Request for Quotation (RFQ)
A request for quotation (RFQ) asks vendors for pricing and availability rather than binding offers. Under FAR 13.004 a quotation is not an offer; the government's order in response is the offer, and no contract exists until the supplier accepts it.
RFQs are the workhorse solicitation of simplified acquisitions under FAR Part 13 and of ordering against Federal Supply Schedule contracts under FAR 8.405-1 and 8.405-2. The government states its need, vendors quote a price, and the contracting officer evaluates the quotes and issues an order.
The legal mechanics run backward from an RFP. A proposal is an offer the government can accept; a quotation is informational. The order the government sends is the offer, and the contract forms only when the supplier accepts — by written notice, by furnishing the supplies, or by proceeding to substantial performance. Until then either side can walk: the government may withdraw the order in writing, and the vendor holds nothing open.
That last point is the trap. A vendor that quoted in March can decline the order in April or ask for a new price, because the expiration rules that govern bids and offers do not apply to quotes. Where only one source is reasonably available, FAR 13.106-1 lets the contracting officer solicit a single quote, with the determination documented.
Regulatory Reference
FAR 13.004; FAR 13.106-1; FAR 8.405-1; FAR 8.405-2
RFO Status
The Part 13 model deviation (September 18, 2025) rebuilds simplified procedures around presolicitation, solicitation, postaward, and micro-purchase subparts and points RFQ issuance at the deviated Part 12 commercial procedures; Part 13 is not in the June 2026 first-batch proposed rules, so FAR 13.004 controls absent an agency deviation.
Category
Documents & Artifacts
How AcqBot Helps
AcqBot drafts the RFQ from the purchase request, logs each quote received against the evaluation factors, and assembles the award documentation FAR 13.106-3 requires, keeping the record straight that the order, not the quote, forms the contract.
Related glossary entries
Justification & Approval (J&A)
A Justification & Approval (J&A) is the formal document required by FAR 6.303 to justify awarding a federal contract without full and open competition, citing one of seven statutory exceptions and approved at thresholds based on dollar value.
Performance Work Statement (PWS)
A Performance Work Statement (PWS) describes required outcomes and measurable performance standards for a services acquisition rather than prescribing how the work must be done, enabling contractors to propose their own methods under performance-based acquisition.
Statement of Work (SOW)
A Statement of Work (SOW) is the contract document that prescribes, in specific and directive terms, the tasks a contractor must perform, the deliverables due, and the schedule — placing responsibility for the approach on the government.
Statement of Objectives (SOO)
A Statement of Objectives (SOO) is a brief government document stating top-level acquisition objectives and desired outcomes, leaving offerors free to propose their own technical approach and performance work statement in response.