An apparel RFQ should make a supplier’s assumptions visible. Sending the same photograph to three factories does not create three comparable quotations: each may assume a different fabric, size mix, packing unit or delivery arrangement.
Build one dated specification and ask each supplier to price that version, list deviations and separate included costs from exclusions. Only then does a price difference become useful information rather than an unexplained number.
Freeze the comparison basis before requesting prices
Give the RFQ a reference and revision date. Attach the relevant tech pack, bill of materials, color-by-size quantities, artwork and packing requirements. If something is undecided, mark it as open and ask for a clearly identified assumption or a separately priced option.
Specify the intended quantity rather than using a supplier’s preferred volume as the baseline. Additional quantity breaks are useful, but each must show its own assortment, minimums and conditions. A price for one stock color cannot be silently compared with a quote for several custom colors.
Use a common reply date and record quotation validity. If the specification changes during the comparison, issue the revised version to every candidate and identify which earlier prices are no longer comparable.
A reusable RFQ field schedule
The following fields form a practical request, not a substitute for a complete technical specification. Ask suppliers to write “included,” “excluded,” “not applicable” or “requires clarification” where relevant.
| RFQ field | Buyer supplies | Supplier confirms |
|---|---|---|
| Order reference | Style, revision and intended use | Exact version priced and any deviations |
| Garment quantities | Pieces by style, color and size | Price unit, minimums and permitted quantity variation |
| Fabric | Reference, composition, construction, finished weight and agreed tolerances | Material source or proposed substitute; availability and booking assumptions |
| Construction and trims | Named seams, components and performance requirements | Included construction and component specifications |
| Decoration | Artwork, method, dimensions and positions | Unit charges, setup charges and approval requirements |
| Labels and packaging | Approved or provisional references, retail unit and carton requirements | Included components, assembly charges and separate minimums |
| Samples and development | Required stages and deliverables | Fees, included rounds, credit conditions and revision charges |
| Testing and inspection | Required scope, applicable methods and inspection arrangements | Included checks, outside-provider costs and exclusions |
| Delivery basis | Requested rule, named place and edition, where applicable | Quoted basis and responsibility for each excluded transport step |
| Commercial terms | Currency and requested delivery window | Payment stages, validity, dependencies and price-revision conditions |
Avoid requiring an invented tolerance merely to fill a field. Where the team needs technical input, ask the supplier to propose a method and acceptance criteria for review. Approve them before treating the quote as final.
Require a deviation log, not an unrestricted “equivalent”
Ask for deviations in a separate table with the affected reference, proposed alternative, reason, price effect and approval required. A supplier may have a useful alternative, but it is a different offer until you approve it.
For example, a proposed fabric substitution should name the alternative reference and relevant composition, structure, weight and performance evidence. A description such as “same quality” does not establish equivalence. Keep the compliant base quote and the alternative in separate columns.
If a headline price is unusually low, use the low-quote review checklist to investigate the scope. A low price alone does not prove either a saving or a quality problem.
Normalize costs without charging the same item twice
Compare offers at a common cost boundary, such as delivery to the same warehouse, using the same quantity and product specification. Separate confirmed supplier charges from third-party estimates and unresolved items.
A working total includes the quoted goods value, separately charged development and components, required testing or inspection, and logistics or import costs outside the supplier’s quote. Add a line only if it is not already included. Keep tax treatment consistent and obtain destination-specific classification and charge estimates from a qualified logistics or customs adviser.
The following example is hypothetical. It compares supplier-side charges only, before logistics, import charges and taxes. Both offers are assumed to cover the same approved specification and 600 garments; it is not a Knitwear Base quotation.
| Cost line | Offer A | Offer B |
|---|---|---|
| Garments | 600 × USD 6.00 = USD 3,600 | 600 × USD 6.20 = USD 3,720 |
| Development | USD 150 | Included |
| Required packaging | 600 × USD 0.25 = USD 150 | Included |
| Required outside inspection | USD 200 | USD 200 |
| Comparable subtotal | USD 4,100 | USD 3,920 |
| Subtotal per ordered garment | USD 6.83, rounded | USD 6.53, rounded |
Offer B is USD 180 lower at this boundary despite its higher garment price. It is not yet the lower landed-cost offer: the delivery basis and remaining costs still need reconciliation. If either offer changes the specification, resolve that before using the arithmetic to choose.
Use a separate denominator for cost per sellable retail unit when packs, samples or other non-retail units are involved. Dividing by ordered garments answers a different question from dividing by expected sellable packs.
Make delivery terms specific enough to compare
Record the delivery rule, named place or port and applicable edition, together with any separately agreed responsibilities. Do not treat EXW, FOB and DDP as interchangeable abbreviations for cheaper or more convenient shipping.
Use the FOB and DDP comparison guide and the EXW cost checklist for the detailed handoffs. Ask a forwarder which rule fits the actual transport arrangement; FOB is not a general-purpose term for every shipment.
For a delivered quotation, clarify the destination, import arrangements, documentation, exclusions and treatment of charges arising from delays or holds. A single delivered price still needs a scope. Delivery rules also do not settle every commercial issue, such as payment timing, product acceptance or transfer of title.
Keep uncertainty visible instead of inventing a risk premium
Retain separate columns for confirmed cost, estimated cost and unresolved scope. An unknown testing fee should remain open until quoted; entering zero creates false precision.
Record evidence about sample quality, production planning, subcontracting and inspection arrangements beside the financial comparison. If you model delay or rework scenarios, label the assumptions and show them separately from the confirmed cost. Do not attach arbitrary penalty percentages to suppliers just to make the spreadsheet produce a ranking.
Some gaps are approval conditions rather than prices. An unresolved material substitution or an unavailable required test may prevent purchase approval even if a total can be calculated.
Close the quotation into a purchase record
Before placing the order, reconcile the selected quotation with the final specification and approved sample record. Confirm accepted deviations, quantities, inclusions, exclusions, payment milestones, delivery dependencies and price validity in writing.
Keep the rejected alternatives and the reason for the decision. After delivery, compare actual invoices and quantities with the original estimate. Separate supplier changes from buyer-requested changes and logistics movements so the next RFQ improves the assumptions rather than merely blaming the variance.
For more detail on the components inside a garment price, read the apparel quotation cost breakdown. To request a comparable offer, send Knitwear Base your specification and quantity matrix with the RFQ revision, delivery basis and required testing and packing scope.
