RFQ Template (Free, Word): Request for Quotation Form

1. Cover and purpose

Buyer instructions: replace every [bracketed placeholder], delete
anything that doesn’t apply, and delete all italic guidance before you
send this RFQ. Keep one evaluation basis in Section 13. For software
license renewals, use Sections 4.4 and 7.3.

[Organization name] (“we”, “us”) invites [the suppliers named in the
cover email / qualified suppliers] to quote for the goods and services
described in Section 4. We have already defined what we need, so this
RFQ asks only for prices, delivery dates and terms. Every supplier is
pricing the same requirement.

This RFQ is a request for prices. It is not an order, and it does not
commit us to buy anything. We intend to award [one purchase order for
the whole requirement / purchase orders by line item] on the basis set
out in Section 13.

2. Buyer details

3. Key dates

An example schedule. Allow more time for a complex specification,
or if suppliers need special pricing from a manufacturer or
distributor.

4. Goods or services required

4.1 Summary

[In one or two paragraphs, describe what you’re buying and why, and
anything a supplier needs to price it accurately: the systems or brands
you standardize on, any related contract, and timing constraints.
Example: “We need 40 laptops and 40 docking stations for staff joining
in [month], delivered imaged and asset-tagged to our [city]
office.”]

4.2 Line-item specification

List each item on its own line, with a manufacturer part number
or SKU where you need a specific product, or minimum specifications
where you don’t. Use firm quantities, or say which ones are estimates.
The example rows show a completed RFQ for an IT equipment order; replace
them with your own.

4.3 Equivalent products

Where a line says Yes under acceptable equivalents, you may quote an
equal product that meets every specification listed for that line. State
its manufacturer and part number and attach its specification sheet. We
decide whether a proposed product is equal, and we may ask for a sample
or a demonstration first. Where a line says No, quote only the named
product.

Say No for items that must match what you already run, such as
spare parts and license renewals.

Quote new, genuine products supplied through the manufacturer’s
authorized channels, unless a line allows refurbished items.

4.4 Variant: software
license renewals

Use this subsection, and the renewal pricing table in Section
7.3, when you’re renewing or adding licenses for software you already
use. Delete it otherwise.

Current agreement: [Publisher, product, agreement or contract number,
current term end date]

Current reseller: [Name, or “direct with the publisher”]

Automatic renewal: The current agreement [does / does not] renew
automatically. [Notice deadline: date.]

Renewal quotes must cover the following:

• Seats. Quote the renewal quantity for each line.
  [Also quote [alternative quantity] for comparison.]
• Term. Quote a [12 / 36]-month term starting [date].
  [For a multi-year term, quote both annual billing and payment in
  advance.]
• Co-termination. Licenses added during the term must
  end with this term and be priced pro rata at the unit price in this
  quote.
• True-up. Explain how usage above the licensed
  quantity is measured, when it’s reconciled and what unit price applies.
  [We expect the unit price in this quote to apply to true-ups for the
  whole term.]
• Reductions. State whether quantities can be reduced
  at each anniversary, and on what terms.
• Renewal price cap. State the maximum unit price
  increase for each future renewal, as a percentage or a fixed price for
  each year. [We require a cap of [X]% per year or less.]
• Product changes. Tell us if the publisher has
  retired, renamed or replaced any SKU, and quote the direct successor,
  explaining any change in features or entitlements.
• Entitlements. Confirm the renewal keeps the current
  edition, features and support entitlements, or list every
  difference.
• Authorization. Confirm the publisher authorizes you
  to sell and renew this product [for our region / for our sector].

Start a renewal RFQ well before the term ends. Some agreements
renew automatically unless you give notice by a set date.

5. Delivery and service
requirements

State your lead time for each line in the pricing table. If you can’t
meet a required date, give the earliest date you can meet. After an
order is placed, tell us in writing as soon as you know of any delay or
backorder.

6. Quote validity

Quotations must remain valid, at the prices and on the terms quoted,
for [90] days after the quote deadline.

Allow time for evaluation, internal approval and issuing a
purchase order.

Prices must be firm for the validity period and for any order placed
during it. List any escalation, exchange-rate or “subject to
availability” condition as an exception in Section 15.3.

All prices must be in [currency].

7. Pricing

7.1 Pricing response table

Copy the lines from Section 4.2 into this table before you issue
the RFQ. Suppliers complete the remaining columns.

7.2 Price summary

Pricing rules:

• Quote every line, or write “No quote” against it. [Award is all or
  none, so a quote that leaves out lines may be treated as
  incomplete.]
• Prices must include everything needed to deliver each line as
  specified. We won’t pay charges not shown here.
• Show taxes separately. [We are tax-exempt. Don’t include sales
  tax.]
• If you offer an early-payment discount, show it below the price
  summary, not in the total. [We won’t take it into account in
  evaluation.]
• [Alternates are not permitted. / You may list alternates below the
  price summary, marked “Alternate”. They aren’t included in the total
  quoted price.]

7.3 Software renewal pricing

Use with Section 4.4. Delete if you’re not renewing
software.

8. Payment terms

• Payment period. [Net 30] days from receipt of a
  correct invoice.
• When to invoice. [On delivery / on acceptance / for
  subscriptions and renewals, annually in advance at the start of each
  term year / for services, monthly in arrears or on completion of each
  milestone.]
• Invoice details. Every invoice must show our
  purchase order number and the line numbers it covers. Send invoices to
  [accounts payable email or portal].
• Advance payments. We don’t pay in advance for goods
  [unless the purchase order says so].
• Payment method. [Bank transfer / ACH / card /
  other.]
• Different terms. If you need different payment
  terms, list them as an exception in Section 15.3.

9. Warranty and support

10. Compliance requirements

Keep only what your policy, your funding source or the law
requires for this purchase. Public bodies may have their own mandatory
clauses and forms: check with your procurement office.

Suppliers must meet the requirements below and confirm them in
Section 15.2. [Provide the evidence with your quote. / Provide the
evidence before we place an order.]

11. Submission
instructions and deadline

• Deadline. Submit your quotation by [date, time and
  time zone].
• Where. Send it to [email address / supplier portal
  name and link].
• Subject line. “RFQ [number]: [Supplier name]”.
• What to include. The completed pricing tables from
  Section 7, the signed vendor response sheet from Section 15,
  specification sheets for any equivalent products, and the evidence
  required by Section 10.
• Format. [PDF for signed documents. Pricing in the
  same layout as Section 7, as a Word or Excel file.]
• One quote per supplier. Alternates only where
  Section 7 allows them.
• Late quotes. Quotes received after the deadline
  [will not be considered / may be rejected].
• Confirmation. If we haven’t confirmed receipt
  within [one business day], contact the RFQ contact.
• Changes and costs. You may withdraw or replace your
  quote by written notice before the deadline. You bear your own costs of
  preparing it.

12. Questions

• Send questions in writing to [RFQ contact email] by [date, time and
  time zone]. We won’t answer questions by phone.
• We will answer every question in writing and send the questions and
  answers to all invited suppliers by [date], without naming who
  asked.
• Any change to this RFQ will be issued as a numbered addendum.
  Acknowledge each addendum in Section 15.2.
• Until the award, don’t contact anyone else at [Organization name]
  about this RFQ. [Doing so may lead to your quote being rejected.]
• Only written answers and addenda from the RFQ contact change this
  RFQ.

13. Evaluation basis

Keep basis A or basis B in Section 13.2, delete the other, and
don’t change it after quotes arrive. Public bodies: your rules may set
the basis of award or limit when price alone can decide, so check with
your procurement office.

13.1 How we will evaluate
quotes

1. Completeness. We check that each quote arrived on
   time, is signed and includes every required document. [We may reject an
   incomplete quote or ask for the missing item. If we ask one supplier, we
   will ask every supplier in the same position.]
2. Technical acceptability. A quote is technically
   acceptable only if every line meets the specifications in Section 4
   (including any equivalents), the delivery requirements in Section 5 and
   the compliance requirements in Section 10. [If we award by line item, we
   assess each line separately.]
3. Total evaluated price. For each technically
   acceptable quote, this is the total quoted price from Section 7.2
   [excluding taxes]. [For multi-year software renewals, we add each later
   renewal year at the maximum capped price.]
4. Award. We apply the basis of award in Section
   13.2.

13.2 Basis of award

Basis A: Lowest price technically acceptable. We
will award to the technically acceptable quote with the lowest total
evaluated price. Non-price factors aren’t scored. They only decide
whether a quote is acceptable.

Choose basis A when the specification fully describes what you
need and any compliant product will do.

Basis B: Best value. We will score technically
acceptable quotes on price and the factors below, and award to the quote
with the highest total score. The winning quote may not be the lowest
priced.

The weights are an example; set your own before you issue the
RFQ. Price is normally the largest factor in an RFQ. If other factors
matter more than price, consider an RFP.

13.3 Award rules

• Award. [All or none: the whole requirement goes to
  one supplier. / By line item. / By lot, as follows: [lots].]
• Ties. If two quotes are equal, we will [award to
  the earlier confirmed delivery date / describe your tie-break].
• Our rights. Subject to our procurement policy, we
  may ask suppliers to clarify their quotes, [negotiate with the selected
  supplier,] reduce quantities before award, award part of the
  requirement, reject any or all quotes, or cancel this RFQ.
• Notification. We will tell every supplier the
  outcome after the award.

14. Terms and conditions

Have your legal or procurement team confirm these terms before
you issue the RFQ. This template isn’t legal advice.

• No commitment. This RFQ is a request for prices.
  Nothing in this RFQ or in a quotation commits [Organization name] to
  buy. An order is placed only when we issue a written purchase order [or
  sign a contract].
• Governing terms. Orders will be subject to [our
  standard purchase order terms and conditions, attached / available at
  [link]] [or: [name of existing master agreement], which governs all
  orders under it].
• Software terms. The publisher’s license or
  subscription terms govern use of the software. [Our purchase order terms
  / our agreement with the reseller] govern the purchase.
• Exceptions. List any term you can’t accept in
  Section 15.3, with your proposed alternative. Exceptions [may be taken
  into account in evaluation / may make a quote unacceptable]. Terms
  printed on your quote, invoices or website don’t apply unless we agree
  to them in writing.
• Confidentiality. Treat this RFQ and any information
  we provide as confidential, and use it only to prepare your quote. [As a
  public body, we may be required to disclose quotations under public
  records laws.]

15. Vendor response and
signature sheet

Suppliers complete this sheet and return it with the pricing
tables in Section 7.

15.1 Supplier details

15.2 Confirmations

15.3 Exceptions

List any exception to the specifications, delivery requirements,
quote validity, payment terms, warranty terms or terms and conditions,
with your proposed alternative. Write “None” if you have no
exceptions.

15.4 Signature

By signing, I confirm that I am authorized to submit this quotation
on behalf of the supplier named above, and that the information in it is
accurate.