Buyer document pack
Feed ingredient RFQ and specification sheet template
One document pack that pairs the commercial RFQ with the technical specification, so suppliers quote the same product on the same terms. Includes a completed soybean meal example you can copy line by line.
Feed mills, integrators, importers and traders issuing ingredient or additive RFQs to multiple suppliers.
When to use this template
- Issuing a first RFQ for an ingredient or additive to 3–5 suppliers
- Offers came back with different bases, methods or Incoterms
- Formalising a repeat purchase into a comparable, documented tender
1. RFQ header — who is buying and by when
Suppliers price risk. The clearer the buyer, volume and deadline, the tighter the offer.
| Field | What to state | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Buyer & plant | Legal entity plus the delivery plant or silo the material feeds. | Nile Feed Mills Ltd, Alexandria plant |
| RFQ reference & date | One reference per tender; suppliers must quote it back. | RFQ-2026-014, issued 12 Mar 2026 |
| Offer deadline | Give at least 5 working days for origin-based offers. | Offers by 19 Mar 2026, 17:00 CET |
| Validity required | How long the quoted price must stand. | Price valid 14 days |
| Award basis | State whether you award on landed cost per unit nutrient. | Lowest landed USD per unit protein |
2. Commercial terms
| Field | What to state | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Quantity & schedule | Total tonnage plus the shipment split — spot or contract. | 6,000 MT, 3 × 2,000 MT monthly |
| Incoterms 2020 | Name the term and the named place, always together. | CFR Alexandria, Incoterms 2020 |
| Packaging | Bulk, big bags or 50 kg bags with pallet configuration. | 50 kg PP bags, 20 MT/FCL |
| Payment terms | Instrument and tenor; state if an LC is acceptable. | Irrevocable LC at sight |
| Price basis | Currency, unit and whether duties and taxes are included. | USD/MT, duty unpaid |
| Weight & quality final | Where and by whom weight and quality are determined. | SGS at load port, final |
3. Specification sheet — attach, do not describe
Every parameter needs a limit, a unit, a basis and a method. A number without a method is not a specification.
| Field | What to state | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Product & origin | Technical name, process and country, plus crop year for plant proteins. | Soybean meal, solvent-extracted, Argentina 2026 |
| Key nutrients | Protein, moisture, fat, fibre and ash with min/max and method. | CP 46.0% min (Kjeldahl, as-is) |
| Process markers | Urease, KOH solubility or PDI for soy; bio-efficacy for additives. | Urease 0.05–0.20 ΔpH |
| Safety limits | Mycotoxins, heavy metals and Salmonella against the destination limits. | Aflatoxin B1 ≤ 5 ppb; Salmonella absent /25 g |
| Physical | Particle size distribution, bulk density, colour and odour. | 95% < 2 mm; 620–680 g/L |
| Documents per shipment | The pack that must travel with the goods. | CoA, phyto, health cert, BL, packing list |
4. Rejection, claims and how offers are compared
- State the tolerance band and the price adjustment for each out-of-spec parameter, separately from outright rejection criteria
- Name the reference laboratory and the umpire analysis procedure before the first shipment, not after a dispute
- Require the offer to be itemised: product price, freight, insurance, and any origin surcharge shown separately
- Ask for the plant of production and the CoA of a recent comparable lot with the offer
- Normalise offers to cost per unit of the nutrient you buy (per unit protein, per unit available phosphorus, per unit bio-efficacy)
- Score non-price factors — shipment reliability, documentation quality, claim history — before the award, so cheap offers with paperwork risk are visible
Filled example — 6,000 MT soybean meal, CFR Alexandria
A complete, realistic RFQ line-up. Replace the values with yours and the document is ready to send; the same rows export to the PDF and the Excel-ready CSV below.
| Field | Filled example |
|---|---|
| RFQ reference | RFQ-2026-014 |
| Buyer / delivery plant | Nile Feed Mills Ltd — Alexandria plant |
| Product | Soybean meal, solvent-extracted, dehulled |
| Origin / crop year | Argentina, crop 2026 |
| Quantity & schedule | 6,000 MT — 3 × 2,000 MT, monthly Apr–Jun 2026 |
| Incoterms 2020 | CFR Alexandria |
| Packaging | Bulk vessel parcel; bagged option quoted separately (50 kg PP) |
| Payment | Irrevocable LC at sight, confirmed |
| Offer deadline / validity | 19 Mar 2026 17:00 CET / price valid 14 days |
| Crude protein | 46.0% min (Kjeldahl, as-is) |
| Moisture | 12.5% max (ISO 6496) |
| Crude fibre | 3.5% max |
| Crude fat | 1.5% max |
| Ash / acid-insoluble ash | 7.0% max / 1.0% max |
| Lysine (total) | 2.85% min |
| Urease activity | 0.05–0.20 ΔpH (AOCS Ba 9-58) |
| KOH protein solubility | 78–85% |
| Aflatoxin B1 / total | ≤ 5 ppb / ≤ 10 ppb |
| Heavy metals | Pb ≤ 5 ppm, Cd ≤ 1 ppm, As ≤ 2 ppm |
| Microbiology | Salmonella absent in 25 g; Enterobacteriaceae ≤ 300 cfu/g |
| Particle size / bulk density | 95% through 2 mm / 620–680 g/L |
| Weight & quality final | SGS at load port, final for both parties |
| Documents required | CoA per lot, phytosanitary, health certificate, BL, packing list, origin |
| Award basis | Lowest landed USD per unit crude protein, adjusted for documentation score |
Put this template to work
Send your completed template with a structured RFQ and we route it to pre-qualified feed ingredient suppliers — free, no obligation.
Send this RFQ to qualified suppliersFrequently asked questions
- What should a feed ingredient RFQ include?
- A buyer and plant identification, an RFQ reference and offer deadline, the quantity and shipment schedule, Incoterms 2020 with a named place, packaging, payment terms, the price basis, weight-and-quality-final arrangements, and an attached specification sheet with limits, units, bases and analytical methods.
- Why attach a specification sheet to the RFQ?
- Without it, each supplier quotes to its own house standard and the offers are not comparable. Attaching the specification fixes protein basis, methods, mycotoxin limits and packaging, so the only remaining variable is price and delivery.
- Is the RFQ template free to download?
- Yes. The page is free to read and print, and you can download the template as a branded PDF or as an Excel-ready CSV. No registration is required.
- How many suppliers should receive the RFQ?
- Three to five qualified suppliers is the practical range: enough to reveal the market level, few enough that each one takes the tender seriously and you can evaluate every offer properly.
- How do I compare offers that use different Incoterms?
- Convert every offer to the same delivered basis — add freight, insurance, port charges and duties to EXW or FOB offers — and then divide by the nutrient you actually buy, such as cost per unit of crude protein or available phosphorus.