How to Respond to an RFQ (Without Losing the Week)
Speed wins RFQs. The first credible, complete quote sets the anchor, and late quotes mostly ratify a decision already made. The process below is how high-volume quote desks answer everything worth answering, and where each hour typically goes.
The five steps
- Normalize the request. Get every line into one structure: part number, description, quantity, unit, spec. RFQs arrive as spreadsheets, PDFs, and email prose; errors made here compound through every later step.
- Match every line. Map each item to your catalog or item master. Note exact matches, approved equivalents, and unknowns separately, and never silently substitute.
- Source and cost. Pull cost from supplier price files and your ERP. Check stock and lead time. Flag stale prices instead of hoping.
- Price by rule, not by feel. Apply contract pricing, volume breaks, and margin floors consistently. Exceptions go to a person, not into the quote.
- Send it complete. Quote in the customer's format, state lead times and substitutions explicitly, and list what you could not quote and why. A precise partial quote beats a vague full one.
The response checklist
| Check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Every line answered, substituted, or declined with a reason | Unexplained gaps read as sloppiness and invite a competitor |
| Substitutions marked with the approved equivalent rule applied | Silent substitutions lose customers permanently |
| Lead times stated per line, not blanket | Blanket lead times force the buyer to call, and calls slow awards |
| Contract or negotiated pricing verified for this customer | Quoting list price to a contract customer damages trust both ways |
| Quote sent in the customer's requested format | Buyers award from spreadsheets they can compare, not PDFs they retype |
Or watch your own RFQ go through this in minutes.
Cintra runs all five steps on your documents with your pricing rules, and returns a quote ready for review. Send us an RFQ, live or completed, and see it done.
Send us a quote request