Project briefing · Working guide
Furniture RFQ Checklist: What Buyers Should Send Before Requesting a Quote
A copy-ready furniture RFQ framework covering product schedules, specifications, quantities, destination, approvals and the assumptions required for comparable quotations.
MAVORA / BUYER NOTES / 202601
What information belongs in every furniture RFQ?
Every RFQ should identify the buyer, the project, the product schedule, quantities, destination, required delivery window and the commercial basis for the quote.
A link to a product image is not a specification. It leaves the supplier to guess the size, material, finish, upholstery, packaging and compliance basis. Those guesses produce fast prices that cannot be compared. Begin with a versioned schedule, even if several fields are still marked to be confirmed.
Tell the supplier which decisions are fixed and which are open to a technically equivalent proposal. That distinction encourages useful alternatives without allowing the quotation to drift away from the design brief.
- Buyer and project: company, market, project type and decision contact.
- Product reference: model code, drawing or clearly labelled reference image.
- Order scope: quantity by item, room type or store, plus expected repeat potential if known.
- Destination: city, country, site or port and any access constraints already known.
- Programme: sample decision date, production target and required-on-site window.
- Commercial basis: currency, requested Incoterm, warranty request and quote-validity period.
02
How should the product schedule be structured?
Use one row per item and one column per decision so that missing information is visible before pricing begins.
| Field | What to enter | Why it changes the quote |
|---|---|---|
| Item ID | Unique code such as LR-S01 | Keeps drawings, revisions and prices aligned |
| Product | Sofa, dining table, bed or casegood | Establishes the relevant construction and packaging checks |
| Dimensions | Overall W × D × H and critical clearances | Changes material use, freight volume and room fit |
| Materials | Frame, substrate, visible surface and hardware | Prevents unlike constructions being priced as equivalents |
| Finish / upholstery | Reference, colour and performance requirement | Affects sampling, minimums and repeatability |
| Quantity | Units by finish or configuration | Determines setup, material purchasing and production planning |
| Evidence | Drawing, photo, finish chip or approved reference | Creates an objective approval point |
03
What should a comparable quotation show?
A comparable quote identifies what is included, what is excluded and which assumptions the supplier used for every commercial line.
Ask for unit price and total price by item rather than one project total. The quote should state the currency, trade term and named place, packing basis, sample cost, tooling or development cost, expected production lead time, payment milestones and validity period.
Where specifications are incomplete, request a separate qualification list. A lower price may rely on a different substrate, lighter hardware, standard fabric, knock-down construction or buyer-arranged transport. None is automatically wrong, but each must be visible before comparison.
- One price line per product and configuration.
- Material and finish basis referenced to the schedule revision.
- Packaging and assembly state stated explicitly.
- Sample, tooling, testing, inspection and documentation charges separated.
- Production lead time separated from freight transit time.
- A short list of exclusions, substitutions and open decisions.
04
How do you issue and control RFQ revisions?
Give every schedule and drawing a revision code, set one clarification deadline and issue the same written answers to all suppliers still in the comparison.
Uncontrolled email changes are a common source of false price comparisons. When a dimension, quantity or finish changes, update the schedule rather than asking each supplier to remember a message. Request that the final quote repeats the revision it prices.
Before selecting a supplier, convert remaining assumptions into dated actions: sample approval, finish approval, drawing sign-off, packaging confirmation and pre-shipment inspection. The RFQ is complete when it can become the commercial backbone of the purchase order.
Specific questions
Frequently asked questions
Can I request a furniture quote before final quantities are known?
Yes. Provide a realistic quantity range and ask the supplier to show any price or MOQ breakpoints. Mark the quotation as budgetary until the final item schedule is issued.
Should I include a target price in an RFQ?
Include it when the target is a genuine commercial constraint. Pair it with the required specification so the supplier can explain which construction or finish changes would be needed to reach it.
What if I only have reference images?
Label them as design references, add required overall dimensions and list the materials or functions that cannot change. Then make drawings and a physical sample formal approval gates before production.
Get quote
Apply the guide to a real furniture brief
Share the shortlist, quantities, destination, specification and timing so open assumptions can be identified.