7 RFQ Mistakes That Delay Your Order and Raise the Price

7 RFQ Mistakes That Delay Your Order and Raise the Price

A CNC quotation is only as good as the information behind it. When a quote comes back late, vague, or unexpectedly expensive, the cause is usually not the supplier’s margin — it is something missing or over-specified in the RFQ itself.

These seven mistakes account for most of the friction. Each one is fixable in minutes, and the fix pays off on every future order.

1. A Drawing Without Tolerances — or Everything at ±0.01

Both extremes cost you. A drawing with no tolerances forces the supplier to assume the worst and price defensively. A drawing where every dimension is ±0.01 forces the shop to treat a cosmetic bracket like a gauge — more setups, slower feeds, extra inspection on features that will never be measured again.

Tolerance the features that are functionally critical, and give the rest a sane general tolerance. The quote drops, and the supplier’s attention goes where your risk actually is.

2. Material Written as “Aluminum”

“Aluminum” covers alloys that machine differently, anodize differently, and cost differently. 6061-T6, 7075-T6, 5083, and 2024 are not interchangeable in strength, corrosion behavior, or price. The same applies to stainless (303 machines freely; 316 fights back), and to plastics (POM versus PEEK is an order of magnitude apart).

Write the grade and temper, or ask the supplier to propose one based on function. An RFQ that says “6061-T6 or equivalent, propose alternative if cheaper” gets faster and sharper pricing than one that says “aluminum”.

3. Sending Only a 2D PDF

A 2D drawing without a 3D model means the supplier must rebuild your part mentally — or in CAD — before they can even estimate machining time. They will price that uncertainty into the quote, or wait three days for you to answer questions.

Send the STEP or IGS file with the drawing. For complex contoured parts, a 3D model can cut the quoting time in half and removes an entire category of “we assumed” errors.

4. Surface Treatment as an Afterthought

“Anodized” is not a specification. Type II or Type III? Natural or black? What thickness? Masked areas for conductivity or threads? Each answer changes the process routing, and treatments are frequently outsourced — which means they add their own lead time and quality risk.

Specify the finish with the standard (for example, Type II anodize per MIL-A-8625, black, 10–15 µm, mask threads). If you are not sure what you need, say the function (“corrosion resistance, cosmetic black, threads must stay bare”) and let the supplier propose — but do it in the RFQ, not after the parts are machined.

5. One Quantity, No Outlook

Quoting 10 pieces and 1,000 pieces are different exercises: different fixturing, different cycles, sometimes different processes. If the RFQ says only “10 pcs”, the supplier prices a prototype job — and you will never see the production price, which might be the number that actually decides the project.

Give the real picture: “10 pcs prototype now, 200–500 pcs/year if it works.” Suppliers price the bridge from prototype to production honestly when they can see it. This single line also tells them you are worth a careful quote.

6. No Acceptance Criteria

If the RFQ does not say what “good” means, the supplier decides — usually the cheapest version. Will you get a full-dimension report or a few spot checks? Measured against which drawing revision? Sampled how often in a batch?

State it: “Full-dimension report against Rev C on first article; critical dimensions listed in the table for every batch.” A supplier with a real quality process will recognize the requirement and answer it directly.

7. Forgetting the Destination

Where the parts are going changes the logistics cost, the packaging, and sometimes the lead time. An RFQ that omits the delivery country and trade term (EXW, FOB Shanghai, DAP) gets quotes with shipping assumptions buried inside — and the cheapest-looking quote may be the most expensive door-to-door.

One line at the bottom fixes it: “Ship FOB Shanghai to Hamburg, Germany; export cartons, no loose parts.”

The Pattern Behind All Seven

Every mistake above has the same root: the RFQ leaves a decision unmade, so the supplier makes it for you — defensively, and into the price. The fix is not more paperwork; it is seven deliberate lines that tell the supplier you know what you are buying. In practice, RFQs that answer these points get faster answers, tighter prices, and far fewer surprises at delivery.