What is Request for Quote?
A request for quote (RFQ) is a structured request from a shipper or forwarder asking carriers, agents or other forwarders to price a defined shipment or lane. A complete freight RFQ states origin and destination with the Incoterms rule and exact pickup and delivery points, the commodity and HS code, weight, volume or container type and count, the cargo ready date, special handling such as dangerous goods or temperature control, and the services in scope such as customs clearance or insurance. A single-shipment RFQ is usually answered with a spot quote, while multi-lane procurement for a contract period is normally run as a tender or request for proposal. In US ocean trades the agreed price has to sit in a form the Shipping Act recognises, such as a published tariff rate, a service contract with an ocean carrier, or an NVOCC negotiated rate arrangement (NRA).
Why it matters for forwarders
Speed and accuracy in answering RFQs decide much of a forwarder's sales success, so every quote should state validity, routing, transit time, free time at origin and destination, and which surcharges are included or excluded. Incomplete requests are a frequent source of quoting errors: missing dimensions produce the wrong chargeable weight in air freight, and vague commodity descriptions hide dangerous goods or licence requirements. Confirm which party pays origin and destination charges under the Incoterms rule before pricing, because double charging of terminal handling is a recurring dispute. Under 46 CFR 532.5 an NRA must be in writing and agreed before the NVOCC receives the cargo, so a written quote accepted by the shipper before cargo receipt can serve this purpose if it meets the rule's terms. Track quote-to-booking conversion by lane and customer to see where pricing or service levels lose business.