What a garment factory needs before it can quote your collection

Send every shortlisted factory the same version of your specification and ask each to list its assumptions. That gives you a useful starting point for comparing quotations. A number received against an incomplete brief may describe a different garment from the one you intend to order.

This clothing manufacturer RFQ template is for brand owners preparing a production enquiry. Use it to organise the first conversation, identify open decisions and separate an indicative estimate from a quotation based on confirmed requirements.

Put one person in charge of the enquiry

Choose who can approve changes to the product and who will collect factory questions. Give the enquiry a reference, such as a collection name and revision date. Ask everyone involved to use that reference in replies.

If a factory suggests a different material or construction, record it as an alternative. Keep your original requirement visible alongside it. Otherwise, by the time three suppliers have replied, you may be comparing three different versions of the product.

You can start a conversation with an unfinished design. Label the unresolved decisions clearly and ask what is needed to move from an estimate to a firmer quotation.

Attach a usable product specification

A tech pack communicates the product through drawings, materials, measurements and construction instructions. Techpacker's guide to tech packs explains the distinction between this full package and a measurement sheet alone.

For the enquiry, identify the current file and tell the factory which decisions are fixed. Useful attachments include the following:

A photograph of a garment can help explain an idea. Add a note beside it describing the exact feature you want discussed. That is more useful than asking a factory to copy an entire product from an image.

Break quantities into decisions the factory can answer

Show the proposed quantity for each style, colour and size. If the final split is undecided, provide your current planning assumption and mark it provisional.

For example, a collection spreadsheet might show a hoodie and a T-shirt as separate rows, with colour and size breakdowns on separate sheets. Ask the factory to answer for each style individually. A single collection total hides the questions you still need answered.

Techpacker's quotation-request guide also recommends providing a quantity breakdown and checking whether a quotation includes the requested materials and sampling scope.

Keep reorder expectations separate from the first proposed order. An intention to reorder is useful context; it is not a confirmed quantity.

Describe the approval decisions

Use your enquiry to ask who will approve the sample, fabric appearance, fit and packaging. Where you have an existing approval process, attach it. Where you do not, ask the factory to propose the steps for discussion.

Identify the person who can accept a change and how that decision will be recorded. A comment such as “make the sleeve slightly wider” should lead to an updated measurement or annotated drawing before it becomes a production instruction.

If your brand has testing requirements, provide the actual requirement or ask a qualified testing provider to help define it. A general phrase such as “European quality” does not tell either party what result will be accepted.

Separate your launch date from a production commitment

Give the factory your intended launch date, receiving location and any fixed campaign dates. Then ask which parts of the plan are feasible and what information is needed to assess the schedule.

Request a sequence of milestones with the assumptions beside them. Ask what would change if a material decision or sample approval moves. Keep the factory's response with the version of the specification it assessed.

For Plummy Venture, lead time depends on the style, fabric and order size. A quotation conversation should establish those inputs before a schedule is agreed.

Use a quotation comparison sheet

Create one column per factory and one row per question you need answered. Leave gaps visible rather than filling them with your own assumptions.

The purpose is to make a decision you can explain. A more detailed reply may reveal that a supplier understood a difficult requirement; a short reply may simply need a follow-up question. Assess the substance of the answers.

A first-enquiry template

You can use the following fields as the body of your enquiry:

• Brand and collection reference
• Product categories and style references
• Current specification file and revision date
• Proposed quantities, with the colour and size breakdown attached
• Material and design decisions that remain open
• Intended receiving location and launch date
• Your sample, approval and testing requirements
• Questions you want answered before proceeding
• Name and contact details of the person handling decisions

Ask the factory to confirm which products it can assess and to list the missing information. Use that response to prepare the next version of the brief.

Preparing an enquiry for Plummy Venture

Plummy Venture manufactures knitwear, activewear and headwear in Bangladesh. Its two-unit setup includes a knit composite unit and a production unit working with imported fabric. State the product category early so the discussion can focus on the relevant production requirements.

Send your current specification, intended quantities and open questions through the Plummy Venture enquiry contact. The first step is to establish what you are making and which decisions need resolving before a quotation can be compared.

Still comparing factories? See how to choose a clothing manufacturer for the questions to ask each one.