Start with one line per product
An RFQ (request for quotation) becomes easier to evaluate when the technical identity, commercial volume and pack are stated together. If you are comparing manufacturers, send each the same version of the brief and record every assumption in the replies.
- Exact active ingredient or combination, salt where relevant, strength and unit basis.
- Dosage form and release type: for example, a film-coated tablet or a sustained-release capsule.
- Intended country, route to market and whether this is a new launch, transfer or repeat supply.
- Initial quantity per SKU, quantity unit and expected reorder or annual forecast.
- Primary pack, units per pack, secondary carton and shipper expectations.
Resolve quantities before comparing prices
A quotation for 100,000 tablets is different from one for 100,000 boxes. State both the dosage-unit quantity and the finished-pack quantity. Separate initial launch stock from the expected annual forecast; neither should be silently treated as a purchase commitment.
| Field | Illustrative brief — not a Walter offer |
|---|---|
| Composition | Name each ingredient, strength and applicable standard |
| Order unit | 10,000 packs × 10 tablets = 100,000 tablets |
| Pack | Specify blister material, carton and printed components |
| Repeat plan | Forecast separately from the first order |
| Target date | Requested dispatch date, with any immovable deadline |
State what is already available
- Approved formula or development brief, reference product and specification, where applicable.
- Analytical methods and their transfer status; reference standards and impurity requirements.
- Existing stability information and proposed shelf life, identified as a proposal until supported.
- Approved artwork or responsibility for drafting and reviewing it.
- Technology-transfer documents, tooling or customer-supplied materials, if any.
- The document list needed for supplier qualification, audits or destination-market review.
Ask for a quotation that names its assumptions
Request the proposed manufacturing site, product permission review, batch and pack quantities, included testing and release scope. Ask whether materials, printed packaging, development work, validation, freight and taxes are included or separately priced. A low unit rate is difficult to compare if another quote includes more of the project.
- Quote validity, payment milestones and what starts the lead-time clock.
- Minimum batch, packaging-material minimums and permitted quantity variation.
- Responsibilities for artwork approval, deviations, changes and final release.
- Reorder assumptions and consequences of changing a composition, pack or forecast.
Send an initial brief without confidential attachments
Start with the product identity and commercial requirements. Use the enquiry to request a confidential technical exchange if a formula, process or customer-owned method is sensitive. Agree the NDA, recipients and transfer method before sharing controlled documents.