You contact five Chinese factories and receive five quotations, but no two are directly comparable. One offers 12 m working height, another 12 m platform height. Some identify the batteries and charger; others give only a machine price. One leaves out the delivery location altogether.
The problem may have started before anyone quoted.
A request for quotation—RFQ—asks different suppliers to propose equipment against the same set of requirements. It need not be long, but it must explain the job, the conditions that cannot be compromised, and the specifications the supplier is free to recommend.
The following approach uses a self-propelled electric scissor lift as an example, with an English template you can adapt and send.
1. Describe the job, not just “a 12 m scissor lift”
“12 m, electric, self-propelled” can start an inquiry. It is not enough to establish whether a particular machine is suitable.
See the guide to working and platform heights for the relevant checks.
Does 12 m refer to working height or platform height? Will the machine operate indoors or outdoors? How many people will be on the platform, and what will their tools and materials weigh? Where are the narrowest doorway and passage? What charging supply is available? Include these conditions alongside the equipment specifications.
The IPAF MEWP selection checklist also starts with height and reach, the task, environment, ground and access conditions. Buyers do not need to design the machine, but they do need to describe its intended use accurately.
Mark unmeasured site information as “to be confirmed”. In particular, do not turn an estimated doorway width into an apparently exact measurement and then ask the supplier to guarantee access on that basis.
2. Separate requirements into must-haves, preferences and supplier recommendations
Not every specification has equal importance. Three categories help suppliers distinguish hard constraints from areas where an alternative is acceptable.
| Category | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Must Have | Without it, the machine cannot perform this task | Meet the required 12 m working height, personnel and material load, and site-access conditions under the agreed operating conditions |
| Preferred | Desirable, but alternatives can be compared | Lithium batteries preferred; an additional kit of common spare parts requested |
| To Be Proposed | Not yet specified; the supplier should recommend and explain | Battery capacity, charger model and major components not otherwise specified |
Confirm operator’s manuals and destination-market documents against the actual users, machine and applicable market requirements. Essential documentation should not be listed as an optional extra that can simply be dropped.
This classification also prevents the opposite mistake: specifying numerous component brands and models before understanding how they work together, and unnecessarily narrowing the choices. First state the job the machine must do. Then decide whether a hydraulic pump, motor or other component needs to be specified. Where maintenance, compatibility or another genuine purchasing requirement makes a component mandatory, identify it as such.
3. Organize the inquiry into six groups
| Information group | What the buyer describes and the supplier confirms |
|---|---|
| Purchase | Quantity, new or used, application, destination country and city |
| Working conditions | Required height, number of occupants and total mass of people, tools and materials; indoor/outdoor use, ground and obstacles |
| Equipment constraints | Clear width and height along the access route, transport restrictions and known site conditions such as ground-bearing capacity |
| Power | Available voltage and frequency, battery preferences and specifications to be recommended |
| Documents | Exact-model specification sheet, operator’s manual, destination-market documents and spare-parts information |
| Commercial terms | Price and currency, delivery term and named place, lead time, payment, warranty and quotation validity |
Two distinctions deserve particular care.
See the guide to charger voltage and destination supply for the relevant checks.
Provide the site’s clear openings; do not automatically make those figures the maximum permitted machine dimensions. Supply doorway, aisle and turning information. Ask the supplier to explain the access configuration, required clearance and any operations such as folding the guardrails.
Describe the actual platform load; do not just copy the catalogue’s largest capacity figure. Include people, tools and materials, and ask for rated capacity, permitted occupancy and extension-deck limits.
Commercial instructions should say more than “best price, please”. The US International Trade Administration’s pro forma invoice guidance includes product details, price, weight and dimensions, delivery location, payment, expected shipment timing and validity. Buyers may not know every answer, but they should ask suppliers to address each point.
4. A scissor lift RFQ you can adapt and send
This example assumes the purchase of one self-propelled electric scissor lift for indoor warehouse maintenance, with a working height of at least 12 m. Change the specifications to match the actual task and complete the bracketed fields.
Subject: RFQ — Self-Propelled Electric Scissor Lift, 12 m Working Height
Dear Sales Team,
We are looking to purchase one new self-propelled electric scissor lift for indoor warehouse maintenance.
Please recommend a suitable model based on the following requirements.
Required specifications
| Item | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Quantity | 1 unit, new |
| Working height | Minimum 12 m |
| Platform height | Please specify separately |
| Application | Indoor warehouse maintenance |
| Platform load | [Number of occupants and total mass of people, tools and materials]; please state the rated capacity, permitted occupancy and any extension-deck limits |
| Access constraints | Clear doorway width [ ] and height [ ]; please state stowed dimensions, the configuration required for access and the clearance your model needs |
| Power supply | [Local voltage and frequency] |
| Destination | [Country and city] |
Quotation requirements
Please provide the complete model designation, technical specifications, standard configuration, battery and charger details, and packed dimensions and gross weight.
Quote the base machine and optional equipment separately. If your recommended model differs from any requirement, please identify the difference and explain your recommendation.
Please also specify:
- Unit price, currency and Incoterms® 2020 delivery term with the named place.
- Estimated lead time and the conditions from which it starts.
- Payment terms and quotation validity.
- Written warranty coverage, spare parts support and operating manuals in [required language].
- Documents available for the destination market and any requirements still to be confirmed.
Please attach the specification sheet for the exact model and configuration being offered.
Best regards,
[Name / Company]
The 12 m figure is not a universal purchasing standard. Environment, access clearances, load and charging conditions must come from this job. Outstanding site assessments, including ground-bearing checks where relevant, should remain explicitly marked as unconfirmed.
Use the same structure for other aerial work platforms, adding only the factors that genuinely affect selection. For boom lifts, add horizontal reach and obstacles and request a working-envelope chart for the relevant load. For spider-type equipment, first establish tracked or towable, then add access and outrigger-space requirements. For truck-mounted equipment, specify whether you are buying the complete vehicle or only the aerial superstructure, together with the destination and proposed chassis.
5. Assess an alternative model against the hard constraints first
An RFQ does not require different factories to manufacture identical machines. Suppliers can propose other models, provided they list the differences.
Suppose you require 12 m working height and a supplier recommends a 12.1 m model that exceeds the permitted access dimensions. The extra height does not compensate for being unable to enter the site. It should not simply be presented as an “upgrade”.
By contrast, a slightly more expensive machine with greater capacity that meets every essential requirement can remain an independent option for comparison.
Ask suppliers to distinguish an offer that meets the original requirements from an alternative that departs from them. List unconfirmed conditions separately rather than assuming compliance. Then compare suppliers on the same configuration and delivery scope to decide whether a price difference has practical value.
6. Bring the promises in your messages into one formal quotation
The battery is agreed on WhatsApp, the charger changes by email, and the final pro forma invoice still gives only a generic model description. That collection of messages is a poor basis for a clear delivery agreement.
After the technical discussion, ask the supplier to update the quotation or pro forma invoice and reference the final configuration attachment. Keep dates and approved changes so that price, model, configuration, accessories and lead time all belong to the same version.
Before contracting, also verify the actual manufacturer, contracting seller and payment beneficiary. A complete RFQ response makes the equipment proposal clear. Verification of the parties to the transaction is a separate decision.
The best RFQ is not the one with the most specifications. It is the one that makes the supplier explain what meets the requirement, what differs and what remains unresolved.
Preparing an inquiry for Chinese suppliers?
Tell Levantis where the machine will be used, what it needs to do, and the height, load and access conditions already known. Include any models or quotations you have. We can help structure the RFQ, compare supplier responses and identify the differences that still need confirmation.
You do not need to have selected a model before contacting us. Site suitability and safety questions can then be addressed against the manufacturer’s information and any necessary site assessment.