A quotation request is an email sent to a manufacturer, a distributor, an individual or an organization in charge of delivering goods or services. Request for a quotation email is a request for a price quote for services or products.
When embarking on a project and you need products or services, it is advisable to send quotation emails to multiple companies or suppliers. The reason behind this is it enables you to compare prices from distributors before committing to any. The main reason individuals request a quotation from multiple sources is to measure which quotation best fits their budget. This is standard practice in industries that do a lot of purchasing.
There are different methods to request a quotation, it could be via phone, in-person, etc. The best way to request a quotation is by email. The reason requesting for quotation via email is better is because it gives the recipient time to understand the quotation request and also time to send a more complete quotation. Writing a request for quotation email also gives you enough time to detail your quotation request to cover all the basis of your project or the reason behind the request for quotation.
How to Reply after Receiving a Quotation Letter
What Should a Request for Quotation Email Contain?
There are a ton of benefits directly related to writing proper quotation requests. If your email request for quotation is written properly, it gives the recipient all the information they need to respond with proper and exact figures. This ultimately eliminates the need for multiple emails back and forth for the same purpose.
Here are the things to write a request for quotation email:
Understand What You Need In the Enquiry for Quotation
This is a very obvious but often misunderstood fact about writing an email requesting a quotation. Before writing an email requesting a quotation, you need to have done thorough research on the current project and its needs.
If you’re writing a quotation for parts to finish an ongoing repair, you need to make sure you know the exact number of parts needed before asking for the quotation. This goes for other projects as well. Before sending an email requesting a quotation, a thorough analysis needs to occur to make sure the exact number of items are requested in the quotation.
Create a Detailed List of Your Needs
After understanding what you need before sending a quotation request, then it’s time to get more specific with your requirements. Before drafting a request for a quotation email, make sure everything that’s going to be in the quotation request is specific down to the most minute detail. This ensures that the quotation request has all the necessary information.
Study Past Purchases
Reviewing past purchases help you to find out what has been ordered in the past to understand better and get more definite figures on the number of items ordered, the brands, the quality of the products, etc.
Clear Any Uncertainty Before Sending the Request for Quotation
If you cannot get your hands on past orders to correlate with the request quotation list, you can ask the people who’ll work hands-on with the project. The reason for making sure your quotation is up to date is to make sure there’s isn’t any back and forth with the distributor. If a distributor has to go back and forth a couple of times to either get more orders or to return excess, the extra delivery cost is most likely going to come from your organization’s pocket. Also, finding out what you need from the colleagues that made the request also gives you more precise details on what they need. Examples of this include the size, colours, textures, models, etc.
List out The Exact Needs
After doing all of the above, the next step is to create a detailed and specific list of everything needed. It’s best to write this out before you write your quotation email. This is because it gives you time to go through each order and purchase. When writing your email requesting a quotation, you can just copy and paste your list in the email.
Inquire About the Availability and The Shipping Costs
When writing quotation emails, you’re not only asking for the prices of the goods or services, you’re asking for the entire package including the cost of procuring those needed materials. The total package includes the shipping or delivery fee, the period before delivery. The latter part is usually after the deal has been agreed, but it doesn’t hurt to find out these things from the get to.
The reason behind asking for the span of delivery in the first emails exchanged is so you know whether or not you’d like to go with the particular distributor. If you’re in dire need of goods and the distributor’s time for delivery isn’t agreeable, then it’s best to go with another distributor.
State when You Expect a Response
This is further buttressing the points listed above. As said above, the main reason you request a quotation from different distributors is to ensure that you’re getting the best deal. To compare prices, you’ll need all the quotations back to ensure you’re well-informed as you make your decision. This is why it’s important to state when you’ll be expecting a reply to your quotation request.
Additionally, when requesting a quotation from a new supplier, you must trade emails with them back and forth to know if they offer the services or deal in the particular kind of products you need.
If you’re unsure of what you need, even after asking your members of your team and studying past purchases, you can write to request on-site estimates from multiple distributors. For example, if you’re building a new block of offices, you can call different companies to the site and ask each of them their total cost and compare it with yours. This allows you to compare solutions and go with what works best for you.
Sample One Email to Request for Quotation
Subject: Quotation Request Dear Jason, I am the project manager at Events and Décor Enterprise. We’re planning a full-scale remodelling of 5 of our event centres. We would like to request a price quote for the following list of items: [List the items] If you have offers for bulk purchases, we’d be open to a deal as we intend on buying large quantities. We will be buying these goods immediately if your prices match our budget. We expect a reply before the 14th of February. Please reach out to us for further assistance if there’s any aspect you need more clarification on. We look forward to hearing from you. Sincerely, Jim Blessed.
Sample Two Email to Request a Quote
Subject: Quotation Request Dear Simon, We’re emailing from Woculus and would like to ask you to provide us with a quote for the following items: [List the items] We’re interested in maintaining a long-lasting relationship with your company if your quotes match our budget. With this in mind, we ask that you give us the best prices for these items. Please feel free to call us for further clarification. We expect a reply within 2 weeks to start production as quickly as possible. PS. Kindly include the estimated shipping cost in your email. Looking forward to hearing from you. Sincerely, Jared Hamesh
Sample Three Email to Request for Quotation
Subject: Quotation Request Dear Selma, I am Jason and I am an agent from ABC Enterprises. I am writing to request a quote on the following materials: (Insert list here) Please confirm the availability of these products and send us the pricing for these materials and the cost of shipping. I expect a response by the 14th Of July. Thank you for your time. I look forward to your reply. Feel free to call or email us for further clarification. Sincerely, Jim Blessed.
Sample Four Email Enquiry for Quotation
Subject: Quotation Request from Alliance Co. Dear Antonio, We at Alliance Co. would like to request a quotation for the following items. 20 cartons of 12X4 ceramic tiles, 15 Spades 16 Tile cutters 20 Bags of white cement Please confirm that these materials are available, the estimated shipping cost of these materials and the price. We expect a reply before the 20th of august. Please reach out to us for further clarification if need be. Thank you for your time and consideration. Regards, Jim Blessed.
Sample Five Email to Request for Quotation Template
Subject: Quotation Request Dear Dan, I’m writing this email as the procurement manager for XYZ. We’re interested in buying several [List the items] And we’d like a quotation on the prices of these products, along with an estimated shipping cost to Aberdeen. We hope to hear from you before the 30th of June. For further clarification or inquiry, Please call or email us. Sincerely, Jared Patisky
Conclusion
The most important part of your quotation email request is the list of the quotation itself. This is why you must pay utmost attention to this part of your quotation request email. This will eliminate any back and forth between you and the suppliers.
Check out more Templates and Samples to Request a Quotation Via Email