Files and document control
- Buyer part number, part name, and released revision
- Controlling 2D drawing and 3D model formats
- Critical-to-quality balloons and general tolerance source
- Prototype, production, and annual quantity assumptions
Free buyer template
Custom Sheet Metal Enclosure RFQ Template
Give every bidder the same technical and commercial input. This editable template covers drawings, material, enclosure performance, fabrication, finish, inspection records, packaging, price breaks, and delivery scope.
Electrical & controls enclosures Washdown & outdoor cabinets Prototype to repeat production Comparable supplier quotations
Use boundary: this template helps define an RFQ.
It does not assign an IP, NEMA, UL, or other certification to a
design or supplier. Required standards, verification, listed
components, and documentation must be agreed for the specific
project.
Complete input package
Six RFQ sections that prevent hidden assumptions
A low unit price is not comparable when one supplier priced material records, inspection, packaging, and delivery while another did not. Send a controlled input set and require bidders to list assumptions and exclusions.
Material and fabrication
- Exact alloy or grade, temper or condition, and thickness
- Substitution policy and required material records
- Bend, weld, hardware, door, hinge, latch, and gasket details
- Threads, inserts, grounding points, and coating-sensitive features
Environment and performance
- Indoor, outdoor, washdown, coastal, chemical, or cleanroom exposure
- Required IP, NEMA, or project-specific verification scope
- Heat load, cooling method, airflow, and ambient range
- EMI, bonding, flammability, vibration, and service-access requirements
Finish and appearance
- Pretreatment, final finish, color code, texture, and gloss
- Coating thickness, masking, grounding, and gasket lands
- Cosmetic zones, viewing conditions, and approved samples
- Marking, artwork, barcode, serial number, and label durability
Inspection and records
- First article, sampling, and 100 percent characteristics
- Ballooned report, material, coating, weld, and photo records
- Required gauges, CMM, fixtures, or measurement-method approval
- Nonconformance notification and deviation approval route
Commercial and logistics
- Tooling or NRE ownership and price-break structure
- Packaging, labeling, pallet, and corrosion-protection requirements
- Delivery country, postal code, Incoterm, and shipment method
- Requested currency, lead-time breakdown, assumptions, and exclusions
USA and Canada sourcing
Fields that commonly change the quotation
Include the controlling unit system, exact material callout, enclosure-rating scope, quality records, and delivered commercial terms. Do not rely on a supplier to infer them from a reference image.
Certification language: requesting a
component, material, or process record is not the same
as requiring the complete enclosure or supplier to hold
a certification. Write the required scope explicitly
and obtain written confirmation before order release.
| RFQ field | What to state | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Units and tolerances | State whether inch or metric controls. Identify the drawing tolerance standard and every critical exception. | Prevents suppliers from pricing different interpretations of the same feature. |
| Material designation | Provide the exact drawing designation and specification rather than a broad term such as stainless or aluminum. | Reduces substitution, availability, and certificate ambiguity. |
| NEMA / IP scope | State the required standard, enclosure type or rating, test boundary, components, and who owns verification. | NEMA and IP language should not be treated as an automatic one-to-one equivalence. |
| Listed components | Identify any required listed or recognized components and whether the fabricated enclosure itself requires a separate evaluation. | Avoids implying that component status automatically applies to the complete assembly. |
| Quality records | List the exact FAI, COC, material, finish, dimensional, and traceability records required with shipment. | Allows documentation labor and inspection scope to be included in the quotation. |
| Delivery scope | Provide destination, Incoterm, duties responsibility, packaging standard, and requested ship mode. | Makes supplier quotations commercially comparable. |
Quotation normalization
Ask every supplier for the same price breakdown
Separate recurring part price from one-time work and logistics. This makes supplier differences visible before a purchase decision.
One-time charges
- Tooling, fixtures, gauges, and programming
- Engineering or DFM review when separately priced
- First article and special documentation
- Samples, finish coupons, or approval builds
Recurring unit price
- Material, fabrication, purchased hardware, and finish
- Unit-price breaks at the same quantities
- Inspection and normal production records
- Packaging included in the unit price
Lead time and delivery
- Material, tooling, sample, approval, and production stages
- Ex-works readiness versus delivered date
- Freight, insurance, duties, and local delivery scope
- Quotation validity and unresolved assumptions
Before purchase order
RFQ release gate
Check these items before treating a quotation as complete. The downloadable workbook contains the full working list, responsibility fields, controlled status options, and a column for supplier clarifications.
Controlling files are identified
Drawing, model, artwork, finish specification, and revisions match. The controlling document and units are unambiguous.
Technical assumptions are closed
Material substitution, tolerances, rating scope, purchased components, finish, inspection, and documentation have written answers.
Commercial scope is comparable
All bidders used the same quantities, price breaks, packaging, delivery destination, currency, and Incoterm.
Changes require approval
DFM recommendations are documented, but no drawing, material, process, or finish change becomes effective without the buyer’s controlled approval.
Download the editable XLSX workbook at https://drametal.com/downloads/custom-sheet-metal-enclosure-rfq-workbook.xlsx or the simplified CSV at https://drametal.com/downloads/custom-sheet-metal-enclosure-rfq-template.csv.
Enclosure RFQ Review
Ready for a Comparable Enclosure Quote?
Ready for a Comparable Enclosure Quote?
Send the Released Package.
Attach the released drawing and model, then define material, quantity, finish, destination, rating scope, and the inspection records required with the quotation.
✓ Released drawing + model ✓ Exact material + finish ✓ Inspection records defined ✓ Delivery scope stated