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A building materials RFQ should give suppliers one defined scope to price: a project brief, a product schedule, the controlling drawings, and an inclusion-and-exclusion response sheet. Below is a complete example you can adapt, followed by a quotation email and editable CSV templates. The supplier should be able to identify the product, quantity, pricing unit and delivery boundary without guessing.
The most expensive RFQ mistakes often begin with an ordinary phrase: “hardware included,” “same as the image,” or “delivery to Dubai.” Each leaves room for a different interpretation. A useful request turns those phrases into checkable fields and tells the supplier how to report anything still uncertain.
Download the filled project brief and filled product schedule, or start with the blank project cover, line-item sheet and scope response sheet.
A filled RFQ brief for a mixed interior package
The project below combines a kitchen package, internal doors and floor tile. Replace its references and quantities with the current documents for your project; retain the same structure when sending the inquiry to each supplier.
| RFQ field | Example instruction to the supplier |
|---|---|
| Reference and purpose | VILLA-INT-01, revision R02. Quote the listed supply package. This inquiry does not authorize production. |
| Project and destination | One villa interior package for Dubai, UAE. Separate factory collection, international transport and final-site delivery in the response. |
| Controlling documents | Kitchen K01 R02; door schedule D01 R02; floor plan F01 R03; finish references KC-01, DR-02 and T-01. Identify any missing attachment before pricing. |
| Currency and validity | Quote in USD. State the validity period, payment proposal and any quantity or material assumptions. |
| Response date | The buyer inserts a specific date and 15:00 UTC before issue. The supplier confirms whether it can respond by that deadline. |
| Delivery and timing | Quote product supply plus export packing. State the exact proposed collection location and delivery term. Price onward transport separately and show approval, production and dispatch dependencies. |
| Alternatives | Return a response to the requested base specification first. Put substitutions in a separate option sheet with differences and price effects. |
Decide whether you are asking for a budget indication or a quotation against defined requirements. If a finish or dimension is provisional, name it. Do not describe a concept package as “fully approved” merely to obtain a firm-looking number.
The product schedule: three filled lines
Keep quantity units separate from pricing units. For the tile below, the purchasing instruction is 77 cartons, but the quotation is requested per square meter. The supplier must confirm both the offered pack size and the extended area. A change in pack size means the ordering calculation needs to be revisited.
| ID and product | Requirement and reference | Quantity / pricing basis | Supplier must return |
|---|---|---|---|
| K-01 / kitchen cabinets | Cabinets K-B01 to K-B06 on K01 R02; construction and hardware schedule attached; finish sample KC-01. | 1 complete kitchen package. Price per package and provide a cabinet-tag breakdown. | Offered construction, hardware models, finished panels, packing basis and exclusions. |
| D-01 / internal doors | Door types and handing per D01 R02; finish DR-02. Complete-set scope to identify leaf, frame, trim and scheduled hardware. | 20 sets. Price per set, with type-specific rates if different. | Type quantities, complete-set components, proposed substitutions and installation exclusions. |
| T-01 / porcelain floor tile | 600 × 600 mm format; appearance per sample T-01; use locations per F01 R03; product data and batch information required. | 110.88 m², instructed as 77 cartons at an example 1.44 m²/carton. Price per m². | Actual size/pack basis, carton count, batch, product reference, unit rate and extended amount. |
A reference to a drawing is useful only if the drawing is attached and its revision is clear. Keep the named sample code in the drawing, schedule and approval record. A screenshot alone may show the appearance direction, but it does not establish a controlled material or finish specification.
Ask suppliers to respond to the services as well as the products
Send the following response structure with the inquiry. Blank cells are not accepted as a statement of inclusion. Use “included,” “excluded,” “provisional” or “clarification required,” and identify the amount or assumption where needed.
| Scope line | Buyer request | Acceptable supplier response |
|---|---|---|
| Shop drawings and samples | Identify the submittals included in the price. | List drawing scope, sample type, charges, revisions and approval dependencies. |
| Export packing | Protect products for the proposed handling route and identify loose parts. | Describe cartons/crates, protection, labels and packing charges, not just “standard packing.” |
| Collection and transport | Separate collection point, international transport and destination services. | State proposed term, precise place, included transport legs and charges still excluded. |
| Installation | State whether the offer is supply only, remote support or an on-site service. | Name the actual service, responsible party, location and exclusions. |
| Spares and replacement parts | Identify separately requested maintenance stock and loose hardware. | Show quantity, description and price; do not silently include or remove an allowance. |
For transport terms, the International Chamber of Commerce’s Incoterms® rules address delivery tasks, costs and risks. If used, state the rule, named place and edition. “FCA Foshan” alone leaves the collection point too broad for a final agreement: obtain the agreed warehouse address. Keep payment, technical acceptance and installation obligations in their own fields.
A quotation email you can copy
Attach the brief, product schedule, scope-response sheet and drawing register. Complete the bracketed fields before sending. Use one issue number for the entire package.
Subject: RFQ VILLA-INT-01 R02 — cabinets, doors and floor tile
Please quote the attached product schedule against the listed drawings and finish references. Return your response by [date], 15:00 UTC, in USD, and state quotation validity.
Provide unit rates and extended amounts using the requested units. For tile, confirm carton coverage and the resulting supplied area. Complete the scope-response sheet for drawings, samples, packing, transport, installation and spares.
Identify every assumption or exclusion against its item ID. Return the base specification separately from any alternatives. State your proposed delivery term and exact collection point, and show the approvals required before the production period starts.
Please submit questions by [clarification date]. Do not start manufacture without a separate approved order and production-release instruction.
How to read the returned price
Start by checking the item references, units and revision, then extend the rates. If tile is priced per carton, convert it using the confirmed carton coverage before comparing a per-m² quotation. For example, a quoted USD 28.80/carton with 1.44 m²/carton equals USD 20/m². At 77 cartons the extension is USD 2,217.60. That is a calculation example, not a market price.
Next normalize required omissions. If offer A includes packing at USD 18,000 and offer B is USD 17,500 plus USD 900 packing, the comparable amounts on that boundary are USD 18,000 and USD 18,400. Keep freight, taxes and site work outside both totals until they are priced on the same basis. Do not add an item a second time when it is already included.
Finally, separate price corrections from technical alternatives. A different door construction or hardware system may require design approval rather than an estimated adjustment. An unresolved qualification stays visible; it should not disappear because the total looks attractive.
Release the inquiry with a short control check
- Every product has an ID, location, specification reference and quantity unit.
- Pricing units and pack conversions are explicit.
- The attachment register contains the drawings and samples named in the schedule.
- Suppliers have a required format for assumptions, exclusions and alternatives.
- The return date, currency, destination and delivery boundary are stated.
- Questions and revisions go through one named buyer contact.
If a clarification changes the requirements, issue it to affected bidders and name the rows that changed. When the final offer returns, make sure it cites that revision. This keeps the comparison tied to one package rather than several versions of the project.
Prepare your inquiry package with NOVARMIA. Send your drawings, product schedule and destination through the project contact page. Identify the categories to be included and the scope questions still open. The business overview can help you organize the category discussion.
