The counter-intuitive part of writing an RFQ is that the number of clarification questions it generates is a measure of the document rather than of the suppliers. A supplier can only price what it can see, so an RFQ that describes a pattern in words or leaves the delivery terms unstated will produce either a round of questions or a set of quotes built on different assumptions.
This is the implementation path for building one: the line item structure, the attachments that remove ambiguity, the quantity and delivery information a supplier needs, and the clarification process that keeps every bidder working from the same facts.
What makes an RFQ answerable
An RFQ is answerable when each line item can be priced without a conversation. That requires four things per line: a defined product, a quantity, a delivery requirement and a basis on which to quote.
Where any of those is missing, the supplier substitutes its own assumption. That is not a failing on the supplier’s part; it is the only way to return a price. The consequence is that the fleet receives quotes that cannot be compared, and the comparison then measures the assumptions rather than the market.
Plow edge RFQ: the line item structure
Give each line item everything needed to price it.
A plow edge RFQ is a specification with a timetable attached, and its line items are where the two meet. Each line should carry the edge dimensions and profile, the pattern or layout reference, the material or wear requirement, the quantity, and the date it is required.
Where several machines are involved, one line per pattern keeps the structure readable and lets a supplier price the quantities it can produce together.
The material requirement is worth stating as an outcome rather than as a brand, for the same reason it is in a tender: it allows equivalent products to bid and it gives the comparison something objective to work with. The pattern, by contrast, has to be stated precisely, because there is no equivalent of a bolt layout.
Drawing and measurement attachments
Attachments are what remove the ambiguity a written description leaves, and three are usually enough. A measured pattern layout with the hole positions numbered and the end distances given. An end-view photograph or sketch, because profile and relief are difficult to describe and obvious in a picture. And a note of the machine the edge fits, so the supplier can raise a question that the drawing does not answer.
The end view is the attachment most often omitted and the one that prevents the most rework. An edge that matches on dimensions and not on profile fits the machine and does not work, and the difference is visible in a photograph. The measurement method that produces the layout is described on the bolt pattern verification page.
Quantities and delivery schedule
Quantities should be stated in the unit the fleet consumes and in the structure it intends to buy. An annual quantity with a call-off arrangement is priced differently from a single delivery, and a supplier quoting without knowing which is intended will price the less favourable of the two to protect itself.
The delivery schedule should state the dates the fleet actually needs the material, not an idealised date. Where the fleet works a seasonal pattern, expressing the requirement as a delivery before a named month is more useful than a lead time, because it tells the supplier what the schedule has to achieve rather than asking it to calculate one.
Incoterms and delivery points
Delivery terms decide whether the quotes that come back are comparable, and the table below sets out what to state.
| Item | What to state | What it prevents |
|---|---|---|
| Delivery point | The named location, not a region | Quotes that include freight to different places |
| Terms | Which party arranges and pays for carriage | Offers that cannot be compared without conversion |
| Packaging | What is required for the parts to arrive undamaged | Claims about damage that were caused in transit |
| Marking | The reference that has to appear on each package | Lots that cannot be identified on receipt |
The fourth row is the one that makes the rest of the process work. A package that arrives with its batch reference marked can be checked in minutes, and the same consignment arriving unmarked stops the receiving process until it has been traced. Trade terms and their standard definitions are published by the International Chamber of Commerce, and import requirements by authorities such as US Customs and Border Protection.
Questions and clarification process
The RFQ should say how questions will be handled, because the alternative is that each supplier asks privately and receives a different answer. Two practices keep the process fair. All questions and answers are shared with every bidder, and the deadline for questions sits early enough that answers can be issued before bids are due.
Sharing the answers is what keeps the comparison valid. Where one bidder has clarified a pattern and another has not, the two quotes are priced against different specifications and the evaluation cannot tell whether the difference is price or interpretation.
Pricing validity and escalation
Price validity and escalation terms belong in the RFQ, because a quote that expires during evaluation restarts part of the process.
- The validity window, set from the fleet’s own award timetable rather than from a default.
- Whether the price is fixed for the whole quantity or indexed to a published material figure.
- Whether the price holds across call-offs, and for how long.
- What happens if the fleet increases or reduces the quantity after award.
The third item matters most on a seasonal order. A price that is valid at award and refreshed at each call-off exposes the fleet to the market in the weeks it can least absorb it, and stating the position in the RFQ is what makes it negotiable rather than discovered.
Common RFQ omissions
Four omissions account for most of the questions and most of the incomparable quotes.
- A pattern recorded as a pitch where the layout varies along the width.
- A quantity stated without the structure it will be bought in, such as an annual figure with no call-off terms.
- Delivery terms omitted, so some offers include freight and some do not.
- Documentation requirements left unstated, so the fleet discovers at delivery which supplier issues a batch record.
The first is the most costly because it is the hardest to correct after award. A pattern that was priced to the wrong layout produces an edge that has to be remade, and the delay lands at the point in the season when a replacement cannot be found.
Building the RFQ document
The document is easier to assemble in the order a supplier reads it.
- A cover section: what is being bought, the quantities, and the timetable including the question deadline and the bid date.
- The line item schedule: one line per pattern, with dimensions, material requirement, quantity and required date.
- The attachments: measured layouts, end-view photographs, and any drawing revision in force.
- The commercial terms: delivery point and terms, price validity and escalation, and the documentation required per lot.
- The response format: the schedule the fleet wants completed, so bids arrive in a comparable shape.
The fifth step is what saves the evaluation time. A response format that mirrors the line item schedule means the received quotes can be compared directly, rather than being transcribed into a comparison before they can be read. How the normalised results are then scored is set out on the supplier quote comparison page.
Testing the RFQ before it is issued
The RFQ can be tested before it goes out by answering a single question for each line item: could a supplier price this without contacting us? Where the answer is no, the missing item is usually a drawing, a quantity structure or a delivery term, and adding it takes minutes.
A second test is worth running on the whole document: does every supplier receive the same facts? Where the answer is no, the comparison will measure the difference in information rather than the difference in price, and the outcome will be difficult to defend. Public sector procurement practice is published by the National Association of Counties and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, and material specifications by ISO.
SENTHAI manufactures plow edges, wear plates and carbide inserts in Rayong, Thailand, and quotes against a stated scope with the dimensions, patterns and documentation named, which is what an RFQ of this kind needs. RFQs that need the pattern or the delivery terms confirmed can be raised through the contact page.
FAQ
What should a plow edge RFQ include?
Line items with defined dimensions and patterns, the drawing or measured layout, quantities and required delivery dates, the delivery terms and delivery point, the documentation required with each lot, and how questions will be answered during the bidding period.
Why do suppliers ask so many questions after receiving an RFQ?
Because a supplier can only price what it can see. Where the pattern is described rather than drawn, the quantity structure is unclear or the delivery terms are unstated, the supplier either asks or prices its own assumption. The questions are a sign that an input is missing rather than that the supplier is unprepared.
Should delivery terms be stated in the RFQ?
Yes, with the delivery point named. Without them, some offers will include freight and some will not, and the lowest price will frequently be the one that excluded the most. Stating the terms turns freight from an unknown into a comparable line.
How long should prices be held valid?
Long enough to cover the evaluation and award, and stated in the RFQ. A validity window that expires during evaluation forces a price refresh and restarts part of the comparison, so it should be set from the fleet’s own award timetable rather than from a default.
What is the most common RFQ omission?
A pattern or measurement that cannot be reproduced. A pitch figure where the layout varies, or a reference to the existing edge without dimensions, leaves the supplier to price the most common configuration rather than the fleet’s. Attaching the measured layout resolves it before bidding rather than after award.
Send the patterns, quantities and required dates, or the edge you want priced. The SENTHAI engineering desk will quote against that scope with the pattern and documentation named.