RFQ Template for Process Equipment (Free Excel and Word Layout)

An RFQ (request for quotation) for process equipment is a package of documents, not a single form. It should contain a cover letter and instructions to bidders, the scope of supply with datasheets, the codes and standards, inspection and testing requirements, the vendor document list, commercial terms, delivery and Incoterm, a price schedule, a technical compliance schedule, a deviations list, and the bid due date and validity. The template below sets each part out as a table you can copy into Word for the text and Excel for the schedules.

Generic RFQ templates are built for office goods and services. They miss the datasheets, inspection plans and documents that decide the price of engineered equipment.

Why this matters now

Two developments make a clean template worth having. IChemE published the Turquoise Book in 2026, a standard contract for the supply of materials and equipment designed to be attached unaltered, with project matters handled through schedules [1], so the commercial part of an RFQ no longer has to be invented each time. And public buyers are expected to share answers to bidder questions with all bidders at the same time [2], which works best when the RFQ sets out the clarification process from the start.

Part 1: invitation and rules

Public RFQs for goods share a common shape; one 2024 example from the Indian Institute of Science runs from the notice, through the goods and specifications, to terms on clarifications, validity, conformity, evaluation and award, with forms for the quotation and price [3]. For equipment, use this:

The IISc example asks quotations to stay valid for two months after the deadline and awards to the lowest evaluated price among substantially responsive bids [3]. For engineered equipment, a longer validity is common because evaluation, clarification and approval take time. Use our technical query template for the clarification log.

Part 2: technical package

Issue the vendor document list with the RFQ, not after award. The Journal of Petroleum Technology notes that the vendor data requirement schedule is issued as part of the enquiry for exactly this reason: documents cost money, and bidders can only price what they are told about [4]. For datasheets, see our guide to the centrifugal pump datasheet.

Part 3: commercial package

Name the Incoterms 2020 rule and the place, since the rules set out how obligations, risk and costs are shared between the parties [5]. JPT also recommends asking bidders for unit rates for items that tend to change, such as clips and nozzles on vessels [4].

Part 4: bid forms that come back

Price schedule. One line per priced item, with options and unit rates separate from the base price, so bids can be compared line by line.

Technical compliance schedule. One line per requirement, with a column for comply, partly comply or not comply, and a comment.

Deviations list. Any requirement the bid does not meet, in one place. Bharat Heavy Electricals' tender conditions say deviations stated anywhere else in the bid will not be considered [6]; a rule like that keeps surprises out of the small print.

Practical example

In this illustrative example, the price schedule for two solvent feed pumps comes back like this.

Because every bidder fills the same lines, a missing seal system or an unpriced test shows up at once, and options do not hide inside the base price. For more on running the process around the template, read our RFQ best practices.

Where ChemCapital fits

ChemCapital turns this structure into a structured RFQ with line items and attachments that goes to several suppliers at once, chosen from discovery results or your approved vendor list, with deadline tracking. Suppliers not yet on the platform can be invited, quotes come back in a consistent format with line items, assumptions and attachments, and you can ask for revisions with comments. See how it works.

Ready to send equipment RFQs that come back comparable? Start a free 14 day ChemCapital trial, with no credit card needed.