A supplier returns your corrugated-case request for quotation with an attractive unit price, a larger minimum order and a note saying “equivalent board.” Another includes monthly deliveries and printing plates. Which offer is better? The first task is to expose what each supplier has actually priced.
Issue one revision-controlled RFQ brief, require a response against each requirement, and ask suppliers to price alternatives separately. That gives procurement a common comparison while leaving room for a box manufacturer to suggest a better construction. It also gives packaging and operations something specific to approve when samples arrive.
Separate the required outcome from the proposed construction
A material or construction requirement identifies what the supplier must make: wall construction, flute, specified board properties, joint and closure. A performance requirement identifies what the finished package must achieve under defined conditions. ASTM D5639/D5639M-25: performance-based corrugated selection supports developing testable attributes around the intended handling and environment. A construction description alone does not demonstrate those outcomes.
Mark requirements fixed, provisional or alternative permitted. Product count, orientation, receiving constraints and agreed protection requirements may be fixed. Preliminary dimensions, tolerances and a proposed board construction may remain provisional until fit and manufacturing feasibility are checked. Provisional does not mean suppliers can silently replace the quotation basis: request the stated base offer or an explicit exception.
For an alternative, ask what changes, what remains compliant, what evidence supports it, and what qualification work and cost it introduces. A different board may be worth investigating; changing the case count to obtain a lower case price changes the purchasing requirement. Keep those proposals separate until their consequences are understood. Share clarifications that change the brief with every bidder, under a new revision.
Build the brief around the product and its journey
The product, route, quantities, tolerances and prices below form one hypothetical example, not industry benchmarks. A manufacturer needs cases for six retail-packed replacement filter cartridges, moving from its Fresno packing plant to a Sacramento distribution center by enclosed truck, with one cross-dock transfer. Pallets remain intact until receiving; parcel delivery is outside this RFQ.
Use the following schedule as a reusable brief, replacing the example values and resolving provisional entries before approval. Ask suppliers to return a proposed value, compliance statement or deviation for each row, with supporting document references.
| RFQ field | Common quotation basis and required response |
|---|---|
| Product and orientation | Fixed: six retail cartons, each no larger than 195 × 95 × 235 mm, upright in a two-by-three arrangement. The combined carton envelope is 390 × 285 × 235 mm. |
| Dimensions and tolerances | Provisional base: 400 × 300 × 250 mm inside length × width × height, each ±3 mm. Define clear internal dimensions of the erected, squared case with closure thickness accounted for, not flat-blank or score-to-score dimensions. Supplier reports maximum outside dimensions. |
| Mass basis | Net products: 9.0 kg; retail packaging: 0.6 kg; provisional outer case and tape tare: 0.4 kg. Planning gross packed-case mass: 10.0 kg. Supplier declares case-only tare; buyer verifies the sealed pack. |
| Construction | Base: single-wall B-flute slotted case, meeting outer flaps and glued side joint. Supplier declares board grade, specified properties, test methods, caliper (board thickness) and flute direction. Different constructions require separate offers. |
| Closure and packing | Fixed: manual erection and the existing taping station. Buyer supplies the tape specification and top/bottom sealing pattern. Supplier identifies any required equipment or closure changes. Tape is not included in the case price. |
| One black print on one long panel. Buyer supplies revision-controlled artwork and the shipping-label keep-clear area; supplier confirms print-position tolerances and proof requirements. | |
| Supplied condition | Flat, factory-glued cases, clean and dry, in protected palletized bundles. Supplier states cases per bundle and pallet, delivered pallet size, height and mass, and bundle identification. |
| Distribution and storage | Six case layers on 1,200 × 1,000 mm pallets, no overhang or double-stacked pallets. Buyer provides pallet support, layer pattern and restraint details. Packed-goods storage up to 30 days; provisional exposure envelope 15–35 °C and 40–80% relative humidity. |
| Samples and acceptance | Quote ten fit prototypes, then 100 production-representative blanks for packing trials. Qualification quantities are separate. Required outcomes: no cracked cartridges, opened retail packs or loss of containment after the agreed test sequence; identification remains readable. |
| Commercial response | Quote 60,000 cases over 12 months, released as 5,000 monthly to the Fresno receiving dock. Separate recurring price, one-time charges, delivery, samples and testing. Declare exclusions, minimums, lead times and deviations. |
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The dimension basis deserves particular attention. Agree how the supplier measures the specified clearances and records them on the controlled drawing. At its lower limits, the example case has usable ID of 397 × 297 × 247 mm. Compared with the 390 × 285 × 235 mm carton bundle, that leaves 7 mm along length, 12 mm along width and 12 mm vertically for all working clearance or additional materials. These are total allowances on each axis, not amounts available at each opposing wall. Confirm that they suit the packing process, then check the largest finished outside dimensions against handling constraints. A fit at nominal dimensions does not settle either question. Add pallet and restraint tare separately when calculating total shipment mass.
A FEFCO design code can identify the intended box form consistently; retain the drawing for project-specific details. Shipper Builder can help organize preliminary dimensions and material assumptions before the supplier confirms the specification.
The exposure envelope is an assumption for discussion, not a conditioning procedure. Have operations confirm it and have the packaging owner agree the test method, edition, conditioning, loading, sequence, sample count and acceptance limits with the laboratory. Issue the same approved protocol to bidders and obtain any revised prices before award. Until then, qualification-dependent offers remain conditional.
For compression evidence, specify whether the case is empty or filled and identify its closure and test orientation. ASTM D642-25 covers compression testing with or without contents and permits different loading orientations. Its public scope does not establish the acceptance threshold for this application. Request individual results and specimen identification, not simply “passed compression.”
Make the commercial assumptions visible
Annual demand and release quantity answer different questions. The first supports capacity planning; the second describes what the buyer will order and receive at a time. State whether the annual figure is a forecast or a binding purchase commitment. Ask whether the minimum order quantity applies to a manufacturing run, a delivery release or both. A supplier may require a larger production batch while offering smaller deliveries from stock.
Where stockholding is proposed, identify who owns the inventory, when invoicing occurs, storage charges, maximum holding time and responsibility for obsolete printed cases. Ask for first-order lead time after artwork approval and repeat-order lead time after release, distinguishing dispatch from arrival. Require quotation validity, the price-fixing period, payment terms and permitted order overrun or underrun. A short lead time from existing stock cannot be assumed to apply after that stock is consumed.
Define the delivery destination, freight payer, unloading responsibility and any surcharges. Require separate lines for artwork preparation, printing plates, cutting tools where needed, and repeat setup charges. Establish tooling ownership, storage and replacement responsibility. Confirm whether pallets, wrapping and protection of supplied blanks are included or chargeable. These details belong in the RFQ because a buyer cannot normalize an undisclosed exclusion reliably.
Compare both offers over the same 12 months
For the example, assume both suppliers accept the final technical basis, a 5,000-case minimum per release and twelve monthly deliveries. Both offer make-to-order supply, identical payment and lead-time terms, and firm prices for the evaluated year, with no stockholding charge or commitment to buy the full annual forecast.
All figures are USD. Piece prices include the specified printing, factory-glued cases, delivery pallets, protective wrapping and routine setup. The ten fit prototypes and 100 trial blanks are additional to production quantities, with no separate charge for them or their delivery. Qualification testing, buyer-supplied tape, taxes and outbound freight for the packed products are excluded from both. This comparison covers case supply; it assigns no unverified damage-rate advantage to either supplier.
| Quoted or evaluated item | Supplier A | Supplier B |
|---|---|---|
| Production quantity | 60,000 cases | 60,000 cases |
| Piece price | $0.78 | $0.82 |
| Production cases | $46,800 | $49,200 |
| One-time artwork preparation and plates | $1,200 | $500 |
| Delivery to the receiving dock | $175 per release | Included |
| Twelve deliveries | $2,100 | $0 additional |
| First-year evaluated case-supply cost | $50,100 | $49,700 |
| Evaluated cost per production case | $0.8350 | $0.8283 |
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The calculations are:
Supplier A: 60,000 × $0.78 + $1,200 + 12 × $175 = $50,100.
Supplier B: 60,000 × $0.82 + $500 = $49,700.
A’s piece price saves $2,400, but its additional setup and delivery costs total $2,800 relative to B. B therefore costs $400 less over the evaluated year. Per-case figures are rounded to four decimal places so the sub-cent difference remains visible; totals use unrounded inputs.
Charge all one-time costs to this first-year comparison. A later-year comparison would remove them only where they genuinely do not recur. Changed volumes or delivery cadence require a revised quotation basis. Resolve any differences in excluded qualification or operating costs before choosing a supplier; the broader delivered-cost comparison addresses that next decision.
Carry sample approval into routine supply
Treat “same grade” or “equivalent board” as a request for review. Ask for the offered construction’s specification, test method, conditions, results and traceability to the sampled material. A report for another case size or closure needs a documented explanation of its applicability. ASTM D5639/D5639M-25 specifically cautions that material specifications do not ensure a well-made box and calls for evaluating proposed designs through samples, testing, packing and shipping.
Use the ten prototypes to settle fit and handling. Then trial production-representative blanks on the actual packing equipment, recording erection, sealing, rejects and any adjustments. Complete the agreed qualification with traceable specimens; the example sample quantities are not a statistical acceptance plan. Packaging and quality approve technical evidence, operations approves usability, and procurement reconciles the offer to the approved revision.
Release a controlled specification containing the final drawing, board requirements, artwork, closure, acceptance plan and approved deviations. Retain identified reference samples and define incoming checks, lot identification and nonconformance handling. Agree advance notification and written approval before substitutions affecting those requirements, including changes of manufacturing site, material or process. Assess each proposed change to determine the necessary requalification rather than treating a familiar grade name as permission.
Carry those obligations into the appropriate purchasing and quality agreements; the RFQ alone should not be treated as a legally sufficient contract. Before the first production release, check that the purchase order, supplier acknowledgement, approved sample and receiving specification all identify the same revision.