RFQ checklist
Bottled Water Filling Line RFQ Checklist
Prepare one controlled request for quotation for a PET bottled water filling line. Send the same bottle, output and supply-boundary information to each bidder, identify provisional inputs, and ask suppliers to return an itemized configuration with exceptions. You can start before every drawing is ready without presenting assumptions as approved specifications.
Start With the Inputs That Change the Line Configuration
The first enquiry should establish the product, package and required finished output. Use a target BPH only when its reference bottle and operating basis are clear. For capacity selection, use the BPH guide; this checklist records the inputs for the offer.
Start With the Inputs That Change the Line Configuration - Planning Table
| RFQ field | Information to send | If it is not yet decided |
|---|---|---|
| Product and water supply | Still-water type, source, existing treatment and the proposed product-water connection. | State whether treatment must be evaluated; do not assume the filler specifies the water process. |
| Launch bottle and closure | Volume, drawing/sample reference, height, body dimensions, neck finish and cap details. | Attach available photos and mark dimensions or neck details as unconfirmed. |
| Required output | Good bottles per day by format, available hours and planned format changes; target BPH if known. | Provide the order schedule and request a capacity recommendation with assumptions. |
| Bottle supply | Purchased empty bottles, on-site blowing, or retained bottle-feeding equipment. | Request separate scopes only for the supply routes genuinely under consideration. |
| Saleable pack | Label type, code requirement, bottles per pack, packaging material and pack-removal method. | Identify undecided options instead of requesting an undefined complete line. |
| Project location and boundary | Country, site or delivery point, new plant or replacement, utilities and installation scope. | List the missing site information and who will obtain it. |
Build an Attachment Register With Versions and Approval Status
Attach the material that resolves selection questions. A file name alone does not show whether a bottle has been approved. Use your own document IDs and revisions; the examples below are a record format, not a required naming standard.
Build an Attachment Register With Versions and Approval Status - Planning Table
| Attachment | Record alongside it | Decision it supports |
|---|---|---|
| Bottle and cap drawings or samples | Format ID, revision, supplier, date and provisional/approved status. | Handling, closure compatibility, change parts and test material. |
| Label and pack information | Label dimensions/material, artwork status, pack count and material specification. | Label application, coding, collation and packing duty. |
| Workshop sketch | Units, scale or measured dimensions, reference point and survey date. | Preliminary arrangement and identification of site constraints. |
| Retained equipment records | Machine identity, format-specific duty, connection details and current condition. | Reuse feasibility and integration work that must be separately priced. |
| Water and utilities information | Source and sampling date of available reports; point-of-use conditions where known. | Further treatment review and the supplier/buyer utility boundary. |
Label Open Questions Instead of Guessing the Answer
Use three statuses in the enquiry: confirmed, provisional and supplier to propose. A preliminary offer can then show what would change when an input is resolved. Do not choose a machine model merely to fill an empty field.
- Confirmed: identify the controlled document or measurement supporting the input.
- Provisional: state the assumption and who will confirm it before design release.
- Supplier to propose: describe the required outcome and ask for alternatives with their scope and operating consequences.
- Keep a dated clarification log. When a bottle or pack changes, issue the same updated brief to every bidder.
Ask for a Structured Supplier Response
An RFQ is useful when the replies can be compared. Ask the supplier to state deviations explicitly rather than treating silence as compliance. Keep financial comparison in the quotation comparison sheet.
Ask for a Structured Supplier Response - Planning Table
| Response item | What the offer should identify | Review question |
|---|---|---|
| Configuration | Machines, quantities, reference formats and included interfaces. | Does the offer describe the same bottle-to-pack boundary as the RFQ? |
| Performance basis | Output by format, count point, test conditions and exclusions. | Is the rate a filler nameplate or agreed good output at the line exit? |
| Scope exceptions | Optional, excluded, retained and buyer-supplied items. | Who supplies and tests every required function outside the base amount? |
| Site and handover | Layout assumptions, utility schedule, services, documents and acceptance plan. | What must be ready locally before shipment and commissioning? |
| Commercial basis | Currency, delivery point, validity, payment milestones and timing assumptions. | Which unresolved technical inputs can change price or schedule? |
RFQ Brief for Your Bottled Water Project
Use this original brief as a project record. Replace brackets with known inputs and keep unresolved items marked provisional. Do not include passwords, payment credentials or unrelated confidential files.
- Project reference/revision: [reference, date]. Contact and destination: [company, name, email, country and delivery point].
- Product and supply: [still-water type and source]. Bottle supply: [purchased bottles / new blower / retained system].
- Launch formats: [bottle and closure IDs, volumes, drawing/sample revisions]. Required good output: [quantity per format per day, production hours and changes].
- Label, code and pack: [type, material, bottles per pack, pack-out method]. Scope requested: [machine only / defined complete line].
- Retained equipment and site: [machine records, layout revision, known utilities, local-work responsibility].
- Open inputs: [item, status, owner]. Requested response: [itemized equipment, format rates, exceptions, utilities, test basis, services and commercial terms].
Check the Enquiry Before Sending It
Check that the launch formats match the attachments, that daily output and BPH use the same time basis, and that included scope has not silently changed between the text and drawing. Send the brief through the configuration request form. Use the equipment scope checklist and layout survey checklist for the remaining inputs.
- State whether the request is a preliminary budget or a configuration ready for detailed quotation.
- Ask for a list of missing information rather than an unsupported final price.
- Record the offer revision against the RFQ revision when the supplier responds.
RFQ details
Send Your Bottled Water Filling Line Requirements
Send your bottle size, target capacity and country. We will prepare a bottled water filling line configuration and quotation.
Buyer questions
Questions Buyers Ask Before Quotation
Can I request a quote before I have a bottle drawing?
Yes for an initial configuration discussion. Provide the volume, available photos, known dimensions and closure information, with missing inputs marked provisional. Compatibility and performance need controlled drawings or samples before final approval.
Should my RFQ state daily output or bottles per hour?
Provide both when known, together with bottle formats, available hours and planned changes. Daily good output explains the business requirement; a BPH figure without its format and time basis can lead to a mismatched line.
How do I request two configuration options without confusing quotations?
Keep the product, formats and destination fixed, then label the changed boundary clearly, such as purchased bottles versus on-site blowing. Ask for separate equipment, utilities, layout effects and prices for each option.
What should I do if a supplier makes a different assumption?
Record it as a deviation against the RFQ revision. Resolve it with the supplier and distribute a common clarification to other bidders where it changes the comparison. Do not treat an unstated assumption as agreed scope.
Is a budget range required to request a configuration?
A budget range can help prioritize alternatives, but it does not replace the technical brief and is not an equipment price. If unknown, request an itemized base scope and separately identified options before making a cost decision.
Send a Defined Bottled Water Filling Line RFQ
Send your bottle size, good-output target and country, plus the available scope and site information. Allot Tech will review the inputs for a project-specific configuration and quotation.