Industrial RFQ systems · SOULTWARE LLC
How to qualify industrial RFQs before estimating
Qualification answers whether a request has enough information and appears to fit the company’s capabilities for the next review step. It is distinct from calculating a price or making a final commitment.
Check completeness against the job type
Use a checklist tied to the category of work. Confirm that the request identifies the application, important constraints, required deliverables, contact, and available technical evidence.
Treat unknowns explicitly. A missing detail may be acceptable for an early conversation but a blocker for a detailed estimate. The system should record that distinction.
Assign technical fit review
Give a qualified reviewer responsibility for assessing capability, capacity, interfaces, risk, and any need for a site visit or specialist input. Record the decision and outstanding questions.
Do not turn qualification into an opaque lead score. Staff should understand why a request is ready, needs clarification, or falls outside current scope.
Define readiness and handoff
Agree on the conditions that make a request ready for estimating and who owns the transition. The estimator should receive the relevant answers, files, assumptions, and review notes in one place.
Separate a preliminary estimate from a formal quote and define who may approve each. Software can enforce the handoff once the business has set the rule.