
- Price requested at each volume (for example 3,000, 12,000, and 20,000)
3. Technical package (full RFQ only)
- Drawing number and revision, bill of materials revision
- CTQ list with targets, limits, and test methods
- Cosmetic standard (zones, viewing distance, lighting)
- Packaging specification, every level
- Physical samples of the product and packaging, with a request to run them on their line
4. Requirements
- Your mandatory, developable, and preferred lists
- Data you require per unit, lot, and shipment, and the format (for example, "torque values exported per unit, not pass/fail only")
5. What the quote must state (see the table below)
6. Questions for the manufacturer
- Which of our process steps will you send to another company? Please name them.
- Please send a sample of the data you record for a similar product. The export, not a summary.
- What would you change in our drawing or formula to make it easier to make well?
- What would make you decline this project?
7. Timeline and response
- Quote due date, quote validity requested, who to send questions to
- A note that clarifications are shared with all bidders
The ten things every response must state
| Every response must state | Why |
|---|---|
| Price basis (Incoterm and named place) | You cannot compare ex-works with delivered without it |
| What is included and excluded | Exclusions become change orders later |
| Tooling and NRE, and who owns the result | Ownership decides whether you can leave |
| Minimum order quantity per order and per release | Drives cash and inventory |
| Payment terms and deposit | Drives cash exposure |
| What will be subcontracted | Hidden steps carry hidden risk |
| Lead time for samples, first production, and repeat orders | Schedule reality |
| Assumed yield, who pays for scrap, and whether price is per unit started or per good unit | Changes your cost per good unit |
| Quote validity period | How long the price holds |
| What they need from you | Exposes gaps in your package |
Give every candidate the same base information. If one asks a clarifying question, send the answer to all of them.
Good quote vs bad quote
Here are two of Northline's quotes as first received. Price is the least useful line. Read the rest first.
| Line | Good quote: Arvena | Bad quote: Quorvan | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price and basis | $13.90, ex-works Monterrey, export clearance by Arvena in writing | $11.40, FOB Shenzhen | Both name a basis, the minimum needed to compare |
| Scrap and yield | 97% assumed; per unit started, scrap billable | Not stated. 92% came only after asking | Decides the yield allowance in landed cost |
| Tooling and NRE | $9,000 on its own line; Northline owns fixtures once paid, in writing | $18,500, one line, no breakdown; ownership "we can discuss" | Ownership decides whether you can leave |
| MOQ | 500, which covers the 500-unit pilot build | 1,000; pilot pricing not addressed | An MOQ above your next build is a pricing fight later |
| Payment | 30% deposit; balance net 30 after first article approval | 50% deposit; 50% before shipment | Negotiate what the balance waits for |
| Exclusions | Freight and third-party inspection listed | No exclusions section | Every unlisted exclusion becomes a change order |
| Subcontractors | Anodize and hinge subcontractors named | Not stated | Hidden steps carry hidden risk |
| Engineering | Unrequested DFM notes on pad pocket draft and hinge pin tolerance | Polished deck, model-shop sample, no torque data | The quote is your first look at how they think |
Count the lines the bad quote left blank. Each one is a question you would have to ask later, with less leverage. Once normalized for freight, illustrative duty, yield, and tooling, the $11.40 quote landed at $18.08 per good unit and the $13.90 quote at $15.88. See how to compare manufacturer quotes for the full math.
Formulated products: what changes
For a skincare or personal care RFQ, add:
- Whether they will compound your formula exactly as written, with no ingredient substitution without written approval
- Minimum batch size and the vessel it runs in (a tank has a minimum working volume)
- Which tests run in-house and which go to a named outside lab (micro, preservative efficacy, stability)
- A certificate of analysis that cites the method for every result
- Whether they buy packaging or you supply it, and the allowance for line loss
Send the ingredient list without percentages before the NDA, ranges after it, and full percentages only after selection under a supply and formula agreement.
Common RFQ mistakes
- Letting each candidate choose its own price basis
- Asking only for "reports" instead of naming the data and format
- Forgetting to ask for NRE, tooling, and testing as separate lines
- Sending drawings to unscreened candidates
- Changing requirements after quotes arrive to fit a favorite
Frequently asked questions
What should a manufacturing RFQ include?
At minimum: product description, volumes by phase, your chosen price basis, requirements sorted into mandatory and preferred, required data, and a list of what every quote must state, including tooling ownership, yield assumptions, MOQ, payment terms, subcontractors, and exclusions.
How many manufacturers should receive my RFQ?
Send the full RFQ to two or three screened candidates. Use the one-page short RFQ with a longer list at first contact.
Should I include my target price in an RFQ?
Usually not in the first round. It anchors quotes to your number. After an NDA, sharing a landed-cost range can help a serious candidate propose design changes that hit it.
How long should manufacturers have to respond?
Two to three weeks is common for a full RFQ with drawings. Quote turnaround usually sets the pace of the whole selection.
Next steps
- See if your package is ready to send with the free manufacturer readiness check.
- Test your target cost with the product cost calculator before you name a price basis.
- The Contract Manufacturing Playbook includes both RFQ templates in editable Word format, blank and filled in for Northline, plus a Candidate Compare sheet that lines up every response.