The RFQ Filter: Why a 4-Line Inquiry Gets You a 20-Line Template — and How to Reverse It

Most RFQs I see arriving at Chinese suppliers look like this: "Dear Sirs, please quote 500W solar panels and LFP batteries for commercial project. Best price. Thanks."

The supplier's reply is predictable: a PDF from last month, a headline number that assumes full container load, and a spec sheet that uses generic cell chemistry language. You have just paid for nothing, because you asked for nothing.

A strong RFQ does two jobs at once: it tells the supplier exactly what to price, and it filters out the companies that can't answer precisely. When the question is narrow, a trading company that only knows headline numbers stalls, while a factory that actually makes your product can respond in 24 hours with a usable quote.

Five things to put in the RFQ header

1. Application, not product. "Commercial rooftop in Poland, 100 kWp, self-consumption" is more useful than "solar panel". It tells them what certification and tolerance matter.

2. Quantity and delivery window. 120 units in 6 weeks, or 500 units Q1 next year. Price behaves differently in both.

3. Hard technical constraints. Cell brand tier, efficiency floor, temperature coefficient, BMS communication protocol, cycle life, warranty length. If you don't know, write "please advise options" — that is a filter, not a weakness.

4. Delivery term you are willing to accept. FOB Shanghai, CIF Gdansk, or DDP to your warehouse. Stating it early stops the "we can discuss later" game.

5. Documents expected with the quote. Spec sheet, TUV/CE cert number, factory photo, reference project in your country. Suppliers who can't produce these within 48 hours are telling you something.

The question to ask yourself before sending

Could any of 100 suppliers reply to this without reading my actual product? If yes, rewrite it.

A narrow RFQ is not a time cost. It is a shortlist filter disguised as an inquiry. Suppliers who can answer precisely are usually the ones worth talking to; suppliers who can't are usually the ones you didn't want in the first place.

Use this as a procurement framework, not as legal, tax or technical advice. Verify each quote with the supplier in writing.

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