RFQ Response Email Templates: 8 Quote Replies for Suppliers

A good reply to an RFQ does three things: it gives the buyer every number they need to compare you, it arrives while they are still collecting quotes, and it makes the next step obvious. The eight templates below cover the replies suppliers actually have to write, from the complete quote to the polite no.

Each template uses [brackets] for what you fill in. They work in any email client. If you answer enough quote requests that writing them is the bottleneck, our page on RFQ software for inbound quote requests covers drafting them from your price lists automatically.

Key takeaways

• Put the numbers in the email body, not only in an attachment: price, quantity, lead time, freight, validity.
• Name an expiry date, not "valid for 30 days."
• Ask one clarifying question instead of guessing when the request is ambiguous.
• Acknowledge the same day if pricing will take longer.
• Say no quickly and clearly when you cannot quote. It keeps you on the list.

What every quote reply should include

Before the templates, the checklist. A quote that leaves any of these out invites a round trip, and every round trip gives a competitor another day.

For the difference between a quote request and a proposal request, see RFQ vs RFP vs RFI.

1. The complete quote

For a clear request you can price immediately.

Subject: Quote: [quantity] × [product or part number], delivery by [date]

Hi [Name],

Thanks for the request. Here is our quote for [quantity] × [product, part number, spec]:

• Unit price: [price] at [quantity] ([next break: price at quantity])
• Lead time: [X] weeks from order, which meets your [date] if ordered by [date]
• Delivery: [freight terms, or delivered price to their location]
• Payment: [terms]
• Price valid until: [date]

To go ahead, reply to confirm or send a PO to [address]. Happy to hold this pricing for your [client bid / budget meeting] until [date].

[Your name]

2. The clarifying question

For a request with a gap you cannot price around. Ask one question, and quote everything else.

Hi [Name],

Thanks for the RFQ for [quantity] × [product]. One detail before I finalize: do you need [option A] or [option B]? Pricing differs slightly between them.

For reference, [option A] is [price] each and [option B] is [price] each at [quantity], both with a [X]-week lead time. Tell me which and I will send the formal quote the same day.

[Your name]

Giving both prices means the buyer can compare you even before they answer, which is better than a question on its own.

3. The same-day acknowledgment

For a request that needs a supplier quote, an engineering check, or a manager's sign-off before you can price it.

Hi [Name],

Thanks for your request for [product or scope]. I have what I need to price it and will send the full quote by [day and time].

One thing that would speed it up: [the missing detail, if any].

If your deadline is earlier than that, tell me and I will prioritize it.

[Your name]

Our guide on how to acknowledge an email has more wording for receipts like this.

4. The alternative offer

For when you cannot supply the exact item but have a close match.

Hi [Name],

Thanks for the request for [requested item]. We don't stock that exact [part / brand], but we can supply [alternative], which [matches the spec / differs in one way: explain].

Quote for [quantity] × [alternative]: [price] each, [X]-week lead time, [freight terms], valid until [date]. Spec sheet attached.

If it has to be [requested item] exactly, I would rather tell you now than waste your time.

[Your name]

5. The service quote

For work quoted by scope rather than by unit: installation, cleaning, maintenance, freight lanes.

Hi [Name],

Thanks for the details. Based on [scope as you understood it: size, frequency, location, dates], here is our quote:

• Total: [price] [per visit / per month / one-off]

Included: [what is covered]. Not included: [the common exclusions, so there are no surprises].

Valid until [date]. If the scope changes, I will re-quote the same day.

[Your name]

6. The polite no-bid

For a request you cannot or should not quote.

Hi [Name],

Thanks for thinking of us for [project or product]. We won't be able to quote this one, as [short reason: it is outside our range / we don't have capacity before your date].

[Optional: For [the part you can do / similar future requests], we would be glad to help.]

Please keep us in mind for the next one.

[Your name]

A fast no is worth more than a slow maybe. The buyer can move on, and you stay on their list.

7. The revised quote

For when quantity, spec, or your costs change after the first quote.

Subject: Revised quote: [product], [what changed]

Hi [Name],

Following [your updated quantity / the spec change / our supplier's price change], here is the revised quote:

• [Line]: [new price] (was [old price]) at [quantity]
• Lead time: [X] weeks
• Valid until: [date]

Everything else from the [date] quote stands. This replaces the earlier version.

[Your name]

Say which quote it replaces. Two live quotes with different numbers in one thread invite a dispute about which one the order was placed against.

8. The follow-up

For a quote that went out and went quiet. Send it shortly before the buyer's decision date, or a few business days after the quote if they gave none, and bring something new.

Subject: Re: Quote: [product]

Hi [Name],

Following up on the quote for [product] from [date]. [Something useful: stock is confirmed for your date / lead time has shortened to X weeks / we can hold the price until the end of the month].

Is there anything I can clarify or adjust to help you decide?

[Your name]

If there is still no reply near the quote's expiry date, one last short note that the price is about to lapse closes the loop without pestering.

Subject lines that get opened

Buyers search their inbox for your quote when they sit down to compare. Make it findable:

• Quote: 40 × PX-200, delivery Dallas by Sep 15
• Quote #[number]: [project name]
• Revised quote: [product], new quantity 60
• Re: [their original subject]: reply in their thread whenever you can, so the quote sits next to the request.

If you are the buyer: an RFQ email template

Most of this page is for suppliers, but the fastest quotes come from complete requests. If you are sending one:

Subject: RFQ: [quantity] × [product or service], needed by [date]

Hi [Name],

Please quote [quantity] × [product, part number, spec] delivered to [location] by [date]. Please include unit price, any quantity breaks, lead time, freight, payment terms, and how long the price is valid.

Quotes are due by [date]. Questions to [name, email].

[Your name]

When templates stop being enough

Templates fix the wording. They do not fix the lookup: finding today's price for this part, at this quantity, with this customer's terms, while three other quote requests wait. That is where most of the time goes, and it is why quote replies go out late even when everyone knows the wording by heart.

InboxPilot, which publishes this guide, drafts replies like template 1 and template 2 automatically. It reads each quote request in Gmail or Outlook, fills the price, lead time, and a clarifying question from your uploaded price lists or a Google Sheet, and holds the draft for your approval. Requests that need a person, such as custom work, can be forwarded instead. It does not produce formal PDF quote documents or connect to ERP systems. The RFQ automation page shows an example end to end, and our freight broker guide covers the same pattern for rate requests.

Related reading

• RFQ vs RFP vs RFI: how to recognize each request and what it is really asking.
• RFQ software for inbound quote requests: what supplier-side RFQ software does and how to choose it.
• How to acknowledge an email: same-day receipts for requests you cannot answer yet.
• AI for freight brokers: rate and quote emails answered from your own lanes.

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Templates are starting points; adapt terms, taxes and validity to your industry and the law that applies to your sales. InboxPilot is the publisher of this guide.