COMMERCIAL CLARITY · QUOTE REQUEST CANVAS
Request for Quotation (RFQ) Template for China Manufacturers
An RFQ should give every supplier the same practical question to answer. This editable template helps you ask about the product reference, quantity, scope, sample, quality, packaging, timing, and handover assumptions so replies become easier to understand—not merely easier to collect.
The direct answer: a useful RFQ is a consistent question, not a request for the lowest number.
When suppliers are asked to quote different versions of a product or different included scope, the resulting replies cannot be meaningfully compared. A good RFQ identifies what is known, keeps open questions visible, and asks every supplier to state inclusions, exclusions, assumptions, and the points that need clarification before a buyer makes a decision.
01 · REFERENCE
Give the supplier something real to assess
Use a product specification sheet, photos, drawings, sample reference, and revision date. A product name alone does not define the requested version.
02 · SCOPE
Ask for the complete commercial picture
Request the quantity context, required options, tooling question, packaging, quality reference, timing assumptions, and any excluded work.
03 · RESPONSE
Make uncertainty visible
Ask suppliers to name deviations, alternatives, available evidence, minimums, timing constraints, and questions rather than hiding uncertainty behind a headline number.
COPY-READY RFQ TEMPLATE
Use these nine fields in your supplier request.
Copy the sections below into an email or document. Replace brackets with confirmed information, attach the relevant product evidence, and request that the supplier identifies any point it cannot confirm.
1. Project introduction and product reference
Product name / internal reference: [ ]
What the product is intended to do: [ ]
Specification sheet, image, drawing, sample, or link attached: [ ]
Current version / revision date: [ ]
2. Requested product version and options
Required product version: [ ]
Required material, dimensions, colour, finish, or components: [ ]
Branding, label, or artwork requirement: [ ]
Permitted alternatives only if clearly identified: [ ]
3. Quantity and commercial context
Expected order quantity or range: [ ]
Sample or first-order context: [ ]
Target market / use context if relevant: [ ]
Questions about MOQ, tooling, or development: [ ]
4. Packaging and presentation request
Individual packaging requirement: [ ]
Outer carton / packing information: [ ]
Labels, barcodes, inserts, or packing marks: [ ]
Packaging unknowns to discuss: [ ]
5. Quality, sample, and evidence reference
Existing sample or approved reference: [ ]
Critical product or packaging features: [ ]
Requested available product / process evidence: [ ]
Quality or inspection question that needs scope clarification: [ ]
6. Quote request and included scope
Please state product unit basis and currency: [ ]
Please state what is included and excluded: [ ]
Please separate tooling, sample, packaging, development, or other one-off items where applicable: [ ]
Please identify conditions affecting the quoted scope: [ ]
7. Timing and production questions
Sample timing assumption: [ ]
Production timing assumption after confirmed approvals: [ ]
Capacity, material, approval, or scheduling constraint to flag: [ ]
Communication contact and response deadline: [ ]
8. Handover and operational assumption
Expected handover or named place / port assumption: [ ]
Documentation, packing, or coordination question: [ ]
Freight, customs, insurance, tax, or legal question to confirm with appropriate providers: [ ]
9. Required supplier response
Please confirm whether you can make the described version: [ ]
Please identify every deviation, alternative, exclusion, or missing input: [ ]
Please list questions needed before a final quote or sample plan: [ ]
Please provide the appropriate contact and reply format: [ ]
TURN REPLIES INTO A DECISION, NOT A SPREADSHEET PILE
Four connected next steps after you send an RFQ.
This template supports a clearer supplier conversation; it is not a product contract, legal, customs, tax, insurance, or regulatory document. Use appropriate qualified advice for transaction-specific questions.