Quotations
How to Get a Free Quotation That You Can Actually Compare
Getting a free quotation is easy — most suppliers will give you one. Getting three quotations you can meaningfully compare is much harder, because unless you specify the job identically to each supplier, you receive three prices for three different pieces of work. This guide covers how to ask, what to include in the request, how many suppliers to approach, and how to read what comes back so the cheapest number does not automatically win.
By Arshad Hossain · Published
The short version
- Quotes are only comparable if every supplier prices the same specification.
- An RFQ is just a structured request — it does not need to be formal to work.
- The cheapest quote usually has the narrowest scope; compare exclusions, not totals.
- Give a decision date, or you will be chasing suppliers who assumed you went elsewhere.
Request a quotation from suppliers: step by step
- 1
Write the specification before you contact anyone
Describe what you need in enough detail that two different suppliers would price the same thing. Quantities, dimensions, materials, standards, locations and deadlines. This document is the whole exercise.
- 2
Decide what you are keeping fixed
Be explicit about which parts are non-negotiable and which are open to the supplier's recommendation. Suppliers add real value on the open parts, but only if they know which those are.
- 3
Shortlist three to five suppliers
Fewer than three gives you no benchmark. More than five wastes their time and yours, and suppliers who sense a cattle market quote defensively or decline.
- 4
Send the same request to all of them
Identical specification, identical questions, identical deadline. Ask each to price the specification as written and to list any exclusions or assumptions separately.
- 5
State your timeline and decision date
Say when you need the quote by and when you will decide. This is a courtesy and also a filter: suppliers who ignore a stated deadline at the quoting stage rarely improve later.
- 6
Compare on scope before price
Line the quotes up against your specification and mark what each includes and excludes. Only once they cover the same work does comparing totals mean anything.
- 7
Tell everyone the outcome
Including the suppliers you did not pick, briefly. It costs a minute, it keeps them willing to quote next time, and it is the single cheapest thing you can do for your future negotiating position.
Why three quotes so often turn out to be incomparable
The standard advice is to get three quotes. The standard result is three documents that cannot be laid side by side, because each supplier has interpreted a loose brief differently and priced a different scope.
One includes delivery and installation, another quotes ex-works. One assumes you supply materials, another prices them in. One covers a twelve-month warranty, another ninety days. The totals differ by 40% and the difference is almost entirely scope, not competitiveness.
The fix is entirely on your side of the transaction: write the specification once, send the identical document to everyone, and ask each supplier to state exclusions explicitly. This is what a request for quotation is, and it does not need to be a formal procurement document to work — a clearly structured email does the job for most small purchases.
What to put in the request
A request for quotation, or RFQ, is a structured way of asking. The formality should match the purchase, but the content list is much the same whether you are buying 500 printed items or a building refurbishment.
- Who you are, and how to reach the person who can answer questions
- What you need, described in specifics: quantity, dimensions, materials, standards
- Where it needs to be delivered or performed
- When you need it, including any hard deadline and any flexibility
- How long you need the quoted price to remain valid
- What you want quoted separately — delivery, installation, warranty, ongoing support
- Your payment terms, so a supplier can price them in rather than be surprised
- The date you need the quotation by, and the date you will decide
- A request that assumptions and exclusions be listed explicitly
How to read the quotes you get back
Resist ranking by total. The cheapest quotation is very often the one that has excluded the most, and the gap surfaces later as variations that cost more than the difference you saved.
Start by building a simple comparison grid: each row is an element of your specification, each column a supplier, each cell says included, excluded or unclear. Anything marked unclear is a question to ask before you decide, not after.
Then look at what each supplier has assumed. Assumptions are where the risk sits. "Assumes existing wiring is compliant" or "assumes artwork supplied print-ready" are the lines that become extra charges. A supplier who lists assumptions honestly is usually more reliable than one whose quote is silent, even if the silent one is cheaper.
Finally, check the validity period. A price valid for seven days from a supplier you cannot reach for a week is not a usable quote, and a very short validity is sometimes a pressure tactic rather than a cost reality.
| Compare this | Not this | Because |
|---|---|---|
| Scope covered | Headline total | The cheapest quote usually covers least |
| Stated exclusions | Assumed inclusions | Exclusions become variations later |
| Assumptions listed | Silence | Unstated assumptions are unpriced risk |
| Lead time | Price per unit | Late delivery often costs more than the saving |
| Validity period | Urgency in the email | Short validity can be a pressure tactic |
| Payment terms | Discount offered | Cashflow terms can outweigh a small discount |
Quotation, estimate or proposal — what you are asking for
Ask for the right document and you get a more useful answer.
Ask for a quotation when you can specify the work precisely and want a fixed price you can hold the supplier to. Ask for an estimate when the scope genuinely cannot be pinned down yet, and expect the final figure to move. Ask for a proposal when you want the supplier to tell you how they would approach the problem, not just what it costs.
Using the words loosely produces predictable friction: a supplier who sends an estimate you treat as a quotation will charge more, and will be within their rights. The distinctions are covered in invoice vs quotation.
A note on "get a free quotation" as a marketing offer
Many suppliers advertise a free quotation as a selling point. In most industries a quotation is free by default, so the offer is really a promise of a site visit or a consultation at no charge.
That is worth having, but be clear about what you are agreeing to. A free survey often comes with a sales conversation attached, and in some sectors the quote produced is valid only if you commit on the day. Ask whether the price holds for a normal validity period, and treat same-day-only pricing as information about the supplier rather than a bargain.
If you are on the other side of this — issuing quotations rather than requesting them — how to write a quotation covers structuring the offer, and quotation generator covers producing the document.
Requesting a quotation: common questions
How do I ask a supplier for a quotation?
Send a written specification precise enough that two suppliers would price the same thing, state your deadline and decision date, and ask each to list exclusions and assumptions separately. A structured email does this as well as a formal document for most purchases.
What is an RFQ?
A request for quotation: a document sent to suppliers describing exactly what you need so each can return a comparable price. It can be formal procurement paperwork or a well-structured email. The value is in the specificity, not the formality.
What is the difference between an RFQ and an RFP?
An RFQ asks what it costs when you already know exactly what you want, so suppliers compete mainly on price and lead time. An RFP asks how you would solve this, so suppliers propose an approach as well as a price. Use an RFP when the method is genuinely open.
Should I tell suppliers my budget?
Usually yes, as a range. Withholding it tends to produce quotes aimed at the wrong scope entirely and wastes both sides' time. Withholding is more defensible only when you want a strict like-for-like comparison on a tightly fixed specification.
How many suppliers should I ask for a quote?
Three to five for most purchases. Fewer than three leaves you without a benchmark; more than five costs you comparison time and makes suppliers quote defensively. What matters far more than the count is that every supplier prices the identical specification.
Why are my supplier quotes so different?
Almost always scope rather than competitiveness. One includes delivery and installation, another quotes ex-works; one prices materials in, another assumes you supply them. Compare what each covers against your specification before comparing any totals.
Should I always choose the cheapest quotation?
No. The cheapest quote is frequently the one that excluded the most, and those exclusions resurface as variations that cost more than the saving. Compare stated exclusions and assumptions first — a supplier who lists them honestly is usually the safer choice.
Is it rude to ask for a free quotation?
No. In most industries quoting is treated as a cost of sale and suppliers expect to do it. Exceptions exist where producing the quote requires substantial work, such as surveys, engineering drawings or diagnostic labour, and a fee there is reasonable.
How do I decline a supplier quotation politely?
Briefly and promptly — one or two sentences, with a reason if you have one that is useful to them. It costs almost nothing, keeps that supplier willing to quote for you next time, and preserves them as leverage in future negotiations.
Do I have to accept a quotation I requested?
No. Requesting a quotation creates no obligation to buy; it is an invitation for the supplier to make an offer. You are only committed once you accept, which is why suppliers state validity periods and why acceptance should always be explicit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should a quotation be free?
How many quotes should I get?
Is a supplier obliged to honour their quotation?
Should I tell suppliers what my budget is?
How do I say no to a supplier whose quote I did not accept?
More on quotations
- How to Write a Quotation
How to write a price quotation that wins the work and cannot be argued with later.
- Quotation Example: A Completed Quote, Field by Field
A completed quotation with every field annotated, including the validity date most quotes leave off.
- Invoice vs Quotation: What Is the Difference?
Quote first to win the work, invoice afterwards to get paid. Where estimates and proposals fit.
- Free Quotation Templates: What Most of Them Leave Out
Word, Excel, PDF and browser quotation templates compared, the fields most free templates omit, and how to adapt one for your trade.
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