A request for quote template (RFQ template) sits on the other side of the table from every other document we cover: this one’s for buyers. When you need comparable prices from multiple vendors — materials, subcontracted work, recurring services — a structured RFQ gets you answers you can actually line up side by side, instead of three quotes for three subtly different jobs.
When an RFQ Is the Right Tool
Send an RFQ when you can specify exactly what you’re buying: quantities, standards, timelines, delivery. If you can’t write the spec yet — you need vendors to propose the solution itself — you want an RFP instead; RFQ vs RFP explains the split. The rule of thumb: RFQ for “price this,” RFP for “solve this.”
What to Include in a Request for Quote
1. Your Details and the Process
- Company name, contact person, and how to submit (email, portal)
- Deadline for responses — date and time zone
- When you’ll decide and when work/delivery would start
- Validity you expect: “Quotes should remain valid for 45 days”
2. The Specification — the Heart of It
Define the need tightly enough that every vendor prices the same thing:
| Item | Specification | Qty | Needed By |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drywall, 5/8″ Type X | 4×8 sheets, fire-rated | 120 | Jul 28 |
| Delivery | To site, liftgate required | 1 | With order |
| Joint compound | All-purpose, 4.5 gal | 14 | Jul 28 |
For services, the spec is a scope statement plus frequency and standards — “office cleaning, 3× weekly, per attached checklist, 8,400 sq ft.”
3. How You Want the Quote Structured
This is the step most buyers skip and most regret. Ask for: unit prices per line item, delivery/lead time, payment terms, and named exclusions. Comparable structure in equals comparable quotes out.
4. Evaluation and Terms
- How you’ll choose — lowest price, best value, delivery speed — and whether partial awards are possible
- Your standard terms: payment timing, insurance requirements, site rules
- Who bears delivery, disposal, or permit costs
RFQ Mistakes That Cost You Money
- Vague specs. “Good quality paint, about 30 gallons” gets you quotes from $900 to $2,400 and no way to compare them. Specificity is what makes price competition real.
- Too many vendors. Three to five serious candidates beats twelve form-letter recipients — good vendors can smell a spray-and-pray RFQ and deprioritize it.
- No deadline. Open-ended requests get answered last, after every dated commitment in the vendor’s queue.
- Choosing on price alone when the spec was loose. The cheapest response to an ambiguous RFQ is usually the vendor who noticed the gap you left.
If You’re the Vendor Receiving One
Respond in the requested format, restate the spec you’re pricing, flag any assumption you had to make, and hit the deadline — procurement reads punctuality as a preview of delivery. Your response is a quote, and everything in the quote template guide applies; OfferKit will have it built and PDF’d before competitors open the email.
Get Both Sides Right
Businesses that buy with clean RFQs and sell with clean quotes run on fewer surprises at both ends. Browse the template library for the selling side, and keep this structure for the buying side — the five minutes a tight spec costs you comes back as the cleanest vendor comparison you’ve ever made.
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