A compression garment RFQ should let suppliers price the same development task and the same production specification. If one quote includes size validation and testing while another covers sewing alone, the apparent unit-price difference does not answer which offer is more economical.
Issue a controlled brief, not a collection of references
Give the RFQ a revision number and list the files supplied: technical drawings, measurement chart, body ranges, bill of materials, artwork and proposed care instructions. Identify reference garments as fit, material or appearance references so that the supplier knows which attributes matter. A photograph alone cannot specify the behavior of an elastic garment.
State the activity, intended wearer and layering arrangement. Confirm that the project is sports apparel unless a separate medical-device development route has been established. Do not ask a sewing supplier to select a therapeutic pressure level or substantiate medical benefits as part of a routine quotation.
Explain what is fixed and what needs development
Mark each material and construction as fixed, preferred or open to a proposal. If the supplier may offer an alternative knit, ask for a separate option with its reference, assumptions and testing implications. Do not allow an alternative to replace the requested specification silently in the base quote.
For a measured compression requirement, provide the approved target and measurement basis from the project’s qualified technical team. If no target has been set, write “measurement plan and target to be agreed before approval” and request the cost of that development work separately. An invented number makes a quote look complete while leaving the product unresolved.
Price samples and validation as identifiable work
List the first prototype, revisions, size set, production-material sample and any laboratory samples. Specify quantities and sizes for each stage and ask what is included in the fee. Clarify whether pattern development, grading, artwork setup, testing and courier charges are separate.
Ask how many revision rounds the quote includes and what changes trigger an additional charge. Confirm ownership or access arrangements for patterns and technical files in writing. A low sampling fee may cover a stock block with limited changes rather than a new graded product.
Align the production and delivery assumptions
Show the quantity breakdown by style, color and size. Ask for garment, fabric, color and trim minimums separately, including treatment of unused material. Require the quote to state material availability, production location, subcontracted operations and the milestone from which lead time begins.
Name the delivery term and place, currency, payment schedule and quote validity. Compare packaging, inspection, required tests and freight scope explicitly. Do not add a customs rate or transit promise without checking the actual product, origin, destination and shipping arrangement.
Fillable compression RFQ schedule
Copy this schedule into the inquiry and ask each supplier to answer every row. “To be confirmed” should include an owner and a date. The base quote should retain the requested specification, with alternatives shown separately.
| RFQ field | Buyer input | Supplier response required |
|---|---|---|
| Product and revision | [Style / technical pack revision / intended use] | Exceptions or missing information |
| Size coverage | [Body ranges / garment chart / sample sizes] | Grading scope and validation approach |
| Materials | [References / colors / fixed or proposed] | Mill or source, availability and minimums |
| Compression requirement | [Approved target and method, or development required] | Measurement provider, scope and separate fee |
| Construction and logo | [Seam map / edge details / artwork] | Process route and trial requirements |
| Samples | [Stages / quantities / sizes / revisions] | Stage costs, timing and included corrections |
| Tests and inspection | [Methods / conditions / acceptance criteria] | Included work, outsourced work and report timing |
| Production | [Quantities by style, color and size] | Unit price, minimums and material balance |
| Commercial terms | [Currency / destination / delivery scope] | Payment, validity, exclusions and change charges |
Resolve exclusions before comparing the total
Create a clarification log beside the returned quote. Highlight missing size-set work, excluded tests and assumed substitutions before negotiating price. Ask the supplier to reissue a clean quotation incorporating agreed clarifications so that the purchase order is not built from conflicting messages.
The final comparison should show development cost, recurring production cost and delivery-related charges separately. Approve the technical scope first, then compare like-for-like totals. The RFQ is successful when every supplier understands which evidence and approved sample will define a deliverable garment, not merely when every cell contains a price.
Related purchasing guidance
Continue with Compression Clothing Manufacturer: Compression Targets, Zones and Recovery, or Custom Apparel Manufacturer: Tech Pack Inputs Required Before a Quote Is Valid.
