What the template is for
An RFQ that returns useful answers asks about the things that decide the product before it asks about the price. A pet fan quotation that is answered without the mounting method, the guard gap, the battery-bay seal and the certification list is answered against the supplier's default product rather than against the buyer's product. The template below fixes the field list so that the next round of quotations can be compared line by line.
Each value is left blank. That is deliberate: a field that carries a preset number invites the supplier to confirm it, and a field that reads to be specified by you asks the supplier to quote against the buyer's decision. The blanks are the work.
The product fields
The mounting method is the first field, because the mount decides the retention question, the test conditions and the packaging. The bar or frame range follows, with the surface type stated alongside the diameter range. The guard gap fields follow: the through-gap, the access gap and the measurement method. The battery-bay seal field follows, naming the seal family and the disassembly limit.
The mesh gap field follows, and it is separate from the guard gap field because the mesh aperture and the access gap are measured at different positions. The clamp and hardware field follows, naming which parts carry the retention load. The materials field follows, naming the reachable parts and the declarations required.
The commercial fields
The certification field lists the documents to be quoted against, and it is written as a list rather than as a category. The packaging field names the colour box, the insert and the master carton, and the pack density. The quantity field states the order quantity and any volume step the buyer expects to negotiate. The tooling field asks how tooling is amortised and over which quantity. The lead-time field asks for the written timeline with the sample, tooling, first article and shipment milestones named.
The cost field asks for the breakdown by the buckets in Pet Fan BOM and Tooling: Where Cost Sits, so that two quotations can be compared on the same lines rather than on two different total prices.
RFQ template: fields and how to state them
RFQ table: field, what to state, and what not to accept
| Field | What to state | What not to accept |
|---|---|---|
| Mounting method | Clip, hook, tripod or combination | Adjustable without the mechanism |
| Bar range and surface | Diameter range plus the surface tested | Range without a surface type |
| Guard through-gap | Measurement method and acceptance criterion | A gap number with no method |
| Guard access gap | Position and probe or gauge | A single gap covering both |
| Mesh aperture | Aperture and the probe used | Fine mesh as a value |
| Battery-bay seal | Seal family and disassembly limit | Seal family without the limit |
| Clamp and hardware | Parts carrying the retention load | Hardware rolled into one line |
| Reachable materials | Part list with declarations required | One declaration for the whole unit |
| Certification list | Document types per regime | A badge name as a document |
| Packaging | Box, insert, carton and density | Packaging without the insert |
| Order quantity | Quantity and volume steps | Quantity left as an assumption |
| Tooling | Amortisation method and quantity | Tooling quoted as a single figure |
| Lead time | Written milestones with dates | A single lead-time number |
| Cost breakdown | Bucket-by-bucket rollup | A total price only |
Boundary: a template is not a specification
A filled RFQ is a request, not a contract. The values the buyer specifies are the values the supplier quotes against, and the specification that governs the order is written separately.
Template ≠ specification. The RFQ gathers the answer; the specification governs the purchase.
Blank ≠ optional. A blank field means the decision is the buyer's, not that the field can be skipped.
Quoted ≠ measured. A value quoted from a catalogue is not a measurement on the sample.
Listed ≠ available. A document type named in the RFQ is not a document the supplier holds.
Template ≠ the whole sourcing decision. The sample approval and the incoming inspection carry the rest.
Records that carry the claim
Keep the filled RFQ with the quotation, the sample records and the test records so that the request, the answer and the evidence sit in one place. Re-issue the RFQ when the product revision changes, because a form completed against an earlier revision gives answers to questions that no longer apply.
Five questions to put to the supplier
- Which mounting method and bar range are quoted, and on what surface was the range confirmed?
- Which guard gap and mesh aperture are specified, and by what method are they measured?
- Which battery-bay seal is specified, and what is the documented disassembly limit?
- Which certification documents are quoted, and for which model and revision?
- How is tooling amortised, over which quantity, and what are the written lead-time milestones?
Where this sits next
The cost buckets behind the cost field are in Pet Fan BOM and Tooling: Where Cost Sits. The mount-form comparison behind the mounting field is in Clip vs Hook vs Tripod: Pet Fan Mount Comparison. The scenario comparison behind the bar-range field is in [Stroller vs Crate: Pet Cooling Needs Compared](/insights/stroller-vs-crate-cooling-neStroller vs Crate: Pet Cooling Needs Compareds are missing.
Filed under the Pawluno pet-comfort programme. Illustrative specifications; confirm chew, clamp and battery-bay tests with the supplier.