RFQ readiness score
Ten qualification questions that decide whether supplier quotations will be comparable. Free, supplier-neutral, and an estimate only.
Short answer
A project is ready for an RFQ when scope, specification, budget status, timeline, site, decision process, commercial terms and acceptance criteria are written down. Score 65 or above and a structured RFQ will return quotes you can actually compare. Below 40, you are buying assumptions rather than equipment.
Qualification questions
What the supplier delivers, and where their responsibility stops.
Capacity, standards, utilities, materials of construction, automation level.
Is money allocated, or is this still an exploration?
The date the line, plant or store must be producing.
Location, building, power, water, effluent, permitting status.
Who signs, and what has to happen before they do.
Incoterm, currency, payment milestones, warranty expectation.
FAT, SAT and performance guarantees you will hold the supplier to.
Total installed value, including freight, installation and commissioning.
Cash, existing bank facility, or independent third-party financing to be explored.
Used to route the request and to size the readiness advice.
The project is still being defined. Use a scoping conversation before approaching suppliers.
10 blocking gaps
- Scope and battery limits: Without written battery limits, each supplier will price a different scope and the cheapest quote will simply be the smallest one.
- Technical specification: Missing standards and utility data force suppliers to assume — and assumptions are where cost and delivery risk hide.
- Budget status: Serious manufacturers triage by budget certainty. Without at least an indicative envelope, response rates drop sharply.
- Required in-service date: Lead time drives price. Without a date, suppliers quote their standard slot rather than yours.
- Site and permits: Site and utility gaps move cost into civil works and installation, which quotations rarely show clearly.
- Decision process: An undefined approval path is the most common reason a well-priced project stalls after quotes arrive.
- Commercial terms: Quotes at different Incoterms and payment terms are not comparable, even at identical headline prices.
- Acceptance criteria: Without acceptance criteria in the RFQ, performance disputes are settled after payment rather than before shipment.
- Indicative project value: Equipment price alone typically understates installed cost; the gap surfaces late unless it is estimated up front.
- Funding route: Funding route affects payment milestones and documentation, which change supplier pricing.
Estimate only. This tool provides a preliminary, educational estimate for planning purposes. It is not a credit decision, a quotation or a commitment of any kind. Supplier-neutral: suppliers cannot pay for inclusion, ranking, placement or recommendation. Global B2B Group is compensated by the supplier side only after a project the buyer selected proceeds, and that fee does not influence who is invited or how bids are scored.
Turn this score into a structured RFQ
Your answers already cover most of an RFQ header. Add country and sector and we route the request to the right specialist track with the readiness summary attached.
Screening outputs only. Final scope, pricing and financing terms depend on technical specification, supplier quotations and lender approval.
Backing industrial projects or the ecosystem itself? Open an investor conversation with the group.
Investor relationsConsultants, EPCs and procurement advisors preparing RFQs for clients can apply to the partner programme.
Consultant partner programmeQuick answer
Score how ready an industrial project is to go out to qualified suppliers, and list the specific gaps that make quotations non-comparable before the RFQ is issued.
Inputs that matter
- Scope definition (qualification answer)
- Technical specification (qualification answer)
- Budget status (qualification answer)
- Project value (currency)
- Timeline (qualification answer)
- Site readiness (qualification answer)
- Decision process (qualification answer)
- Commercial terms (qualification answer)
- Acceptance criteria (qualification answer)
- Financing route (qualification answer)
How it is calculated
Each of the ten qualification areas carries a fixed weight. Score = sum(weight x answer level) / sum(weight x maximum level) x 100. Readiness band: 0–39 early scoping, 40–64 shortlist preparation, 65–84 RFQ ready, 85–100 tender ready. Any area answered at level 0 is listed as a blocking gap regardless of the total score.
What the result means
- Readiness score
- Readiness band
- Blocking gaps — Areas that make quotes non-comparable
- Recommended next step
What is not included
- Not a supplier assessment, a price estimate or a guarantee that suppliers will bid.
- A high score does not imply approval, capacity availability or delivery feasibility.
- Sector-specific regulatory, hygiene or safety requirements are not assessed.
- Single-currency model. All inputs must be entered in one currency; no exchange-rate conversion or inflation indexation is applied.
- Pre-tax model. Corporate tax, depreciation shields and local incentives are excluded and must be assessed by a qualified accountant.
What must be confirmed
This is a preliminary planning estimate. Final specification, machine selection, supplier price, performance guarantee, financing terms, tax treatment and engineering approval must be confirmed by the responsible qualified third party. Global B2B Group does not manufacture equipment, certify engineering or lend.
Next step
Carry the result into a structured RFQ: Readiness score and band, Blocking gaps, Budget status, Timeline, Financing intention. You review and approve every transferred value — nothing is submitted automatically.
Engine version 1.2.0 · reviewed 2026-08-21 · full methodology
Frequently asked questions
What is an RFQ readiness score?
It is a 0–100 preparation score across ten areas — scope, specification, budget, timeline, site, decision process, commercial terms, acceptance criteria, quantity basis and financing route. It measures how comparable supplier quotations will be, not the merit of the project.
What score do I need before issuing an RFQ?
65 or above is normally enough to issue a structured RFQ to a shortlist. Below 40, quotations will differ in scope rather than price, and the comparison will be misleading.
Is the score a commitment or an approval?
No. It is a preliminary, educational estimate for planning purposes. It is not a credit decision, a quotation, an approval or a commitment of any kind.
Does a higher score change which suppliers I see?
No. Suppliers cannot pay for inclusion, ranking, placement or recommendation. The score only affects how completely your request is prepared before it reaches qualified third-party suppliers.
What project size does Global B2B Group work on?
Global B2B Group works on commercial and industrial projects from USD $250,000 upward. Smaller catalogue purchases are better served directly by a distributor or manufacturer.
Next step
The Procurement Operating System
How the parent group, the specialist platforms, RFQ tooling and independent financing introductions fit together in one system.
Explore the systemHow Global B2B Group works
The five-step buyer process: brief, review, supplier routing, RFQ, comparison.
Read the processStart a structured RFQ
Build a comparable RFQ package. Free for buyers, supplier-neutral, no obligation.
Open the RFQ builderProof and preparation: why trust Global B2B Group for industrial procurement RFQs, the industrial procurement RFQ checklist, twelve example RFQs and honest comparisons with other sourcing routes.