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Allan Yang
Allan Yang

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5 RFQ Fields That Make Wire Harness Quotes Useless

#hardware #electronics #manufacturing #sourcing

You asked three harness shops for quotes.
You got three numbers.
None of them describe the same cable.

Usually the RFQ was missing a few fields. Suppliers filled the blanks with their assumptions — then priced the risk. Here are the five blanks that break comparison most often.

The 5 fields

Fill these before you email anyone. If any row is blank, your quotes are not comparable.

  1. Drawing + revision letter — “Rev A” vs “latest” is two products. No rev → the shop redraws.
  2. Manufacturer PN for every connector — “Molex-like” or “JST-type” is not a PN. List alternates or forbid them.
  3. Pinout / cavity map — Same housing, different pinout = scrap. Attach a pin table; don’t prose it.
  4. Qty tiers + sample qty — Ask 25 / 100 / 500 plus a 2-pc sample line so you can score replies.
  5. Tests you will pay for — Continuity-only vs hipot + pinout + pull is different cost. Write the list.

Rule of thumb: If you would not accept a substitute on that field, write no substitution without written approval.

Mini scorecard (don’t pick on unit price alone)

Score each supplier 1–5 on the same rows:

Criterion Weight
Same rev & PN quoted ×3
Tests included as asked ×2
Sample + lead time clear ×2
NRE / tooling itemized ×1
Unit price @ target qty ×2

Quick fail (any one → pause):

  • Quote references a different revision than your attachment
  • Connector described as “equivalent” with no manufacturer PN
  • Deposit asked before a qualification sample with test records
  • Unit price only — no sample, no NRE, no lead time

Next hour

  1. Fill the five fields against your drawing/BOM.
  2. Attach drawing + BOM + pinout (same pack to every shop).
  3. Send to 3–5 suppliers — never one.
  4. Score replies. Pick a qualification sample, not a production PO.

Free one-pager

I packaged this as a free one-pager (buyer-side only, no supplier list):

→ Free RFQ Starter

Landing + PDF: https://merry-elf-615ae5.netlify.app

If you want the full English RFQ emails + weighted scorecards + sample/payment gates, the paid kits live on the same landing page. Happy to answer specifics in the comments either way.

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