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RFQ template
A request for quote (RFQ) asks several suppliers to price the same parts on the same terms, so the answers can be compared line for line. Fill in your parts, quantities, quantity breaks, specs and requirements, and download the RFQ as a PDF or Word file with an Excel sheet suppliers fill in. When the quotes come back, compare them by landed cost on the next tab. Morsa, the AI that runs operations work for manufacturers and distributors, sends RFQs like this from your buyer’s mailbox and chases the replies.
Updated October 21, 2026
What to put in a request for quote
An RFQ number and a due date, so every supplier quotes against the same request and you know when to compare.
Each part: your part number and revision, a description, material, finish, the quantity, the unit, and the drawing it is built to.
Quantity breaks and annual usage, when setup or tooling drives the price. Suppliers price a bracket very differently at 1,000 and at 10,000.
Delivery terms: the date you need the parts and the Incoterm or FOB point to quote, so freight is on the same basis in every reply.
Requirements that cost money: certificates of conformance, material certs, first article inspection, PPAP, packaging, country of origin.
How to respond: unit price, tooling as its own line, minimum order quantity, lead time after PO, and any exception to the drawing.
Example: the RFQ this template builds
| Line | Part | What suppliers are asked to quote |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | AR-44817 rev C, mounting bracket | 2,500 EA, also 1,000, 5,000 and 10,000; CR steel 1008, 0.075 in; zinc plate, clear trivalent; about 25,000 a year |
| 2 | AR-44820 rev A, spacer plate | 2,500 EA; CR steel 1008, 0.120 in; zinc plate |
| Terms | Quotes due in 10 days; FOB destination with freight quoted separately; Net 30; prices to hold 90 days; tooling on its own line; certs and first article required |
Press Start from an example in the tool to load it.
How to use the RFQ template
Enter your company and the buyer’s contact once; they are remembered in this browser.
Add each part with its quantity. Add quantity breaks and annual usage when volume matters.
Pick the requirements and set the due date, delivery date and delivery terms.
Fix anything under Before you send, then download the PDF or Word file and the Excel response sheet, or copy the email.
Send the same RFQ to at least three suppliers. When they answer, open Compare the bids and enter or paste each quote.
The response sheet
The Excel sheet lists every line and every quantity break with blank columns for unit price, tooling, MOQ, lead time, country of origin and exceptions. Suppliers who fill it in give you answers you can paste straight into the comparison. Suppliers who send their own format still can: paste their email or PDF into the comparison and the prices are read for you.
RFQ, RFP or RFI?
Use an RFQ when you know exactly what you want and price decides. Use an RFP when you want suppliers to propose a solution and you will score more than price, such as picking a 3PL or an ERP. Use an RFI to learn who can do the work before you write either. The RFQ vs RFP guide covers all of them.
Answering an RFQ instead?
If you are the supplier, open the Answer an RFQ tab and paste the customer’s request. You get the parts and quantities as a table, the questions to ask before you price, and a reply to send now, and the quote opens in the quote calculator to cost and send.
The modern way: Morsa runs the RFQ
The old way is a buyer with a spreadsheet: send the RFQ to five suppliers, wait, chase the three who did not answer, retype every reply into columns, then argue about freight. Most of the week goes to the chasing and the retyping, not to the decision.
Morsa does that work. It sends the RFQ from your buyer’s own mailbox, follows up with each supplier in their language and at their morning, reads the quotes that come back (email, PDF or a photo of a fax), puts them on the same quantity and the same Incoterm, adds freight, duty and fees, and shows the bids side by side by landed cost. When a check valve from Ningbo at $14.20 lands at $19.00 once freight, a 25% tariff and brokerage are in, Morsa says so before the PO goes out. The buyer picks; Morsa writes the PO and keeps chasing until the parts arrive.
On the seller side, Morsa reads the customer’s RFQ and drawing, pulls the past job and the routing, asks three platers for a price, works out the landed cost and drafts the quote in your own template. In our demo, two of three platers reply and the bracket comes to $1.18 a piece landed and $1.69 at the target margin; the estimator changes the tooling line and sends it.
Frequently asked questions
What is an RFQ template?
A request for quote template is a standard document a buyer sends to several suppliers asking each one to price the same parts on the same terms: part numbers, quantities, specs, delivery date and the date quotes are due. A good one also tells suppliers exactly how to answer, so the replies can be compared line for line.
What is the difference between an RFQ and an RFP?
An RFQ asks for prices on something you have already specified, and you usually pick the best price that meets the spec. An RFP asks suppliers to propose how they would solve a problem, and you score the proposals on more than price. The RFQ vs RFP guide has the full comparison, with RFI and IFB.
How many suppliers should get an RFQ?
Three is the common minimum for a competitive price, and it is the number many purchasing policies (and the U.S. federal simplified acquisition rules) treat as reasonable competition for small buys. More than five adds chasing work without much better pricing on standard parts.
Should I ask for quantity breaks?
Yes, when setup or tooling is a big part of the cost. A stamped or machined part priced at 1,000, 5,000 and 10,000 shows you how much of the price is setup, and lets you decide whether to buy a larger release.
How do I compare quotes that use different terms?
Put them all on the same basis before comparing: the same quantity, the same Incoterm (who pays freight and duty), and one-time charges such as tooling shown separately. Then compare landed cost, not unit price. The bid comparison template does this.
Is this RFQ template free and private?
Yes. It runs in your browser, saves only in this browser, and builds the PDF, Word file and Excel response sheet on your device. Nothing is uploaded unless you paste a supplier’s quote or a customer’s RFQ to be read, and that text is not kept.
Related tools
WHERE MORSA FITS
RFQs out, quotes chased, bids leveled, while your buyer does something else.
Morsa sends the RFQ to each supplier from your buyer’s own mailbox, chases the ones that go quiet in their language and time zone, reads every reply and levels them by landed cost in your spreadsheet or ERP. It works in email, Teams, WhatsApp, text or whatever your team already runs on.
