Written and maintained by CASRAI Editorial Board
Last updated
Short answer: a request for quote (RFQ) for medical supplies is a written request that asks suppliers to state what they would charge and on what terms for a described list of items. It is an informal competitive method: under the US federal grant rules in 2 CFR 200.320, price or rate quotations must be obtained from “an adequate number of qualified sources” when the purchase falls under the simplified acquisition threshold. Above that, formal sealed bids or proposals with public notice are required. This guide shows where an RFQ sits in those rules and what a supply RFQ package should state so that the quotes that come back can be compared. Rules checked on 2026-11-01.
This page is general procurement information, not legal advice. It does not recommend suppliers or products and contains no price figures.
Definition and scope
What is a request for quote?
An RFQ asks suppliers for quotations against a stated need. For medical and laboratory supplies the need is usually a list of line items (product description, quantity, unit of measure), plus delivery and document requirements. It differs from a request for proposal, which asks suppliers to propose a solution and is scored on stated factors; the two are set side by side in request for proposal vs request for quotation and, for hospital buying specifically, in RFI vs RFP vs RFQ for hospital supply purchasing.
RFQ for medical equipment and the “template” question
People searching for a medical equipment RFQ template usually want a field list. The fields are a buyer’s own drafting choice; what the rules below add is the part a template cannot supply: which procurement route an RFQ belongs to and what the buyer has to tell suppliers about how the award will be decided.
How an RFQ fits the procurement rules
The table is limited to federal rules, checked on 2026-11-01. They bind federal acquisitions and non-federal entities spending federal award money; a private clinic or a distributor’s customer is bound by its own policy and contracts, not by these sections.
| Source | What it says | What it means for an RFQ |
|---|---|---|
| 2 CFR 200.320(a)(1)(ii) | “Micro-purchases may be awarded without soliciting competitive price or rate quotations.” | Very small purchases may not need an RFQ at all. |
| 2 CFR 200.320(a)(2)(i) | “Price or rate quotations must be obtained from an adequate number of qualified sources.” | For informal purchases above the micro-purchase level, one quote from one supplier is not the method; the RFQ goes to several qualified suppliers. |
| 2 CFR 200.320(a)(2)(ii) | A non-federal entity’s own threshold “may be lower than, but must not exceed, the threshold established in the FAR”. | An institution’s policy can send a purchase to formal bidding earlier than the federal ceiling would. |
| 2 CFR 200.320(b) | “Formal procurement methods are competitive and require public notice.” Sealed bids go to the responsible bidder whose bid conforms with all material terms; proposals to the responsible offeror whose proposal is most advantageous. | Above the informal range an RFQ is not the route; see 2 CFR 200 procurement standards. |
| FAR 13.106-1 | The contracting officer “shall notify potential quoters or offerors of the basis on which award will be made”. | The RFQ itself should say whether award turns on price alone or on price and other factors. |
| FAR 13.106-1 | A single-source solicitation may be used where the circumstances deem “only one source reasonably available”. | Sending an RFQ to one supplier needs a stated reason, not just convenience. |
What a medical-supplies RFQ package should state
The rows above translate into four things the package has to contain. Each is tied to the rule that makes it necessary; the wording of the individual fields is editorial.
- A written description of the need. This is an editorial point, not a rule cited here: when every supplier is given the same written text, suppliers quote against the same text rather than their own reading of it.
- The basis of award. FAR 13.106-1 requires that quoters be told whether award is on price alone or on price and other factors. A quote that mixes different assumptions cannot be ranked by price alone.
- The list of invited suppliers and why. The “adequate number of qualified sources” language in 2 CFR 200.320(a)(2)(i) and the single-source exception in FAR 13.106-1 both make the invitation list part of the record.
- Supplier documents you will ask for. What to request (registrations, product documentation, terms) is a buyer decision; the checklists in vendor onboarding documentation and vendor selection criteria cover those questions, and the wider ordering context is in the wholesale medical supply procurement guide.
For a hospital’s own written rules on equipment buying, see hospital and clinic equipment procurement policy.
Common misunderstandings
A quote is a binding offer to buy.
Under the federal rules it is not. FAR 2.101 states that “responses to requests for quotations (simplified acquisition) are ‘quotations,’ not offers”, and FAR 13.004(a) says a quotation “is not an offer and, consequently, cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract”; the Government’s order is the offer. This is a federal rule and not a statement of contract law everywhere; a private buyer should read its own terms.
An RFQ is only a price list.
The award basis notice in FAR 13.106-1 allows award on price and other factors, so an RFQ can state non-price factors. If the package says nothing, suppliers cannot know what the buyer will weigh.
Every purchase needs several quotes.
Micro-purchases may be awarded without competitive quotations (2 CFR 200.320(a)(1)(ii)), and a single-source solicitation may be used where the circumstances deem only one source reasonably available (FAR 13.106-1).
Frequently asked questions
What is a request for quote?
A written solicitation asking suppliers to quote on a described set of items. In the federal simplified-acquisition setting the responses are “quotations,” not offers (FAR 2.101).
When is an RFQ the right method rather than a formal bid?
For purchases under the simplified acquisition threshold, informal quotations are permitted by 2 CFR 200.320(a). Formal methods with public notice apply above it, and an institution may set a lower threshold than the federal one.
How is an RFQ for medical equipment different from one for consumables?
The rules above do not distinguish between equipment and consumables; the same quotation, award-basis and source rules apply. Where a purchase needs proposals rather than price quotes, see the lab procurement RFP guide for when a proposal route fits better.
Sources
- 2 CFR 200.320, Procurement methods, eCFR: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-D/subject-group-ECFR4b2e6b1d6d5a6e0/section-200.320, checked 2026-11-01.
- FAR 13.106-1, Soliciting competition: https://www.acquisition.gov/far/13.106-1, checked 2026-11-01.
- FAR 2.101, Definitions (“offer”): https://www.acquisition.gov/far/2.101, checked 2026-11-01.
- FAR 13.004, Legal effect of quotations: https://www.acquisition.gov/far/13.004, checked 2026-11-01.
