The Challenge
An incomplete RFQ is the single biggest cause of quotation delay in industrial procurement. When process conditions, materials or certification requirements are missing, the supplier has to stop and ask — and every clarification cycle adds days to a timeline that's usually already tight. Worse, an RFQ answered on assumptions instead of real data can result in a quoted product that doesn't actually fit the application, which surfaces only after the order is placed.
Technical Breakdown
Process conditions come first: the fluid or gas being handled, its phase, design pressure and design temperature. These four data points alone rule out or confirm entire product families before a single part number is discussed.
Material and connection: wetted material (e.g. SS316/316L, duplex, super duplex), size, and connection type (compression/double-ferrule, cone-and-thread, NPT, butt-weld) need to be specified together — the same nominal size can require a different fitting depending on the connection standard in use elsewhere in the system.
Applicable codes and standards: project specification, ASME/API references, and — where the installation is in a classified area — the hazardous-area zone and required ATEX or IECEx protection method. Leaving this out is the most common reason a quoted product turns out to be unsuitable after the fact.
Documentation and traceability requirements: whether EN 10204 3.1 material certificates, CoCs, or specific NACE MR0175 compliance are required for the project, since these affect both the manufacturer selection and the lead time.
Commercial detail: quantity, required delivery date, delivery location/Incoterms, and the end-user or project name where applicable — this lets a supplier flag long-lead items early instead of after the quotation is issued.
Engineering / Procurement Checklist
What to define before requesting a quotation.
- Process fluid/gas, phase, design pressure and design temperature
- Material grade and connection type/size
- Applicable codes, project specification and hazardous-area classification (if any)
- Required certification (EN 10204 3.1/3.2, NACE, ATEX/IECEx, etc.)
- Quantity and unit of measure
- Required documentation (datasheets, MTCs, drawings, nameplate photos if replacing an existing part)
- Project/end-user name, required delivery date and delivery location