Flexible Packaging RFQ Template: What to Send Suppliers

A useful flexible packaging RFQ describes one defined pack, the quantity required for each design and the evidence still needed before purchase. Give every supplier the same document so differences in price can be separated from differences in what they are offering.

Begin with product and packing route

Identify the contents, intended fill quantity and application owner. State whether you need printed rollstock or premade pouches, and include the relevant line or filling contact. Mark product-pack suitability as a technical review item rather than assuming a format name establishes it.

BOBST describes distinct flexible packaging processes. Your RFQ need not prescribe a converter's equipment, but it should identify the supplied output and required specification. A roll quotation and a converted-pouch quotation are not equivalent simply because both carry the same design.

Attach the pack identity and quantity table

Provide a drawing with dimensions, units, seals, gussets and convenience features as applicable. Add the current artwork status and list every SKU, size, language and design version. Give requested quantities per row and distinguish initial requirements from an uncommitted forecast.

If the construction remains open, ask the supplier to label its proposal and assumptions. Keep alternatives as separate quote lines. Do not blend two proposed structures into one unexplained unit-price comparison.

Ask for the complete commercial scope

Request unit basis, quoted quantity, setup items, sample scope, taxes, packing, transport, payment terms, validity and approval dependencies as relevant. Ask who owns tooling or print-preparation assets and what would trigger another charge. These answers belong in writing before commercial acceptance.

ICC explains that Incoterms allocate selected costs and risks. If used, request the exact rule, version and named place; it does not replace the full order terms.

Organise the RFQ into a usable reference set

Give the enquiry an identifier and revision. Put a short index at the front showing the specification, drawing, artwork list, quantities and response form. Record the status of each attachment: released, preliminary or proposed by the supplier. A supplier should be able to identify the current version without searching an email chain. If an attachment changes during quotation, issue the revised index and identify which response lines need reconfirmation.

Use the product and packing route to explain the requirement rather than prescribe an unconfirmed solution. Include the intended contents and conditions that the application owner considers relevant. Ask the supplier to state the offered construction and any assumptions. CIPS places business requirements and specification before the RFQ. The practical buyer task is to make those inputs visible before interpreting a price response.

Separate mandatory requirements from preferences

Mark what the buyer requires, what it would prefer and what remains open to a proposal. A mandatory feature should have a reason and an owner able to assess compliance. A preference can be considered alongside other trade-offs. Avoid presenting an attractive reference image as a binding technical specification unless its construction has been defined. Suppliers need to know whether they may propose a different route and how that alternative will be evaluated.

Create a response column beside each requirement. Ask the supplier to mark offered as requested, proposed alternative, clarification needed or excluded, with a reference to its explanation. This is more useful than an overall complies statement. If a material proposal or application requirement remains unresolved, identify the evidence and responsible review separately. The RFQ can obtain commercial information while clearly showing that the technical decision is still pending.

Make quantities and units unambiguous

Use one row for each distinct purchase identity, including size, variant, language and artwork reference where applicable. State the required unit and delivery destination. Show committed order quantities separately from forecasts. If suppliers quote different units, request the basis needed to reconcile them rather than deriving a pieces-per-kilogram figure from an unidentified sample. An accurate project total cannot repair an ambiguous row identity.

For the illustrative three-flavour enquiry, assign rows A, B and C to the same pouch drawing and different artwork files. Mark A and B ready for review and C provisional. Ask whether the supplier's offer assumes all three are released together. If the buyer later delays C, obtain a response showing the effect on quantities, shared charges and the proposed schedule. The RFQ should preserve that dependency before it becomes a dispute about the combined total.

Ask for prices in a structured response

Separate recurring supplied-item price from preparation, samples, tooling, packing, transport and other stated charges. Request the quantity basis and currency for each line. Ask which items are included, separately charged, conditional or outside scope. An empty cell is unanswered, not free. Keep the supplier's original quotation alongside the comparison form so a transcription can be checked against its actual commercial wording.

If the buyer requests a cost breakdown, explain the decision it supports. The supplier may provide a commercial explanation without disclosing confidential internal costs. The useful outcome is an identifiable deliverable and charge basis. Do not invent a detailed cost model to fill gaps in the response. Obtain clarification on the missing scope and show unresolved amounts visibly until the relevant parties provide an accepted answer.

Map approvals to the offered schedule

List the inputs the supplier says must be complete before its proposed duration starts. Include artwork, technical release, order acceptance, payment and delivery information as applicable. Record who provides each input and its current state. Ask whether the quoted finish means production readiness, dispatch or arrival. This keeps an estimated duration connected to a defined sequence rather than allowing it to become a general promise to the sales team.

Request a change rule for the enquiry: which revisions require requotation, and who confirms the updated offer? A quantity change, additional artwork version or altered destination can affect different parts of the response. Route each change to the appropriate owner and retain the accepted revision. Do not allow an old price to be combined with a new drawing simply because both are the latest files available in separate folders.

End with an answerable clarification list

Review the responses against the indexed RFQ before requesting another general quotation. Give each gap a numbered question and ask for an answer against the relevant row. Separate technical questions from commercial ones so the right people can respond. For example, an opening-interface question belongs with the line and construction reviewers, while a charge-inclusion question belongs with commercial owners. Some decisions require both, and their connection should be recorded.

The resulting file should show the requested job, each supplier's actual offer and the differences still requiring a decision. That is the useful deliverable of an RFQ template. It helps procurement obtain comparable information without implying that a completed form proves application suitability, production capacity or an accepted purchase commitment.

Illustrative RFQ clarification

Imagine three flavours using one pouch size. The buyer requests 12,000 pieces in total but leaves the flavour split blank. A supplier cannot know whether to assess one print design or three small runs. Replace the total with three SKU rows and attach each artwork reference. Then ask suppliers to state which charges are shared and which apply per design. If one flavour is still awaiting approval, mark it provisional rather than allowing its tentative artwork to become a production instruction. The revised RFQ supports a reviewable offer without inventing a price or supplier minimum.

A working record for this decision

Use this original worksheet with your product and supplier team. Give each row a named owner and evidence reference; a blank answer remains an open decision.

Packaging RFQ: a practical specification example

A quotation becomes comparable only when each supplier is answering the same brief. Send the format, dimensions, proposed construction, closure, artwork count, quantity per design and destination together. If one element is undecided, identify it as an open question. Keep samples, setup charges and repeat quantities separate so the lowest-looking unit price does not conceal a different scope.

For this decision, start with the format, filled product and drawing. The useful output is one complete brief attached to every quotation request. Put that output beside the relevant quotation, drawing or sample rather than leaving it in a separate email. This is an illustrative decision exercise, not a report of a completed customer trial.

Product references to make the discussion concrete

The catalogue includes flat-bottom pouches and spout pouches. These examples show different physical constructions; they are not interchangeable specifications. A box-style base gives the filled pack a distinct footprint, with separate front, back and side panels. Compare a plain top opening with a regular zipper, and use filled samples to decide the shelf depth and panel proportions.

Use the reference pictures to identify the base, side panels, window or opening that you mean. A picture cannot supply the missing dimensions or material layers. If a photograph shows a finish or closure you do not want, state that difference explicitly; otherwise a visual reference can introduce an unintended requirement.

Complete the record before requesting the next sample

1. Attach one complete brief attached to every quotation request. Identify the product or SKU and the date of the observation.
2. Record the format, filled product and drawing. Keep confirmed information separate from proposed values and questions for the supplier.
3. Add the actual fill weight or volume, the dimension convention, material proposal and intended closure. Include the number of designs and quantity per design when requesting a quotation.
4. State which question the next drawing, sample or quotation must resolve. A change of size, closure or material should remain visible alongside the earlier reference.

This record makes the next conversation specific. It lets the design, purchasing and packing teams work from the same proposed item and shows which decision still needs evidence. Review the related product pages for format details, or prepare a custom packaging brief with the unresolved requirements.

Put the decision into practice

1. Create one RFQ file. Combine the specification, artwork index and quantity table under a single reference.

2. Label open questions. Separate confirmed requirements, supplier proposals and unresolved technical decisions.

3. Normalise responses. Ask suppliers to identify assumptions, alternatives and excluded costs against the same RFQ rows.

4. Release an accepted basis. Carry the clarified pack and commercial scope into the purchase order after responsible approvals.

Send the completed RFQ and SKU table to Navkar Poly Print for a specification-based quotation discussion.