A packaging equipment quote is only as good as the information behind it. When suppliers are working from different assumptions, price comparisons become misleading and projects often pick up cost and schedule risk later.
What belongs in a packaging equipment RFQ?
Start with the product and package. Define product characteristics that affect feeding or handling, the package format and material, target sizes, and the required production rate. If multiple SKUs are involved, list the range rather than quoting only one nominal size.
Define performance in measurable terms
Separate a target speed from a contractual acceptance criterion. Include the conditions under which performance will be measured: product, packaging material, run duration, acceptable rejects, and any efficiency requirement.
Document the interfaces
Identify upstream and downstream equipment, controls handshakes, utilities, inspection devices, coding requirements, and responsibility boundaries. A machine-only price can look attractive until missing interfaces appear later.
Include facility and compliance requirements
Record voltage, compressed air, footprint constraints, access limitations, sanitation needs, and required electrical or safety standards. These can materially change machine design and cost.
Put FAT and SAT expectations in the RFQ
Do not wait until the machine is complete to decide what “accepted” means. Define the major FAT and SAT criteria while proposals are still being compared.
Use the same RFQ for every supplier
That is the simplest way to make quotes comparable. Keep optional features separate from mandatory requirements and require suppliers to identify exclusions and assumptions.
If you want a ready-to-use version, the Packaging Equipment RFQ Builder organizes these inputs into an editable Excel worksheet.