Tactical Gear RFQ and Quotation Guide

Why the RFQ Decides the Price You Get

Two buyers can contact the same tactical gear factory in the same week and receive quotations that differ by thirty percent. The factory is not favouring one over the other. The weaker inquiry left gaps, and the sales team filled every gap with a cautious assumption. Each assumption carries a price inside it.

A request for quotation is the document that turns an intention into a specification. In tactical gear it matters more than in most product categories, because the item is defined by tests, materials and certifications rather than by appearance. A plate carrier described only as black, 500D, one size can be built from four different nylon weights with three different stitch patterns, and the spread between those builds is real money at container scale.

A disciplined RFQ returns three things: comparable quotations, a shorter sampling cycle, and a written record that can be used to hold a supplier to what was promised. A one-line email asking for the best price on ten thousand vests returns a number that nobody can defend later.

This guide covers the four documents that decide the outcome of the quotation stage: the RFQ you send out, the quotation you receive, the comparison sheet you build, and the hidden cost list that reveals the real winner. It sits inside the wider how to source tactical gear workflow, which places this step in the procurement sequence.

How to Write a Tactical Gear RFQ

A workable RFQ is one page of headings and two to four pages of detail. Shorter invites guesswork. Longer buries the commercial terms that decide whether a factory can bid at all.

Specification

Write the specification as if the reader has never seen the product. Give the category, the intended use, the material, the weight, the dimensions and the color in that order. For load carriage, name the fabric denier, the coating, the webbing width, the buckle brand or an accepted equivalent, the thread, and the stitch density. For armor, name the protection level, the panel or shell material, the size run and the carrier system.

A Military or police tender usually arrives with a technical annex already attached, and that annex should be forwarded rather than summarised. When no annex exists, attach a photograph, a drawing or a physical reference sample. A single worn sample in the hands of the factory removes more doubt than three pages of text. If a reference sample is not available, say so plainly, because a factory that knows the specification is open will quote with wider tolerances.

State what is fixed and what is negotiable. Buyers who mark two or three features as open to suggestion often receive a better price than buyers who lock every line, because the factory can then propose a construction it already runs at volume.

Quantity and Order Scale

Give the quantity per color, per size and per model instead of a single total. A run of one thousand vests split across five sizes and two colors is a different job from one thousand units in one size.

Ask for two lines in the reply: the price at the full quantity and the price at a trial quantity. The usual benchmark on custom production is MOQ 100 pieces per model, and many factories accept a trial order about 50 pieces in a stock or near-stock configuration. Writing both numbers into the RFQ tells the factory which conversation you want to have. A supplier that refuses to name any trial quantity at all is telling you something useful before the sampling stage even begins.

If the programme may grow, say so. A buyer who mentions a second order of three thousand pieces is treated differently from a buyer who mentions nothing.

Delivery Schedule

Ask for two dates: samples and bulk. A realistic answer is pre-production samples 5-7 days after specification and artwork approval, and bulk production 20-30 days after sample approval. Treat anything dramatically shorter as a warning sign rather than a bargain.

Name the date you need the goods, the destination port or door, and the incoterm you intend to buy on. FOB, CIF and DDP change both the price and who carries the risk, so an RFQ that leaves the incoterm blank cannot be compared with any other RFQ.

Ask whether the quoted lead time is counted in working days and whether it starts on deposit or on sample approval. Those two answers routinely explain a two-week gap between quotations that look identical at first glance.

Packaging and Labeling

Packaging is where a cheap quotation often hides its real cost. Specify the polybag thickness, the master carton dimensions and strength, the units per carton, the carton marking, and the label content.

For retail or dealer programmes, state whether the product needs a hangtag, a barcode, a size sticker, a user manual or a sealed box, and whether the buyer supplies the artwork or the factory produces it. Every one of those items is quoted separately once the RFQ asks for it.

Request a carton specification in the reply. A carton that fails in transit costs more than the difference between two quotations.

Certification and Testing

List every certificate, test report or standard the goods must satisfy, and say who pays for the testing. Common examples include ISO 9001 for the facility, NIJ protection levels for armor, ballistic or stab test reports, and material certificates from the fabric or hardware supplier.

Ask which testing laboratory is used, whether the report is issued to you or to the factory, and whether batch testing is included or billed per lot. A quotation that answers those three questions is worth more than one that carries a certificate logo.

Finally, state the inspection terms you expect, such as an AQL 2.5 inspection at final packing with a third-party agency of your choosing.

What a Tactical Gear Quotation Should Contain

A quotation that omits any of the following lines is incomplete, and every missing line becomes a negotiation later:

Unit price in the quoted currency, per size and per color where the price differs

MOQ per model, and the price break at higher quantities

Sample cost and whether it is deducted from the bulk order

Lead time for samples and for bulk, with the start point named

Payment terms, such as 30 percent deposit and 70 percent against the bill of lading copy

Incoterm with the named port or place, plus what is excluded

Packaging cost, carton specification and labeling

Validity period of the price, usually 15 to 30 days

Certification documents included, and testing cost if they are not

Inspection terms and who bears the cost of a failed inspection

When a supplier sends a single number with no supporting lines, ask for the full sheet. A factory that will not break down its own quotation will not break down a price increase either.

How to Compare Quotations Without Being Fooled

Price comparison starts by making the quotations structurally identical. Rebuild every reply into one table with the same rows, then mark each gap with a note instead of filling it with an assumption.

Line to normaliseWhy it changes the outcome

Unit price basisA price per piece at a different quantity is not the same price

Delivery basisFOB ex-works warehouse and DDP delivered door are different products

Deposit percentageA lower unit price carried by a larger deposit is a cash cost

Sample feeWhether it is credited back changes the true first order value

Lead time start pointDeposit date and sample approval date can be two weeks apart

Packaging scopeCarton, hangtag and labeling costs move between buyer and factory

Price validityA 7-day validity is a different risk than a 30-day validity

Payment securityA bill of lading copy release is safer than a goods-in-hand release

Then convert every line into a number at the same quantity and the same incoterm. Only after that step does it make sense to rank the suppliers. Price per piece decides the order only when every other row is equal, which happens less often than most buyers expect.

Two extra checks belong in the same exercise. First, ask each supplier to re-quote at the final agreed specification, because the first reply is usually built on the first draft. Second, note the response speed and the quality of the questions asked. A supplier who returns a marked-up drawing with questions is telling you how the production file will be handled later.

This comparison discipline is the same one used in the MOQ and price negotiation stage, where the price breaks from several quotations become the opening positions.

Hidden Costs That Appear After the Quotation

The unit price is the visible part of the invoice. These items arrive later and are rarely inside the first quote:

Freight and insurance from the port of loading to the destination

Import duty, tax and clearance fees at the destination country

Inland trucking and warehouse handling on both ends

Testing and certification when the report is billed per batch

Tooling and print plates for logo, pattern or custom hardware

Artwork and design work if the buyer supplies no finished file

Sample freight and the cost of returning or keeping samples

Exchange rate movement between quotation and deposit

Payment and bank charges on a transfer, plus any transfer delay cost

Rework or replacement after a failed inspection

Storage and demurrage when documents or trucks are late

Ask the supplier to price the packaging, the testing and the tooling separately, and ask the freight forwarder to quote the rest before the order is placed. A landed cost sheet built at the quotation stage prevents the most common surprise in this trade: a cheap quote that becomes the most expensive order.

Build that sheet line by line, at the same quantity and the same incoterm for every supplier, and divide the total by the number of pieces in the shipment. The result is a delivered cost per unit, which is the only number that can be compared across quotations honestly. A unit price of 18.00 with freight, duty and carton upgrades added can land above a unit price of 20.50 quoted delivered, and only the sheet reveals which one is cheaper.

Common Pitfalls in the RFQ Stage

A few mistakes repeat often enough to be worth checking on every file:

Sending the same RFQ to ten suppliers at once, which guarantees that none of them invest time in the drawing

Leaving the incoterm, the quantity per size or the delivery date open, which makes the replies incomparable

Accepting a quotation with no validity period, then discovering a price increase at deposit

Comparing a stocked item price with a custom production price without noticing the difference

Skipping the sample step to save 5-7 days, then paying 20-30 days of production for a wrong construction

Treating a fast reply as a good sign when the specification was never questioned

Give each supplier a clear deadline, ask a specific question or two in the RFQ so that a reply demonstrates real reading, and keep every quotation in one file with the date received. The buyer who can show a supplier the earlier sheets negotiates from a stronger position than the buyer who starts each conversation fresh.

FAQ: Tactical Gear RFQ and Quotation

How long should a factory take to answer an RFQ?

For a well-written RFQ on a standard item, three to five working days is normal, because the sales team needs the cost sheet from production. Complex armor or custom load carriage takes longer, and a reply that arrives in two hours on a multi-size programme is usually a guess rather than a quote.

Is the lowest unit price always the best quotation?

No. A lower unit price often sits on a larger deposit, a shorter price validity, a higher MOQ, or an incoterm that leaves the freight and duty with the buyer. Compare quotations only after the quantity, the incoterm, the payment terms and the packaging scope all match.

Can a new buyer get a quotation without committing to a full order?

Yes. Most factories quote at 100 pieces per model for custom work and offer a trial order about 50 pieces in a stock configuration, and sample production runs 5-7 days after approval. The trial order is the standard way to test a factory before a larger commitment.

Should the same RFQ go to every supplier?

Send the same technical specification to every supplier so the replies can be compared, but keep the commercial requests honest. Ask a limited number of serious suppliers, tell each of them that a shortlist exists, and give a real reply deadline.

What if two quotations are identical in price?

Then decide on the other rows: lead time after sample approval, the deposit percentage, the inspection terms, the price validity, and the answers to the questions embedded in the RFQ. Identical prices with different terms are not identical offers.

Related Guides

How to Source Tactical Gear sets the RFQ stage inside the full procurement sequence, from requirement definition to delivery.

How to Choose a Reliable Tactical Gear Manufacturer explains the factory checks that make a quotation believable.

Tactical Gear Sampling Process Guide covers what happens in the 5-7 days between a confirmed quotation and an approved sample.

Tactical Gear MOQ and Price Negotiation shows how to turn the price breaks in a quotation into better terms.