Manufacturing RFQ Intake Checklist: Capture the Job Before You Quote It

TL;DR

Manufacturing RFQ intake should create an estimate-ready record, not merely collect attachments.

Capture customer and commercial context, the authoritative file set, quantity, material, critical features, inspection and documentation requirements, outside processes, delivery request, and every unresolved question. Label each entry as received fact, internal assumption, or missing information. End intake with one disposition: ready to estimate, clarification required, technical review, or no-bid.

Current AIURION product truth matters here: there is not a dedicated RFQ module today. Intake begins through Reports when a STEP-file analysis is part of the opportunity, or directly through Quotes for a manually created proposal. This checklist is the operating discipline to apply across those surfaces.

Skip Ahead

• Separate facts from assumptions
• Copy the RFQ intake record
• Use a disposition gate
• A filled RFQ example
• Where AIURION intake begins today

Separate Facts from Assumptions

The fastest way to corrupt an estimate is to make an assumption look like customer input.

Use three labels:

• Received fact: explicitly provided by the customer or a controlling document.
• Internal assumption: selected by the estimator to make the opportunity quotable.
• Missing information: unresolved input that could change feasibility, price, lead time, acceptance, or risk.

Example:

• Received fact: customer requested 20 pieces and supplied drawing Rev B.
• Internal assumption: quote will use 6061-T6 because the drawing calls out “aluminum” without grade.
• Missing information: no inspection report requirement was stated.

The quote may proceed with the assumption if the shop chooses, but the quote must state it and define when it will be confirmed. Intake should never silently convert it into a fact.

NIST's digital-thread work focuses on communicating product and manufacturing information across design, manufacturing, and quality activities ^[S1]. RFQ intake is where that thread first enters the supplier's operating workflow.

Copy the RFQ Intake Record

A. Opportunity and ownership

Field	Entry
RFQ or opportunity ID
Customer company and contact
Estimator / opportunity owner
Date received
Quote due date
Requested delivery date
Program or end-use context, if supplied
Incumbent / repeat / new work
Communication channel and source

B. Part and configuration

Field	Entry	Label: fact / assumption / missing
Part number and description
Model file name, format, and revision
Drawing file name and revision
Which artifact controls if model and drawing conflict?
Units and scale confirmed
Quantity and requested price breaks
Related parts or assembly context
Superseded files identified

C. Manufacturing requirements

Field	Entry	Label: fact / assumption / missing
Material specification and allowed substitution
Critical dimensions, tolerances, and interfaces
Surface finish, coating, heat treatment, or marking
Threads, inserts, hardware, or assembly
Customer-supplied material or components
Known tooling, fixture, gauge, or programming need
Outside processes
Packaging and fulfillment

D. Quality, documentation, and commercial conditions

Field	Entry	Label: fact / assumption / missing
Inspection level and critical checks
First article or customer approval requirement
Material certs, process certs, or report package
Traceability or record-retention requirement
Customer quality clauses or supplier terms
Delivery location and shipping term
Tax, currency, payment, or validity condition
Confidentiality, access, or handling restriction

E. Open-question register

Question	Why it matters	Owner	Sent	Needed by	Response / disposition

This is intentionally broader than the price calculation. It captures what production and quality will need if the quote wins.

Use a Disposition Gate

Every intake review should end with one visible state.

Disposition	Meaning	Next action
Ready to estimate	Required inputs are present or approved assumptions are explicit	Build route, cost, capacity, and quote
Clarification required	Customer answer is needed before a defensible estimate	Send owned questions and pause affected work
Technical review	Feasibility, process, tolerance, quality, or outside-process risk needs specialist review	Assign reviewer and decision date
No-bid	Capability, capacity, commercial, compliance, or strategic boundary is not met	Record reason and communicate promptly

Do not use “in progress” as the only status. It hides whether the opportunity is waiting on the customer, engineering, estimating, or management.

Minimum estimate-ready gate

Before “Ready to estimate,” confirm:

• controlling files and revision are known;
• quantity and units are known;
• material basis is explicit;
• critical tolerances and required processes are visible;
• inspection/documentation basis is explicit;
• requested timing and delivery destination are known;
• every remaining assumption has an owner and confirmation point.

An estimator can intentionally quote with open assumptions. The gate makes that a decision instead of an accident.

A Filled RFQ Example

This example is illustrative, not a claimed customer result.

RFQ-271 requests 20 machined sensor brackets for delivery in four weeks.

Intake item	Entry	Label
Customer files	SB-14.step and drawing SB-14 Rev B.pdf	Received fact
Quantity	20 pieces; no price breaks requested	Received fact
Material	Drawing says “aluminum”; no grade	Missing information
Critical interface	Two mounting holes and connector keep-out are boxed on drawing	Received fact
Finish	“Black finish” with no process specification	Missing information
Inspection	No report package stated	Missing information
Delivery	Customer dock, requested four weeks from PO	Received fact
Outside process	Estimator expects anodize based on “black finish”	Internal assumption

The open-question register becomes:

Question	Why it matters	Owner	Needed by	Response / disposition
Confirm aluminum grade and substitution rule	Material cost, availability, and process	Estimator	Before final estimate	Pending customer
Confirm whether black finish means Type II anodize and identify color standard	Outside-process cost and acceptance	Estimator	Before final estimate	Pending customer
Confirm inspection-report expectation	Quality scope and quote notes	Quality	Before quote approval	Pending internal/customer review

Disposition: Clarification required. Geometry analysis may continue, but the final quote should not invent material and finish as settled facts.

If this RFQ wins, the same unresolved fields should appear in the pre-release job readiness scorecard, not be rediscovered by the floor.

The Production Handoff Test

Before approving the quote, give the intake record to someone who did not estimate it and ask:

1. Which files control?
2. What did the customer explicitly require?
3. What did the estimator assume?
4. Which question remains open?
5. What could change price or delivery?
6. What will quality need?
7. What should become part of the job packet if the work converts?

If the reviewer cannot answer from the record, intake is incomplete even if the quote total is mathematically correct.

For the downstream packet, see what belongs in a manufacturing job packet. For the governing record, see manufacturing source of truth.

Where AIURION Intake Begins Today

AIURION does not currently expose a dedicated RFQ module. The honest current workflow is:

Reports path

• Upload and analyze a supported STEP file.
• Save the analysis as a Report.
• Review the result and keep the Report detached, attach it to an existing Quote, or create a new Quote from the Report.
• Carry the resulting part details into quote line items and notes.

Quotes path

• Create a Quote directly when analysis is not the starting point.
• Select the client and add line items, discounts, tax, notes, and valid-until date.
• Use the quote review, approval, version, email/PDF, and conversion lifecycle.

The checklist above is not a claim that every RFQ field is already a first-class AIURION form field. Today, teams should use the available Report and Quote records deliberately, keep files and open questions attached to the opportunity, and put assumptions into a consistent quote-note structure.

For the current commercial surface, see AIURION manufacturing quoting software.

Recommended Next Move

Run the template against the last RFQ that produced production confusion. Add the first missing fact to the standard intake review and define its disposition rule.

If the gap sits between STEP analysis, Quote creation, and production handoff, request a focused AIURION RFQ-intake pilot around that path.