Preparing an RFQ for Electrical Power Equipment

A request for quotation (RFQ) starts a conversation. Its purpose is to tell a supplier enough about the need for a useful, accurate offer to be prepared, and to make sure that offers from different sources can be compared on the same basis. A good RFQ does not have to be long, and it does not have to be complete on the first day. Projects often begin with a single-line sketch, an equipment list or a consultant’s draft specification. What matters is that the essential information is there, and that open points are visible rather than hidden.

This article answers the question: what should an RFQ for electrical power equipment contain, which information is essential from the start and which can reasonably be clarified later, and how do you prepare one that leads to comparable, accurate offers?

Key takeaways

You do not need a complete package to send a first enquiry. A short description of the equipment, the system and the destination is enough to begin, and missing details can be clarified.
The essential information is: what equipment and how many, the main ratings or system data, the applicable standards, the site conditions in outline, the destination and delivery place, the expected timeframe, and anything that is non-negotiable.
Details such as accessories, finishes, documentation formats, test witnessing arrangements and packing can usually be clarified after the first review. Note, though, that some of them affect price, so offers will state the assumptions made.
Attach what you have: a specification, single-line diagram, layout, datasheets or even photos of existing nameplates for replacement equipment.
Say which requirements are mandatory, and whether alternatives are welcome. This keeps offers comparable without excluding good solutions.
A clear RFQ makes comparison easier, but the suitability of an offer is still a matter of engineering review, not of ticking boxes.

What an RFQ is for

An RFQ has two jobs:

To get a suitable offer. The supplier needs to understand the need well enough to select or design equipment that will actually work in the system and at the site.
To get comparable offers. If several offers are requested, each should be based on the same scope, conditions and delivery point, so that the differences between them are real.

Both jobs are served by clear information. Neither requires an RFQ to be a large document. Many good enquiries are a few paragraphs and an attachment or two.

Starting with what you have

Projects reach the RFQ stage in different ways:

A full tender package from a consultant, with specifications, drawings and datasheets.
A partial package: a single-line diagram and an equipment list, with the detailed specification still being written.
An early enquiry: a description of the need for budgeting or feasibility, perhaps with a load estimate.
A replacement or extension: equipment that must match or connect to existing equipment, often described by its nameplate and photos.

All of these are reasonable starting points. An early enquiry with clearly stated gaps is more useful than waiting for a perfect package, because the first review often shows which missing items matter most. If you are unsure about a rating or a standard, it is fine to say so. That is exactly the kind of question a technical review can help answer.

The essential information

The information below allows an offer to be prepared on a sound basis. If an item is not yet known, say so, and if possible say what you expect.

An RFQ information map: the essentials needed to start, the details that can follow in clarification, and the documents worth attaching.

Information	Why it matters	If it is not available yet
Equipment scope and quantities	Defines what is being quoted	List the equipment types and approximate quantities; refine later
Main ratings or system data	Ratings drive design and price: for example nominal voltage, frequency, rated power or current, fault level, earthing system	Give the system data you have; the supplier can propose ratings for confirmation
Applicable standards	Define how ratings are declared and tested	State the standards the project uses (IEC by default, if that is the project basis), and any national, utility or IEEE/ANSI requirements
Site and service conditions	Affect ratings, insulation and enclosure design	Give location, indoor or outdoor, and any known extremes (heat, altitude, humidity, dust, coast)
Destination and delivery place	Affect delivery terms, packing, documents and sometimes standards	Give country and city or site; the delivery terms can be agreed in clarification
Expected timeframe	Allows a realistic delivery proposal	Give the required on-site date or the project phase
Non-negotiable requirements	Prevent offers that cannot be accepted	List utility requirements, approved-manufacturer lists, specific standards or interfaces with existing equipment

Equipment-specific essentials

Some items carry their own essentials. The list below is not exhaustive, but it covers the information most often needed for a first offer.

Equipment	Essentials to state	More detail
MV switchgear and ring main units	Rated or nominal voltage, rated current, short-circuit level and duration, number and type of functional units, indoor or outdoor	Specifying MV Switchgear
Distribution and power transformers	Rated power, voltage ratio, vector group, liquid-immersed or dry-type, cooling, tappings, any loss requirements	Sizing a Distribution Transformer
Compact / package substations	MV and LV ratings, transformer rating, configuration of MV and LV units, site conditions	Compact / Package Substations
LV switchboards and distribution boards	Rated current and short-circuit rating of the assembly, list of outgoing circuits, earthing system, form of separation where required	Choosing LV Circuit Breakers
Generating sets	Required output and duty (rating category), load types and largest motor starts, site conditions, fuel, transfer arrangement	Sizing a Diesel Generator

Documents worth attaching

Where they exist, these documents help a great deal:

Specification or datasheets. Even a draft is useful. Writing a Clear Electrical Equipment Specification explains how to structure one.
Single-line diagram. It shows the whole system on one page: sources, equipment, ratings and connections. A hand sketch is better than nothing.
Layout or room drawings, if space or access is limited.
Site conditions, or a site conditions schedule. See Defining Site and Service Conditions.
Utility or authority requirements, if the destination imposes them.
Photos and nameplate data of existing equipment, for replacements or extensions.

What can usually be clarified later

Some information is needed for the final order but not for a first offer. Typical examples:

Detailed accessories, auxiliary contacts and spare ways.
Paint colour and finish (unless a corrosion protection requirement applies, which is a technical requirement, not a finish).
Cable entry details and exact termination types, once cable sizes are fixed.
Control wiring details, labelling and documentation formats.
The detailed inspection and test plan and witness arrangements, provided that the need for witnessed tests is flagged from the start.
Packing details, once the route and storage period are known.
Recommended spare parts and special tools.

Some of these items affect price. When they are not yet known, the offer will normally state an assumption, for example “standard manufacturer’s finish” or “bottom cable entry”. Reviewing the stated assumptions is part of reading an offer.

Commercial points to include

A few commercial points help offers to be comparable:

Delivery terms: the preferred Incoterms rule and named place, if known, or simply the destination, so that suitable terms can be proposed.
Timeframe: the required delivery date, or the date the equipment is needed on site.
Offer format: whether a price breakdown by item is needed, and whether optional items should be priced separately.
Evaluation basis, if it goes beyond price: for example capitalised transformer losses, or a preference for common spares.

Mandatory requirements and alternatives

An RFQ is most useful when it says how firm each requirement is:

Mandatory: the equipment is not acceptable without it, for example a utility-required protection scheme or a rating set by the system.
Preferred: desirable, but not decisive on its own.
Alternatives welcome: where another solution could meet the same need, say so, and say what it must achieve.

Inviting alternatives does not weaken the RFQ. It often brings better-suited or better-value proposals. Value, here, means technical suitability, quality and reliability for the actual requirement, not simply a lower price. Any alternative is then assessed by engineering review against the stated intent, not accepted or rejected automatically because its catalogue values match or differ.

Illustrative example: a first enquiry that works

Scenario (illustrative): a contractor needs equipment for a new pumping station abroad. The detailed specification is not ready yet. The first enquiry reads:

“We need two 11 kV ring main units (two cable functions and one transformer function each), two 1 000 kVA, 11/0.4 kV transformers and one LV main switchboard for a pumping station in [country]. The project uses IEC standards. Site is outdoor kiosk installation, coastal, summer temperatures up to about 45 °C, near sea level. Equipment is required on site in [month/year]. Attached: preliminary single-line diagram and pump list. Detailed specification to follow. Fault level at 11 kV not yet confirmed by the utility.”

Why it works: the scope, quantities, main ratings, standards basis, site conditions, destination, timeframe and the main open point (fault level) are all there. A supplier can start a review, ask focused questions and prepare an offer on stated assumptions.

Typical clarification questions that might follow:

What fault level and duration should be assumed at 11 kV until the utility confirms it?
Which transformer type is preferred: liquid-immersed or dry-type? Are there loss requirements?
What is the largest pump motor and its starting method? This affects the LV switchboard design.
Is the kiosk enclosure part of the scope, or are the RMUs and transformers installed in an existing building?
Which delivery place and terms are preferred?
Are witnessed factory tests required?

None of these questions means the first enquiry was poor. They are the normal next step.

What happens after you send an RFQ

In general, the process continues as described in International Electrical Equipment Sourcing: the requirement is reviewed, open points are clarified, suitable manufacturers are coordinated and an offer is prepared that states its scope, deviations and assumptions. If the RFQ goes to several suppliers, it helps to send all clarification answers to all of them, so that offers remain comparable.

From first enquiry to a comparable offer: open points are clarified or stated as assumptions, so an incomplete start still works.

A short RFQ checklist

Before sending, check that the RFQ covers, at least in outline:

Equipment types and quantities
Main ratings or system data
Applicable standards
Site and service conditions
Destination and delivery place
Required timeframe
Non-negotiable requirements, and whether alternatives are welcome
Attachments: specification, single-line diagram, layout, site data, as available
Known open points, listed

If some boxes are empty, send the enquiry anyway and say what is still open.

Relevant standards

Standard	What it covers	Why it matters
Incoterms 2020 (ICC rules)	Delivery obligations of seller and buyer, including where risk transfers and how costs are allocated, used with a named place	Lets the RFQ state delivery terms in a form every supplier reads the same way
IEC 60038	IEC standard voltages	Helps state system voltages consistently, so equipment ratings can be selected
IEC 60617	Graphical symbols for diagrams	Common symbols make single-line diagrams attached to an RFQ easy to read
IEC 61082-1	Rules for preparing documents used in electrotechnology	Good practice for diagrams and documents shared with suppliers
IEC 62271-200	AC metal-enclosed MV switchgear above 1 kV up to and including 52 kV	Basis for MV switchgear ratings in the RFQ
IEC 60076 series	Power transformers, including general requirements (Part 1) and dry-type transformers (Part 11)	Basis for transformer ratings and tests in the RFQ
IEC 61439 series	LV switchgear and controlgear assemblies	Basis for LV switchboard ratings and verification in the RFQ
ISO 8528 series	Reciprocating internal combustion engine driven generating sets	Basis for generating-set ratings and duty categories in the RFQ

National, utility or IEEE/ANSI requirements are added where the project or destination requires them.

Common mistakes

Waiting for a complete package before making first contact, and losing time that clarifications could have used.
Sending different information to different suppliers, so offers cannot be compared.
Leaving out the destination, which affects standards, documents, packing and delivery terms.
Omitting site conditions, so each offer assumes something different.
Not saying which requirements are mandatory, so offers either over-comply at extra cost or miss something essential.
Not flagging witnessed tests or special documentation needs early.
Comparing offers without reading their stated assumptions and deviations.

Conclusion

A useful RFQ for electrical power equipment states what is needed, for which system and site, to which standards, where and when, and which requirements are firm. It attaches whatever documents exist and lists what is still open. Detailed items such as accessories, finishes, documentation formats and packing can usually be settled in clarification, as long as the offer states its assumptions. Clear RFQs lead to comparable offers, and comparable offers make the engineering review of suitability and value easier. Most of all, an RFQ does not have to be perfect to be worth sending: a clear first enquiry, with its gaps visible, is the right way to start.