Writing an RFQ That Gets a Real Quote: The Information Lamp Suppliers Actually Need

Send a supplier a one-line email — 'price for floor lamps, please quote' — and you will get either silence or a number so padded it is useless. Suppliers quote accurately against information, and they price risk when information is missing. A structured request for quotation is the difference between a number you can build a program on and a number you will renegotiate twice. This checklist covers what a lamp RFQ should contain, whether you are quoting factory production or domestic stock.

The product block

Identify the product precisely: model name or reference, the finish or finishes, and whether you are quoting an existing stocked SKU or a customization. For an existing SKU, reference the supplier's own identifier — quoting against 'the arc lamp from your website' produces the wrong answer surprisingly often. For a customization, state what changes from the base model: finish, cord length, packaging, logo.

• Exact SKU reference or a drawing/photo set for custom work
• Finishes and colourways, each listed — not 'as per sample'
• Bulb included or excluded, and which specification if included
• Any certification scope you require the listing to cover
• Target unit volume for the first order and the expected annual run rate

The commercial block

State the commercial frame before asking for a price. Which Incoterm the quote should assume changes the number materially — the rule set itself is published by the International Chamber of Commerce — an FOB quote and a DDP quote differ by freight, duty and risk, and a supplier who guesses wrong will quote the wrong basis. Name the delivery destination or at least the port, the required first-shipment date, and the order release pattern: one shipment or staggered.

1. Incoterm and destination (FOB a named port, DDP a named city, and so on)
2. First-order quantity and the quantity break points you want tiered pricing for
3. Required ship date for the first order and any seasonal peaks after it
4. Payment terms you expect — ask for theirs if you have no basis to propose one
5. Packaging requirements: retail-ready carton, private label, master carton count

The compliance block

Say which market the goods are destined for and ask the supplier to state the applicable safety listing for portable luminaires and, where a remote control is involved, the FCC status of the transmitter. For US-bound portable lamps the relevant scope is ETL listing to UL 153; a serious supplier answers this in one line and can provide certificate copies on request. Skipping the compliance block does not save time — it just moves the discovery to the point where you have already designed your packaging.

Common RFQ mistakes, and the replies they invite

Three omissions account for most of the friction. Quoting without a quantity break structure — the supplier prices one number for one unknown volume, and you have no visibility of what scale would buy you. Omitting the packaging requirement — the quote arrives priced for a plain export carton while your program assumed retail-ready boxes, and the gap surfaces as a change order. And asking several suppliers different questions — the comparison that comes back is not a comparison at all, just a set of numbers with private assumptions attached.

The tell in the reply is as useful as the price. A supplier who restates your scope back to you, flags an assumption you did not state, and asks about the destination market's compliance requirements before quoting is demonstrating exactly how the account will be run after the order. A supplier who returns a bare number against an incomplete RFQ is telling you the same thing from the other direction.

What a good answer looks like

A complete response arrives with the unit price at each tier you asked for, tooling or development costs separated out where relevant, the assumed Incoterm and destination repeated back to you, the lead time in working days from order to ex-factory or ex-warehouse, and the payment terms. Anything missing is a question to ask before comparing, not after. If two suppliers quote the same scope, the comparison is real; if they quote different scopes, the cheaper number is usually the one with more assumptions hidden in it. Rank the survivors through a landed cost model before the shortlist becomes a decision.

Keep your RFQ as a reusable document — most of it does not change between suppliers, and consistency is what makes quotes comparable.

Frequently asked questions

Is email enough, or do suppliers need a formal RFQ document?

A short structured document attached to email is ideal. The format matters less than completeness; suppliers work from what is written, and a reusable document also forces you to notice the gaps in your own requirements before they become change orders.

Should I share my target price?

Only when quoting a customization and only with a realistic figure. For stocked SKUs, asking suppliers to quote against a target invites a number aimed at the target rather than at cost, which destroys the comparability the RFQ exists to create.

How long should a supplier take to respond?

For stocked items, a working day or two. For custom lamp production with tooling, one to two weeks is normal because the quote depends on engineering input. Silence beyond that window is itself information about how the account will be handled after the order.