Reply to an RFQ With Missing Specifications

When an RFQ says only “send your best price,” the supplier should not invent the product definition. A useful first reply shows that the request was read and identifies the few missing details that materially change process, cost or delivery. Avoid sending a long generic questionnaire to make the buyer do your analysis.

Separate blockers from refinements

List the missing model or drawing, quantity, destination or delivery point, required finish and any performance requirement. Mark which are blockers to a firm quote and which can be provisional assumptions. For each blocker, ask a specific question: “Is the housing aluminum grade A or grade B?” is easier to answer than “Please provide all technical details.”

If the product is standard, you may offer a named standard configuration as an option. Attach its datasheet and say clearly that it is an alternative to the buyer's undefined request. Do not label an unreviewed custom product “standard.”

Set a next response point once the answers arrive. A short interim acknowledgement is useful: “We can price the standard model today; the custom finish and packaging remain open.” The aim is to advance the decision while preventing an ambiguous email from becoming a binding product promise.

Worked example (illustrative)

An enquiry asks only for “100 metal cases.” The supplier identifies that material grade and finish control the process, then asks those two questions first. It also attaches a datasheet for an existing case as a separate option. The team does not pretend that its standard model is the undefined custom item in the enquiry.

Source check

Checked 2026-09-28. ITA inquiry-response guidance recommends replying to an inquiry with a request for specifics about what the buyer seeks. The linked source supports this point only. The steps and worked example above are editorial guidance; they do not establish any supplier’s capability or guarantee a buyer response, order or delivery.

Evidence and use boundary

Editorial method reviewed: 2026-09-27. This article is an operational checklist, not a report of current market conditions or a claim about any particular factory, buyer, certification or delivery result. Check the current product and transaction records before acting.