How to Write an RFQ That Gets Accurate Quotes

A shop can only price what it can see. When a request leaves something out, the estimator does one of three things: asks a question and delays the quote, assumes a default and prices that, or adds margin to cover the uncertainty. Only the first is visible to you. The other two show up later as a quote that does not match the part you need, or as a price that is higher than it should be.

None of this is a shop being difficult. An estimator looking at a STEP file cannot tell whether a 5 mm hole is a clearance hole or an M6 thread, whether a face is cosmetic, or whether you need ten parts or a thousand. Those answers live in your head, and the RFQ is the only way to move them into theirs.

The fix is not a longer request. It is a complete one, where every detail that changes the price is stated once, in a place the shop will read.

Work through these before you send anything. Each row is something that changes the price or the process, and each has a home in the OpenSpindle quote form.

The single biggest improvement to most RFQs is attaching a drawing. A STEP file carries exact geometry but usually drops everything else: thread callouts, tolerances, surface finish, coating, and notes. A PDF drawing carries all of it. Together they leave very little to interpretation.

If you have no formal drawing, a screenshot of the model with the important features circled and labeled is far better than nothing. Upload the model as the part, then add the drawing or screenshot under Reference Files & Technical Drawings on that part.

Keep each file under 25 MB, and make sure the model and the drawing are the same revision. For format choices, including when a DXF is enough and why an STL is a poor file for machining, see our guide to CAD files for quoting.

Setup is a fixed cost: programming, fixturing, first article checks. It is spread over however many parts you order, so the unit price at quantity 5 and quantity 500 can differ by an order of magnitude on the same part.

Quote the quantity you intend to order. If you are not sure, ask for more than one. The form takes one Quantity per part, so put the others in the part Note, for example: also quote 25 and 100. Shops can price quantity breaks in the same pass, and it tells them the part may go to production, which some will price more aggressively.

Avoid inflating quantity to get a lower unit price you will not use. The quote will be built around a process and a setup that may not suit the smaller order you place.

Name the material and the grade, not just the family. Aluminum could be 6061, 7075 or a cast alloy, and each machines and costs differently. If a temper or condition matters, such as 6061-T6, include it. If an equivalent grade would be acceptable, say so in the Note, because it can open up stock a shop already has.

Choose the Process that matches how the part is made. The form suggests a process from the file type, so check it on every part: a flat DXF or DWG for a laser, waterjet or plasma part should be set to Sheet Cutting, and a bent part to Sheet Metal.

Then cover the features that drive cost, each of which has its own guide:

Certifications and inspection reports cost time and money, so request the ones your program requires rather than a long list by default. Under Advanced options, Certification requirements lets you ask for quality system certifications such as ISO 9001 or AS9100, plus material certifications, a certificate of conformance and material traceability.

A material certification proves what the stock is. A certificate of conformance is the shop stating the parts meet your order. A first article inspection report measures every dimension on the drawing, which is valuable before production and usually unnecessary for a prototype. If you need one, say so in the Note. Our guides to mill test reports and first article inspection cover what each document proves.

The Details step asks How soon do you need this? Choose honestly. As the form says, flexible timelines often earn more competitive quotes, because a shop can fit the work around its schedule. If you choose Exact date, that date is shared with every shop that sees the request.

Then use Project notes to give context a spec field cannot. What does the part do? What does it mate with? Is it a prototype that will change, or a released design? Which surfaces are visible? If you have a target price, say so. A sentence like these brackets mount a motor, the two bores are the only critical features, the rest is cosmetic, lets a shop quote the part you need instead of the most conservative version of it.

And if you do not know something, say that too. Tolerance, surface roughness and finish each offer Not sure, shop to advise, and the part Note is the place to say you are unsure about anything else, material included. A shop recommending a spec is better than guessing one.

Run through this on the Review step before you press Send request.