01 Answer first
What should a water bottling plant RFQ contain?
It should give every bidder the same water, product, bottle, pack, output, site and utility basis, then request an itemized response for equipment, interfaces, services, documents, FAT, logistics, installation, commissioning, training, handover and exclusions.
Project decision workbook
Issue an RFQ that produces comparable technical offers
A useful RFQ tells suppliers what is fixed, what is preferred and what remains open. It gives one product, container, output, site, destination and scope basis; asks bidders to expose assumptions and exclusions; and defines the documents and acceptance evidence expected with the offer. Unknown inputs should be labeled for clarification rather than replaced with invented precision.
Use this workbook before sending the first formal enquiry or reopening an unclear quotation.
A version-controlled RFQ pack and a bidder clarification register.
A message requesting a "complete 12,000 BPH plant" with no reference bottle or project boundary.
| RFQ section | State in the enquiry | Require in the response | Comparison value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Product and package | Water source and analysis status, finished product, bottle, cap, label and pack. | Process assumptions, approved-input list and format limitations. | Confirms whether the proposed system serves the same product duty. |
| Output and operation | Reference format, good-product target, shifts, changeovers and growth case. | Capacity conditions, line balance, consumption and staffing assumptions. | Makes speed and operating claims testable. |
| Scope and site | Requested systems, factory data, utilities, destination, local work and service boundary. | Included, optional, excluded and buyer-supplied schedule plus layout and load list. | Exposes hidden technical and installed-cost gaps. |
| Execution and acceptance | Document, review, FAT, shipping, readiness, commissioning, training and handover expectations. | Milestones, protocol approach, responsibilities, spares and support route. | Compares the complete delivery path rather than the machine shipment alone. |
Keep the same RFQ revision and question deadline for every bidder when a fair comparison is required.
Decision-ready evidence
Issue One RFQ Basis That Forces Comparable, Evidence-Backed Responses
The RFQ should tell bidders what is known, mark what is genuinely open, and require every response to identify scope, assumptions, deviations, evidence and responsible parties. Open input is not permission to invent a convenient project condition.
| Decision or boundary | Buyer and site input | Supplier or specialist evidence | Release record and responsibility |
|---|---|---|---|
| Project identity and document control | Buyer entity, site, destination, contacts, confidentiality, timetable and issued-document list | Acknowledgement of RFQ revision, addenda, validity and authorized response contacts | One controlled issue register; superseded briefs cannot govern the offer |
| Water and finished-product basis | Source evidence, product categories, specifications, treatment constraints and local-adviser status | Process assumptions, required tests, exclusions, calculations and qualified-review dependencies | Bidder distinguishes confirmed inputs from conditions needing investigation |
| Container, closure, label and pack formats | Drawings/samples, materials, SKU matrix, artwork/code, pallet and distribution conditions | Compatibility statement, format parts, trials, tolerances, changeover and inspection response | Every proposed format is accepted, conditioned, alternative or excluded in writing |
| Demand, capacity and operating plan | Reference SKU, saleable demand, shifts, changeovers, sanitation, ramp and expansion cases | Rated/guaranteed basis, line balance, constraints, utility peaks and test conditions | Capacity response uses the buyer definition and exposes every performance assumption |
| Site, utilities and local-work boundary | Survey/layout data, access, environment, services, drainage, building and buyer resources | Load schedule, connection points, site prerequisites, local works and field-verification needs | Physical and responsibility interfaces are itemized, not buried in exclusions |
| Equipment, controls and package integration | Required route, automation, data, safety, redundancy and preferred responsibility model | Itemized scope, datasheets, interface matrix, manufacturing roles and change-control method | Offer can be reconciled from process package to every cross-package interface |
| Acceptance, documents and site services | FAT/SAT, sampling, evidence, language, installation, commissioning, training and handover needs | Draft protocols, deliverable register, service scope, prerequisites, duration basis and carryover policy | Evidence and service obligations are comparable before price evaluation |
| Commercial response, exclusions and alternatives | Incoterm/destination, payment/security needs, warranty, spares, schedule and pricing format | Itemized price, options, validity, exclusions, deviation schedule, alternative basis and risk-transfer terms | Clarifications and award conditions reference the final controlled offer revision |
Adapt the RFQ with qualified technical, commercial, legal, safety and local regulatory advisers. A checklist improves response discipline but does not create obligations unless incorporated into the signed agreement.
02 Where it fits
Position in the project journey
RFQ preparation - before inviting and comparing supplier proposals.
03 Buyer inputs
What the buyer should prepare
- Common product, bottle, pack and output brief
- Raw-water, site, utility and destination information
- Required equipment and service boundary
- Commercial, approval and schedule expectations
04 Allot Tech and manufacturing-resource inputs
What should be clarified or provided
- Line-by-line scope and deviation response
- Technical basis, interfaces and exclusions
- Document, FAT, logistics and site-service proposal
- Acceptance, warranty-term and responsibility clarification
Allot Tech coordinates requirement, quotation and project communication. Detailed engineering, manufacture, testing, documentation and confirmed service are performed by selected manufacturing resources according to the signed scope.
05 Technical scope
Questions and work to control
Provide the Inputs That Control Configuration
Include available raw-water information, finished-water objective, bottle and closure details, label and secondary pack, required output, operating pattern, factory dimensions, utilities, destination and target project stage. Mark unknown inputs rather than guessing them.
Require a Complete Scope Response
Ask bidders to identify the status of treatment, bottle blowing or bottle supply, filling, conveyors, labeling, coding, packing, auxiliaries, controls, spares, documentation, FAT, packing, freight, installation, commissioning, training, warranty terms and travel.
- Included, excluded, optional, buyer-side or open
- Common bottle, pack and output basis
- Interface and utility connection responsibility
Ask How Each Stage Will Be Accepted
Request the proposed document list, approval gates, FAT basis, site-readiness inputs, installation and commissioning boundary, training record, handover condition and treatment of open actions. Final criteria remain project-specific and belong in the signed agreement.
Buyer questions answered
Practical answers before you request a quotation
Can I send the same RFQ to every supplier?
Yes. A common input and scope basis is the strongest way to expose differences in configuration, exclusions, services and commercial treatment.
What if some RFQ details are unknown?
Mark them open and ask each bidder to state the assumption, consequence and information needed. Hidden guesses create less comparable offers.
Should freight and installation be inside the RFQ?
They should at least have an explicit status and commercial boundary, together with travel, local labor, tools, lifting, commissioning materials and site readiness.
What makes an RFQ response acceptable?
Every material row should have a status, description, owner and applicable document or acceptance basis. Blank cells remain open gaps.
Downloadable buyer tool
Work from one controlled project workbook
Use eight editable sheets for the project brief, responsibility matrix, site readiness, FAT, installation, handover and three-supplier quotation comparison. Blank and open items remain visible for review.
- Start Here
- Project Brief
- Responsibility Matrix
- Site Readiness
- FAT Checklist
- Installation
- Handover
- Quote Comparison
06 Responsibility
Assign the owner before the work is due
Land, building and civil work, permits, import and customs, local taxes, site utilities, unloading, lifting, local labor, travel support and commissioning materials are not automatically included. Confirm every responsibility before order.
07 Common risks
What commonly creates avoidable uncertainty
- Bidders receive different capacity or package inputs
- Blank rows are treated as included
- Freight, travel or local work remains outside the comparison
08 Acceptance or completion
How to know the stage is complete
Each bidder responds to one controlled checklist and every material row has a written status, assumption, owner and clarification path.
09 Required documents
Records that support the decision
- Controlled RFQ
- Bidder response schedule
- Deviation and clarification log
- Normalized technical and commercial comparison
Evidence basis
Official references and project limits
These primary sources support the general planning principles used in this guide. The rules, evidence and responsible authority for the actual project country must still be confirmed locally.
10 Next project step
Turn this decision into a reviewable project brief
Share the product, container, target output, destination and available site information. Unknown inputs can remain open for the first review.
Explore this topic cluster
Turnkey scope is project-specific and is defined by the signed technical and commercial agreement.