Most RFQs fail before they reach a factory. They describe a product, not a requirement, and the supplier either guesses or quotes the safest, most expensive version. Both outcomes cost the buyer money.
What a factory needs in order to quote
A factory quotes a process, not a product name. That means five inputs: the construction, the performance figure that matters, the quantity per colour, the destination market and the date you need it.
When any of the five is missing, the sales engineer fills the gap with an assumption. The assumption is usually the most conservative one, because that is the version that will not produce a claim. That is why vague RFQs return expensive quotes.
The five lines that change the answer
Write the end use first, in one sentence, including the conditions: washed at 60 C, exposed to sun, loaded to 20 kg, used in a bathroom. Conditions decide more of the specification than the product category does.
Then the performance figure with a test method. Then quantity per colour, separately from total quantity. Then the market. Then the date, and whether it is a delivery date or an on-shelf date.
Phrases that invite substitution
‘High quality’, ‘export grade’, ‘premium’, ‘as per market standard’ and ‘best price’ are all invitations to substitute. They cannot be tested, so they cannot be enforced.
Replace each one with either a number, a named test, or a reference sample. A reference sample is legitimate: it transfers the definition to a physical object, provided both sides keep one.
What to do with the quotes when they arrive
Compare line by line against your RFQ, not against each other. Two quotes that differ by 20 % are usually not the same product, and the difference is almost always in a parameter you did not specify.
Ask each supplier to state what they assumed where the RFQ was silent. The answers tell you more about the supplier than the price does.
One page, in this order
Put the end use at the top, in one sentence a production planner can read without context. Then the specification line. Then quantity per colour. Then destination and date. Then the questions you want answered in the reply. Everything else — company introduction, certificates, bank details — belongs in the signature, not in the body.
The test of a good RFQ is whether a factory could start costing it without asking you anything. If they have to ask two questions, the RFQ has two gaps, and the quote will either be delayed or be built on assumptions.
What to do with three quotes
- Compare each one against your RFQ, not against the other two.
- Ask what was assumed where you were silent.
- Ask what is excluded, in writing.
- Ask which parameter they would change to hit a lower price, and what it costs in performance.
That last question is the most revealing. A supplier who answers it precisely is telling you they understand the trade-offs in their own process, which is the same knowledge you need when something goes wrong.
Five phrases to delete before you send
Delete these and the quote becomes comparable: “high quality”, “export grade”, “as per your standard”, “or equivalent”, and “best price”. Each one transfers a decision to the supplier, and the supplier will make the cheapest decision that satisfies their own definition.
The replacement for each is either a number, a named test, or a reference sample you both keep. A reference sample is legitimate and often faster than writing tolerances, provided it is sealed, labelled and dated.
The reply you are trying to provoke
A good reply restates your specification, states what is included and excluded, gives MOQ per colour, and names the lead time from approval. A reply that gives only a price and a delivery window has not engaged with the enquiry, and the price is not comparable to anything.
| Put in the RFQ | Leave out |
|---|---|
| End use and service conditions | Company introduction |
| The performance figure and test method | A target price before the specification is agreed |
| Quantity per colour and per delivery | Every product you might buy this year |
| Destination market and required date | Bank details and registration documents |
| The questions you want answered | A request for ‘best price’ |
Related detail: how we document quality is on the quality control page, our commercial terms are on the logistics page, and specification ranges for both product lines start from the fabric and wooden blinds overviews.
Questions buyers ask before ordering
Can you quote against a specification I write myself?
Yes. Send it as written and we will come back with a line-by-line response, including where we would deviate and why. That is more useful than a price against a document we have silently reinterpreted.
What do you need to start?
End use, quantity per colour, destination market and the date you need the goods. With those four we can quote; without them we are guessing.
Seven lines that turn a quotation into a specification
Most post-delivery arguments are not about quality. They are about a document that never said which figure would be measured, on which instrument, at whose cost.
- Backing (PU / PVC / none): fix the value per shipment, and state who pays for the re-test if a lot lands outside it.
- Base construction: 600D / 840D / 1680D ballistic is not an answer on its own. Ask for the last three lots’ actual readings and the spread behind them.
- Coating: agree the test method with the number. Two labs, two methods, two answers, one argument.
- Abrasion (>= 25 000 Martindale): state where in the band this order sits. The middle of the band is not what a tolerance is for.
- Price validity: the period during which the quoted figure holds, and what happens to it when the raw-material index moves.
- Remedy: rework, replacement or credit, and the point at which each applies.
- Sample retention: one production sample per lot stays with the mill for twelve months. Claims are settled against it, not against memory.
Three questions, and the answers that separate mills
If the sourcing decision in front of you is going to be decided on a call, take these three questions into it.
| Question | Answer that should worry you | Answer that holds up |
|---|---|---|
| Which test catches crocking on dark shades? | “We have never had a complaint.” | Tensile strength — on the production lot, with the acceptance figure written into the report and not into the email. |
| May I see a report for a lot you shipped last month? | “That is confidential customer information.” | A redacted report, which carries every number that matters and none of the customer’s identity. |
| Where in the 600D / 840D / 1680D ballistic band will this order sit? | “In the middle, normally.” | A stated target and the readings behind it. Base construction drifting inside the band is how a conforming lot still fails. |
The same question, asked of paulownia
The two lines fail differently, so the wording that protects you differs too. On paulownia the recurring modes are these, caught with a different test.
| Failure | What triggers it | Test to demand on the production lot |
|---|---|---|
| paulownia: Colour variation | Heartwood and sapwood mixed, or two species mixed under one name. | Density — ISO 3131; acceptance 0.25-0.32 g/cm3 |
| paulownia: Denting | Low density and a soft early-wood layer. | Warp — 48 h at 23 C / 50 % RH; acceptance <= 2.0 mm per 1 m |
Want a line-by-line response to your RFQ?
Send the end use, the quantity and the destination market, and we will come back with a specification that meets it, a price at your volume and the test reports that back it up. Samples are free for qualified programmes; we charge the courier only.
Related reading
- What a Free Sample Actually Costs You
- Landed Cost for Importers
- How to Compare Supplier Quotes That Look Nothing Alike
Sample cut with your values on it · Neutral packing and private label · Consolidation, documents and lead times
