What to Put in an RFQ for Irrigation Components
An RFQ succeeds when the answers come back in a form you can compare. Duty, scope, dates and documents in one page.
An RFQ for irrigation components succeeds or fails on one thing: whether the answers come back in a form you can compare. Most RFQs are written as a list of product names and a quantity, which invites a list of prices and nothing else. A better RFQ states the duty, the scope, the documents and the terms, and asks each bidder to answer in the same structure.
01 – Why each channel needs it, and where it is used
| Channel | Role in this decision | Why they need it |
|---|---|---|
| Distribution and wholesale | Send a consistent RFQ to suppliers | A consistent template makes supplier answers comparable and the negotiation factual |
| Contractors and integrators | Price a project from responses | An RFQ that states the duty receives prices that can be built into a bid without a second round |
| Direct B2B users – farms, estates, municipal green | Buy with the right information | The first order is usually the one where missing information is most expensive |
| Specifiers and influencers – designers, procurement consultants | Define the procurement basis | The RFQ carries the specification into the market, and it is where clarity is cheapest to add |
It applies to every purchase of irrigation components: filters, pumps, dripline, fittings, controllers, monitoring. The content changes with the item; the structure does not.
02 – How to make a preliminary selection
Start with the duty. For a filter, that is peak flow, allowable pressure loss, required grade and water description. For a pump, it is flow and total head. For a controller, it is zone count and the actions required. The duty is what turns a product name into a specification.
Then state the scope explicitly: housing, element, valves, gauges, controller, mounting, documentation and spares. A scope list prevents the bidder from pricing a different product without saying so.
Then state the commercial frame: quantity, delivery point, required date, validity, payment terms and currency. The frame is what makes the price comparable, and prices without a frame are not prices.
Finally, state the documents required: datasheet, test basis, material list, packing list, certificate of origin, and the manual in the language the site needs. Asking for documents in the RFQ is the cheapest way to find out whether the supplier has them.
03 – Comparing the realistic options
The table shows the two ways an RFQ is usually written and what each produces.
| Style | What bidders answer | What the buyer learns |
|---|---|---|
| Product name plus quantity | A price | Very little |
| Duty plus scope plus terms | A specification with a price | Whether the offer fits |
The second style takes an hour to write and saves several exchanges; the first takes five minutes and produces quotes that have to be re-checked one by one.
04 – What goes wrong, and what still needs confirming
The common failure is an RFQ without a delivery date, which produces prices that arrive before the material does. The second is an RFQ without documents, which produces goods that arrive without the paperwork the site needs.
Items to confirm in writing: the duty and scope as sent; the answers received against each line; the price basis and validity; the lead time against the required date; the documentation supplied; and the spares and service terms.
05 – What we can supply and what to send
Delta AgriFlow answers RFQs in the sender’s structure for filters, pumps, dripline, fittings, controllers and meters.
Send six items: the duty; the scope you expect; quantity and delivery point; the required date; the documents you need; and the currency and payment terms. With those, the answer arrives in a usable form.
One line in an RFQ saves more time than any other: state the date by which the goods must be on site, and ask each bidder to confirm whether they can meet it. A price without a date is a price for an unknown delivery.
A second is to ask for the price of the spare elements or consumables at the same time. The recurring cost is usually more important than the first price, and asking in the same RFQ makes it comparable.
A third is to name the currency and the delivery point. Cross-border quotations in different incoterms are not comparable, and the freight difference can exceed the product difference.
A fourth is to require the test basis for the stated class. A grade without a basis is a number; with a basis, it is a specification.
Finally, ask each bidder to flag any line they cannot answer. Silence on a line is the most useful signal an RFQ produces, because it identifies exactly where the specification needs work.
What to record at handover
A handover that consists of a working system and a verbal explanation is not a handover. Three things have to be written down: what was installed and where, what the settings are, and what the routine is. Keep the sent RFQ and each answer together; the pair is the record of what was asked and what was promised.
The commissioning check matters as much as the record. Compare each answer line by line against the duty and scope you sent; the gaps are the questions for the next round. A reading taken once at commissioning is worth more than a datasheet, because it describes the installation rather than the product.
Finally, hand over the commercial part as clearly as the technical part. Hand the confirmed structure to the person who will place future orders, so the format is reused. Without it, the next order restarts from zero, and the advantage of a standard package disappears.
What an RFQ should state
- Duty: flow, head, grade, water
- Scope: items and quantities
- Delivery point and required date
- Price basis, currency and validity
- Documents and manuals required
- Spares and service terms
A useful discipline is to keep one RFQ template per item group and update it after each purchase. The template becomes the company’s memory of what information was needed, and it prevents the same gap from reappearing on the next project.
Another is to send the RFQ to a mix of suppliers: the incumbent, one alternative and, where possible, one manufacturer directly. The comparison is more informative when the bidders have different cost structures.
Finally, state what happens after the award. A bidder who knows the follow-on volume and the payment terms prices differently from one who thinks the order is a one-off.
06 – Questions, sources and next steps
How long should an RFQ be? As long as it takes to state the duty, the scope, the dates and the documents. Usually one page per item group.
Should I ask for alternatives? Yes, if you want to see them. Ask for them as a separate line so they do not distort the comparison.
What if bidders do not answer in the structure? Return it. A bidder who cannot follow a structure will struggle with the delivery and the documents.
An RFQ is also a filter for suppliers. The bidders who answer in the structure and on time are signalling how they will handle an order; the ones who send a catalogue page are telling you what delivery will feel like.
A short RFQ with a clear duty usually gets a better answer than a long one with vague requirements. Length is not the same as precision.
The RFQ is the cheapest document in the project and the one that most influences the answer. An hour spent on it usually removes two rounds of clarification and one wrong assumption.
Before you order
- Duty and conditions
- Scope and quantities
- Delivery point and date
- Price basis and currency
- Documents required
- Spares and service
Keep the sent RFQ with the answers. When a supplier later claims a different scope was quoted, the document settles it in one minute.
The best RFQ is written by the person who will have to commission the result, because they know which information is missing.
A short paragraph at the end of the RFQ stating what happens after submission removes most of the follow-up questions.
Information boundary
This article describes how the decision is structured. It is not a performance specification and does not state capacity, flow, pressure or service-life values for a specific product. Those values are confirmed per project after a written quotation; manufacturer figures cited are the published values for those products, not project commitments.
Reviewed: 2026-10-26. Next review after supplier specifications are confirmed in writing.
Sources and further reading
- Rain Bird XFA 13 mm dripline datasheet – 120 mesh filtration requirement, 50-350 kPa compensating range
- Netafim Techflow bid performance specification – 120 mesh or finer filtration, disc grades 40-200 mesh
- ISO 9912-1:2004 – Filters for micro-irrigation: classification
- ISO 18471:2015 – Verification of filtration grade
- FAO – Irrigation manual, Chapter 6: drip irrigation
Sending an RFQ? Use our quotation request as a starter structure and add your duty.
