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Valve RFQ Baseline: How to Get Comparable Quotations
15 October 2026
A valve data sheet can contain plenty of detail and still produce quotations that are difficult to compare. The problem is often not the number of fields. It is that suppliers have received different revisions, assumptions are mixed with firm requirements, or exceptions are buried in free text.
This guide starts where Valves4You’s existing industrial valve specification checklist stops. It explains how to turn the gathered duty information into one controlled RFQ baseline, then make each quotation show what complies, what differs and what remains open.
Quick answer
Issue every supplier the same dated valve data sheet and attachment set. Mark each requirement as confirmed, preferred, unknown or not applicable; separate process duty from a proposed product solution; and require a line-by-line response for compliance, deviation, exclusion and evidence. When a requirement changes, issue a new revision to every bidder and compare only against that revision. The data sheet supports quotation and review; it does not itself prove product suitability.
Why a completed data sheet may still be a weak comparison baseline
Emerson’s control-valve sizing guidance separates physical details, process conditions and fluid properties. Spirax Sarco likewise lists process medium, pressure, temperature, flow, functional requirements, method of operation, pipeline and special requirements as distinct selection inputs. Those categories show why one nominal size or pressure designation cannot carry the whole duty.
For procurement, the Cabinet Office describes technical specifications as the shared description of the buyer’s requirements. The useful principle is broader than public procurement: suppliers need the same clear requirement if their responses are to be compared sensibly. A supplier may still need to propose a different construction, but the deviation should be visible rather than silently assumed.
Four controls for the RFQ baseline
1. Give the baseline an identity
Put the project, tag or item number, document owner, issue date and revision on the data sheet. List every attachment—such as the valve schedule, process data, line specification, drawings and documentation requirements—with its own revision. State the quotation return date and the contact for technical clarifications.
If a pressure, temperature, quantity or interface changes, update the baseline and send the same revision to every invited supplier. Do not compare a revised offer with an earlier technical basis without recording the difference.
2. Label certainty instead of filling gaps with guesses
| Status | Meaning | How the supplier should respond |
|---|---|---|
| Confirmed | A project requirement or verified duty value. | Confirm compliance or state a deviation and supporting evidence. |
| Preferred | A buyer preference that may be challenged. | Quote it where suitable, or explain the proposed alternative. |
| Unknown | Information not yet established. | State what is needed, what assumption is used and its effect on the offer. |
| Not applicable | A field deliberately excluded from this duty. | Do not infer a requirement. |
Never enter a convenient value merely to make the form look complete. An explicit unknown creates a question. An unmarked assumption can become an unnoticed design basis.
3. Separate the duty from the proposed solution
Record the required function, medium, operating range, design conditions, differential pressure, flow where relevant, shut-off need, cycling, pipe and flange interface, environment, utilities, fail action, documentation and approvals before naming a construction. Then place buyer preferences—valve type, materials, actuator or accessories—in a separate column.
This lets a supplier identify a conflict without rewriting the duty. It also prevents a preferred material or valve style from being mistaken for evidence that the complete assembly suits the application.
4. Require a structured compliance and deviation response
Ask each supplier to return the same schedule with one response against every material requirement:
- Complies: the offered item meets the stated requirement; identify the supporting datasheet, drawing or certificate where needed.
- Deviation: the offer differs; state the exact difference and why it is proposed.
- Exclusion: the item or service is not included in the commercial offer.
- Clarification required: the supplier cannot confirm the point without more information.
Do not let a general “quoted to specification” statement replace the detailed response. A quotation can include the valve but exclude the actuator, testing, certificates, mounting kit, commissioning or delivery condition unless the scope is explicit.
A compact quotation comparison schedule
| RFQ item | Baseline | Supplier response | Evidence or exception |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duty and function | Isolation, control or other stated function | Complies / deviation / clarification | Selection note or sizing output where relevant |
| Process conditions | Medium and operating/design envelope | Confirmed range and assumptions | Model pressure-temperature or sizing evidence |
| Mechanical interface | Size, connection, standard, face-to-face and space | Offered arrangement | Drawing and dimensions |
| Materials and sealing | Required/prohibited wetted materials | Complete offered construction | Materials schedule |
| Operation and controls | Manual or actuated duty, utilities, fail action and feedback | Complete package scope | Actuator/accessory data |
| Testing and documents | Required tests, certificates, drawings and manuals | Included / excluded / optional | Document list and timing |
Commercial comparison comes after the technical scope is visible. Record quantities, delivery basis, delivery date, validity, warranty and optional items separately. A lower total is not directly comparable if the technical response excludes part of the required package.
Qualified examples
Unknown maximum temperature
Mark the value unknown and provide the normal temperature plus the cleaning or upset question. One supplier may hold the offer pending confirmation; another may state a conservative assumption. Keep that assumption visible until the project owner confirms it.
Preferred stainless body, but duty evidence points elsewhere
Keep the process conditions as confirmed requirements and the body material as preferred unless the project specification makes it mandatory. The supplier can then propose a supported alternative without changing the recorded duty.
Actuated package with accessories
State whether the offer must include the valve, actuator, mounting hardware, solenoid, switchbox or positioner, testing and documentation. Require voltage, air supply, signal, fail action, travel time, feedback and environment to be answered individually rather than assumed from the phrase “actuated valve”.
What to send for a controlled valve quotation
- The dated RFQ data sheet and valve schedule, each with revision identity.
- Process medium and properties; normal, minimum, maximum and design conditions; and unknowns clearly marked.
- Required function, operating pattern, shut-off or control need and flow data where relevant.
- Pipe, flange, face-to-face, orientation, access and dimensional constraints.
- Required and prohibited materials, environment, utilities, fail action and controls.
- Testing, certification, traceability, drawings, manuals and approval requirements.
- Quantity, delivery location, required date and commercial return instructions.
- A response schedule requiring compliance, deviations, exclusions, assumptions and supporting evidence.
Use the specification checklist to gather the duty, or the Difficult-Media Duty Check when the application still needs investigation. Then send the controlled enquiry pack to Valves4You.
Frequently asked questions
Should every field be completed before an RFQ is issued?
No. Unknowns should be visible and assigned for clarification. Do not invent a value. Some missing inputs may prevent final selection or sizing, and the supplier should state that clearly.
Is a supplier deviation automatically unacceptable?
No. A deviation is information for technical review. It may be unsuitable, equivalent or better for the stated duty, but it needs evidence and a recorded decision.
Can a data sheet prove that a valve is suitable?
No. It records requirements and responses. Final suitability depends on the complete duty, the offered model and current manufacturer evidence, plus any required competent engineering review.
What if the RFQ changes after quotations arrive?
Issue a controlled revision, identify the changed fields and ask affected suppliers to update their response. Preserve the earlier revision so the comparison remains auditable.
Should prices be compared before technical deviations are closed?
Keep both views, but do not call offers like-for-like until inclusions, exclusions, options and material technical deviations are visible.
Request a valve quotation against one baseline
Send Valves4You the duty, schedule and current revision. Include the medium, pressure, temperature, size, connection, materials, operation, controls, documentation, quantity and required date where relevant, and label anything still unknown.