Packaging Machine RFQ Checklist: Information Suppliers Need

A quotation can only be as precise as the request behind it. When an RFQ says “pouch machine for snacks, about 60 packs a minute,” each supplier fills the gaps with its own assumptions, and the quotes that come back cannot be compared. The differences show up later as change orders, failed trials or a machine that does not fit the line.

The template below is blank, so you can copy it into your own document. It has nine sections. Each one says why the supplier needs the information, lists the items to provide and, where values help, adds a fill-in table. A list of commonly missed items comes last. If you have not yet chosen a machine family, start with the overview of packaging machine types.

How to use this template

Work through the sections in order, but do not wait until every cell is filled. Mark unknown items as “unknown, supplier to propose” so that the supplier states its assumption in writing. An open question that is visible is easier to resolve than one that is hidden inside a price.

Send the same document, with the same attachments, to every supplier. Ask each supplier to answer against your numbering so the replies can be placed side by side.

The nine sections

1. Product

The product decides the dosing or handling principle, the contact materials, the cleaning approach and the feeding method. A free-flowing granule, a sticky paste and a fragile baked item need different machines even when the finished pack looks the same. For liquids and pastes, viscosity, particulates and shear sensitivity decide between filling principles, as the comparison of piston and pump fillers explains.

• Product name and a description of its form (powder, granule, liquid, paste, solid unit, mixed)
• Samples or photographs supplied, including the worst case you expect to run
• Known handling problems (sticky, dusty, abrasive, fragile, static, foaming, clumping)
• Allergen, hygiene or cleaning requirements that affect construction
• Product temperature at the machine and any temperature-sensitive behavior

Item	Your value
Bulk density or specific gravity range
Particle or unit size range
Product temperature at infeed
Cleaning method (dry, wet, washdown)
Allergen separation requirement

2. Package and materials

Package format and packaging material set the forming tools, the sealing system and the film path, and a machine quoted for one film structure may not run another. Ask suppliers to name the material properties they depend on. The guide to film and machine compatibility explains which ones matter.

• Package type and style (pillow bag, stand-up pouch, stick pack, tray, carton, bottle)
• Drawing of the finished pack with all critical dimensions
• Film or container structure and supplier, with the data sheet attached
• Reel or container dimensions, including core size and outer diameter for roll stock
• Print registration, eye-mark or coding requirements
• Features such as zipper, tear notch, spout, hang hole or gas flushing
• All formats to be run now, and those planned later

Item	Your value
Pack dimensions (all formats)
Fill quantity per pack and unit
Film structure and thickness
Reel outer diameter and core size
Seal type required

3. Output and shift pattern

Machine size, number of lanes and level of automation follow from the required output and from how that output is measured. A rated speed on a data sheet is not the same as the output you get after stops, changeovers and cleaning.

• Required output, stated as net good packs per hour over a defined period
• Whether the figure is peak, average or planned, and how it is measured
• Shift pattern, days per week and expected utilization
• Changeover frequency and the time you can accept between formats

Item	Your value
Required net output (packs per hour)
Shifts per day and days per week
Changeovers per week
Acceptable changeover duration
Future output target

4. Utilities and site

Motors, heaters, compressors and filtration have to be sized for your supply, not the supplier’s workshop. Wrong voltage or poor air quality often delays installation day.

• Electrical supply: voltage, phases, frequency and available capacity
• Compressed air: available pressure, flow and quality class
• Water, steam, vacuum, nitrogen or other utilities if used
• Floor plan, ceiling height, door and lift sizes along the delivery route
• Floor load capacity and flatness
• Ambient temperature, humidity, dust and washdown conditions
• Hazardous area classification, if any

Item	Your value
Voltage, phases, frequency
Compressed air pressure and quality
Available floor area and height
Ambient conditions
Delivery route restrictions

5. Line interfaces

A machine that works alone can still fail in the line. Heights, transfer direction, signals and buffer capacity need to be agreed before design. Use the packaging line integration checklist to complete this section in detail.

• Upstream equipment and how product arrives (orientation, spacing, continuous or batch)
• Downstream equipment and how packs leave (orientation, height, spacing)
• Conveyor heights, directions and transfer points
• Buffer or accumulation between machines
• Handshake signals expected (ready, running, fault, full, empty)
• Which machine controls line speed
• Layout drawing showing walkways, guarding and service access

Item	Your value
Infeed height and direction
Discharge height and direction
Signals exchanged
Buffer capacity
Line speed master

6. Controls and data

Control hardware, software and data connections are expensive to change once the machine is built, and your maintenance team has to be able to support what is delivered.

• Preferred or mandated PLC and HMI platforms, if any
• Spare parts and software support expectations for your site
• Recipe storage and format management requirements
• Operator access levels and audit trail requirements
• Data to collect or export (counts, rejects, alarms, states)
• Communication protocol and network rules, including cybersecurity policy
• Remote access policy for supplier support

Item	Your value
PLC and HMI platform requirement
Network protocol
Data points to export
Remote access allowed (yes / no / conditions)

7. Safety and compliance documents

The supplier needs to know where the machine will be used and which rules apply, and handover documents are easier to obtain when the order names them. Safety design needs a risk assessment and review by qualified people. The RFQ only states what you expect to receive. Relevant references include the general method for risk assessment in ISO 12100, electrical equipment of machines in IEC 60204-1, and safety requirements for packaging machines such as EN 415-10 or ANSI/PMMI B155.1, depending on the market.

• Country and market of installation, so the supplier can identify applicable rules
• Safety standards or company requirements the machine must meet
• Declaration or certificate documents required at handover, depending on the market
• Risk assessment documentation expected from the supplier
• Electrical schematics, pneumatic diagrams and panel documentation
• Food contact, hygienic design or material certificates if relevant to the product
• Lockout and energy isolation points identified on the machine
• Manuals, spare parts lists and maintenance instructions in your language

Item	Your value
Market of installation
Standards or internal rules required
Documents required at handover
Food contact or hygiene documents

8. Acceptance (FAT / SAT)

Acceptance tests are priced and scheduled work. If the RFQ does not state them, they get negotiated after the order, when your position is weaker. Terminology for factory and site acceptance is covered by IEC 62381; the full method for writing criteria is in the guide to FAT and SAT.

• Whether a factory acceptance test (FAT) is required, and where it takes place
• Whether a site acceptance test (SAT) is required
• Samples and materials you will supply, and the timing of supply
• Test objects, duration and sample quantities to be agreed in writing before the test
• How results are measured and recorded
• Pass or fail rule and who signs off
• What happens if a test fails, including retest and cost responsibility
• Payment milestones linked to acceptance

Item	Your value
FAT required (yes / no)
SAT required (yes / no)
Materials supplied by buyer
Acceptance criteria document reference
Payment milestone linked to FAT and SAT

9. Commercial: delivery, training, spares, service

These terms set the real cost and the support you get over the machine’s life. Ask for each as a separate line so the quotes can be compared. Lifetime cost is covered in the total cost of ownership framework.

• Required delivery date and any site shutdown window
• Incoterms or delivery point, and who handles transport and unloading
• Installation and commissioning scope: who does what
• Training for operators, maintenance staff and engineers
• Spare parts: a recommended list, price and delivery time for critical items
• Service availability, response approach and language
• Warranty scope, duration and what voids it
• Validity period of the quotation

Item	Your value
Required delivery date
Delivery point and terms
Training scope
Spare parts list requested (yes / no)
Warranty period requested

Commonly missed items

These are the items buyers tend to leave out. Check them before sending the RFQ.

• A worst-case sample, not only the sample that runs well
• Formats planned for the next few years, not only the first one
• The way output is measured (rated speed versus net good packs)
• Changeover time and who will perform changeovers
• Reel size, core size and unwind direction for roll stock
• Compressed air quality and not only pressure
• The path from the dock to the final position, including doors and lifts
• Which side of the machine is the operator side and where service access is needed
• Reject handling and confirmation, if inspection is included
• Handshake signals with the upstream and downstream machines
• Data export and network or cybersecurity rules
• Language of the HMI, manuals and training
• Documents needed at handover, and who receives the software backups
• Acceptance criteria and the consequence of a failed test

Information to request from suppliers

Ask every supplier to return the following with the quotation. Use the same list for all of them.

• A numbered response matching your sections, with deviations marked
• Scope of supply and a list of exclusions
• A layout drawing with dimensions and service access
• Utility consumption data with the conditions under which it was stated
• The basis of the quoted speed: product, package, material and the test that supports it
• A list of assumptions the supplier made where you left items open
• A draft acceptance plan, with FAT and SAT proposals
• A list of recommended spares and consumables
• Training and documentation scope
• Reference to the safety rules the design follows, and the documents delivered at handover

Limits and on-site verification

A template does not replace engineering judgment. It cannot tell you which machine type fits your product, whether your film will run, or whether a quoted speed is achievable. Those answers come from trials with your real product and material on the actual machine, and from review of the machine manual and your site risk assessment by qualified engineers.

The template also does not draft your contract. Terms such as liability, warranty and payment should be reviewed by people qualified to do so, and rules differ by market and product. The safety items in the template request documents. They are not a safety design, and the machine’s safeguarding must come from a risk assessment done for the machine and the site.

Related decisions

Once the RFQ is out and replies arrive, compare them against the same numbering. Agree the acceptance method in the FAT versus SAT guide before the order is placed, and use the integration checklist while the design is still open.