Why suppliers stay silent
A supplier reading "need pricing for olive oil, best price please" cannot answer. Grade? Volume? Packaging? Destination? Every missing field is a question they must ask, and most will simply move to the next request. A specific RFQ gets replies because it is cheap to price.
The eight fields that make a request quotable
- Product and specification — grade, purity, model, standard (e.g. ISO/EN reference), and acceptable tolerance.
- Quantity — per shipment and expected annual volume. Annual volume changes the price more than negotiation does.
- Packaging — retail, bulk, drum, jumbo bag, pallet pattern, labelling language.
- Destination and Incoterm — a port or address plus the rule and year (`CIF Jeddah, Incoterms 2020`).
- Target lead time and first shipment date.
- Payment terms you can accept — say it up front; it filters out mismatches immediately.
- Certificates required — health certificate, CoA, halal, organic, ISO, test reports.
- Quote validity and decision date — tells the supplier this is real and time-bound.
Add a target price only if you have a real reference. A fabricated target invites fabricated quotes.
A copy-ready template
```
Product: Refined sunflower oil, acidity ≤0.1%, ISO 22000 plant
Quantity: 1 x 20' FCL trial (approx. 18 MT), then 4 FCL/month
Packaging: 1L PET bottles, 12/carton, Arabic + English label
Delivery: CIF Alexandria, Incoterms 2020
Lead time: first shipment within 30 days of order
Payment: 30% deposit via escrow, balance on shipping documents
Documents: CoA per lot, health certificate, certificate of origin
Quote valid until: [date] — decision within 7 days
```
How to evaluate the replies
Compare landed cost, not unit price: unit price x quantity + freight + insurance + duty + local charges. A cheaper FOB price with a bad lead time or narrow insurance frequently loses.
Then weigh what the price does not show: capacity to repeat the volume, certificate validity dates, responsiveness during the quote itself — the best predictor of responsiveness during a problem.
Do not over-broadcast
Sending the same RFQ to fifty suppliers lowers reply quality; serious suppliers can tell and price defensively. A focused list of five to ten qualified suppliers produces better numbers.
On Prebro
RFQs on Prebro carry these fields as structured data, so quotes arrive comparable side by side, with validity dates and Incoterms attached — and the thread stays with the deal if it converts.