Most RFQ templates online are written for large tenders: ten pages, a cover letter and a scoring sheet. That is the wrong tool for the everyday purchase — a pallet of cartons, two hundred metres of cable, a month of cooking oil — where what you need is a clear message a trader in Sharjah can answer between two other calls. Why the detail matters is its own post; this one is just the template.
The template
Copy the lines below into an email, a WhatsApp message or a document, and replace each bracket. Delete any line that does not apply, but think twice before deleting the last three — they are what make two quotes comparable.
- Request for quotation — [your company name], [date]
- Item: [the trade name of the product, plus the standard if there is one — e.g. GI pipe, 2-inch, BS 1387 medium]
- Specification: [size, grade, material, finish, colour, brand or "or equivalent"]
- Quantity: [number and unit — e.g. 100 lengths of 6 m, 50 cartons of 24]
- Repeat order: [one-off / monthly / regular]
- Delivery to: [area and emirate — e.g. Mussafah, Abu Dhabi] or collection from your store
- Needed by: [date, or "from stock"]
- Please quote: price per [unit], VAT shown separately, delivery included or priced separately
- Payment terms: [cash / card / bank transfer / credit days you are asking for]
- Quote validity: please say how many days the price holds
- Quote by: [date and time you need the reply]
- Contact: [name, mobile or WhatsApp, email]
The short WhatsApp version
For a quick price from a trader you already know, the long form is too much. This is the minimum that still produces a comparable answer:
Hi, please quote [item, spec] × [quantity and unit], delivered to [area]. Price per [unit], with VAT and delivery shown. Needed by [date]. Thanks.
How to use it so the replies compare
- Send the same text to every supplier. Editing it per supplier is how one of them ends up quoting a different wall thickness.
- Attach what you already have: an old invoice for the same item, a photo of the label, or a datasheet. It answers half the template for you.
- Ask at least five suppliers. With two quotes you cannot tell a good price from an average one.
- Put the replies in a sheet with one column per line of the template. A blank cell is a question to ask before you compare.
Quick answers
What is the difference between an RFQ and an RFP? An RFQ asks for a price on something you have already specified. An RFP asks suppliers to propose how they would meet a need, and is used when you do not yet know exactly what to buy.
Should I include a target price? Only if you have a real one and are happy for suppliers to see it. A target invites suppliers to quote close to it, which helps if it is fair and hurts if it is higher than the market.
How long should I give suppliers to reply? For a local stock item, the same or next working day is normal in the UAE. For anything made to order or imported, allow three working days.
Or skip the copying altogether
Our AI procurement platform builds the same request with you in a short chat, or from an invoice you upload, then has the voice agent ask every supplier for exactly these details on the phone — the same questions, in the same order — and returns one ranked comparison. See the agent call a real supplier.