AEC definitions
RFQ means two things in construction. A request for quotation asks a supplier or subcontractor for a price on a defined scope. A request for qualifications asks a firm to show its experience so it can be shortlisted. The document's contents tell you which one you are holding.
Definition
A quotation RFQ is narrower than an RFP. The product or the scope is already described, and the response is mainly a price, lead time, and exceptions. General contractors send quotation RFQs to subcontractors during bidding. A qualifications RFQ usually comes first on a public or design-build pursuit, and it does not ask for a price. Mixing the two names in one email thread is how a firm submits a brochure when you needed a number, or a number when you needed a shortlist.
In depth
If the form asks for unit prices, alternates, and a validity date, it is a quotation. If it asks for projects, staff, and safety history, and says fees will be requested later, it is qualifications.
Answer the one they sent. A qualifications package stapled to an unsolicited price can be rejected as nonresponsive on a formal procurement.
It should include the relevant spec sections, the drawings, the addenda, the scope list, and the bid time. A trade that bids without addendum 3 is not covering the same work as a trade that did.
Scope sheets that say 'include Division 23' without listing the odd items in Division 01 will miss temporary work and closeout. Attach both.
Suppliers exclude startup, taxes, or a model that does not match the schedule. Those exceptions belong at the top of the quote. Buried exclusions are how a buyout looks cheaper than it is.
Compare quotes on the same scope. A low number that excluded the controls is not the low number.
Publish the scoring. Shortlist the firms that meet it. Then issue an RFP or an interview. Using undeclared preferences is a protest risk on public work and a trust problem everywhere else.
Do not ask for a full design in a qualifications phase unless you intend to pay for it. That is an RFP, or unpaid work.
A purchase order or a subcontract incorporates the quote, the scope, and the exceptions you accepted. A verbal 'you're low' is not that document.
Validity dates matter. A quote that expired before award cannot be enforced at the old number without the seller's agreement.
Examples
A GC sends an RFQ to three fire-protection subs with the spec sections, addenda, and a scope list. Each quote states whether design is included.
A city issues an RFQ for qualifications for on-call architects. Fees are not requested. A later RFP goes to the shortlist.
A switchgear quote excludes startup. The leveling sheet shows that cost in the other two quotes, so the totals can be compared.
FAQ
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