How to Write an RFQ That Gets Comparable Capsule Home Quotes

Two quotes for "a space capsule home" can differ by a wide margin and both be honest, because the two suppliers may not be pricing the same thing at all. One includes delivery to port, the other is EXW. One includes air conditioning and a water heater, the other treats both as options. One priced a single unit, the other assumed ten. An RFQ - request for quotation - that removes those variables is the only reliable way to compare suppliers, and writing a good one takes about an hour. That hour is the cheapest risk reduction available in the whole buying process.

The Short Answer

Ask every supplier to price the same defined scope: the same model and trim, the same quantity, the same delivery term, the same currency, the same list of inclusions and exclusions, and the same questions about standards, lead time and after-sales. Then compare line by line rather than total to total. The bottom-line number is the least informative figure in the document, because it hides every assumption the supplier had to make.

Why Capsule Home Quotes Diverge

Prefab capsule units sit at an awkward intersection. They are part building, part product, part vehicle - a factory-finished volume that ships like cargo and is occupied like a dwelling. That means three different pricing conventions collide in one quote, and each supplier resolves the collision differently.

• Product logic. A model with a fixed bill of materials and a published price. Haishu's Galactic A Series works this way: A30, A50 and A70 footprints, each in Standard, Pro and Ultra trim, priced EXW from China.
• Project logic. A bespoke scope priced per job, where the unit is only one line item among foundations, cranage, services and finishes.
• Freight logic. A unit priced as cargo, where the shipping term dominates the number and the specification is almost an afterthought.

None of these is wrong. But if one supplier quotes on product logic and another on project logic, the totals are not comparable and no amount of negotiation will make them comparable. The RFQ's job is to force everyone onto the same logic.

The Scope Block: What Every Quote Must State

Put a table at the top of your RFQ and ask suppliers to fill it in rather than to write prose. A table cannot quietly omit a column.

Field	What you specify	Why it matters
Model and trim	Exact reference, e.g. A50 Pro Expandable	Stops suppliers substituting a smaller or simpler unit to hit a price
Quantity	Units in this order, plus indicative annual volume	Unit price and shipping both move with quantity
Delivery term	EXW, FOB, CIF or DAP - pick one	The single largest source of apparent price difference
Currency and validity	USD or EUR, and how long the price holds	Prevents a stale quote being compared against a fresh one
Lead time	Working days from deposit to ready-for-shipment	Separates production time from transit time
Destination	Port or city	Freight and compliance both depend on it
Payment schedule	Deposit, balance trigger, method	Affects your financing cost, not just the price
Warranty and spares	Coverage period, response, spare parts supply	Often the largest long-term cost difference

Specify the Unit Without Over-Specifying

There is a temptation to write a hundred-line specification on the theory that more detail means fewer surprises. In practice, over-specifying pushes suppliers into bespoke pricing and destroys comparability. Specify the things that change the price or the performance, and leave the rest to the supplier's standard.

Worth specifying

• Footprint and layout: single level, wide body, expandable or double deck.
• Occupancy you actually need to sleep, not the maximum the marketing allows.
• Climate: design heating and cooling conditions, and whether the unit must handle snow or coastal salt air.
• Electrical: voltage, frequency, plug and socket type for the destination market.
• Water and waste: whether it connects to mains, or needs tanks and a holding arrangement.
• Glazing: how much, on which elevations, and any shading or privacy requirement.
• Interior finish level: flooring, wall panels, bathroom specification, appliances.

Usually better left standard

Brand of switchgear, exact cabinet hardware, minor colour choices and internal cable routing are all things a factory does well by default. Asking for a specific brand often adds cost and lead time without adding value. Where a component genuinely matters, name the performance rather than the brand - "a heat pump sized for a -10°C design condition" is a better instruction than a model number.

Inclusions and Exclusions: The List That Does the Work

Ask for two explicit lists rather than one. "Included" tells you what you get; "excluded" tells you what you will be buying later, and the second list is where budgets are actually lost.

• Included: structure, envelope, glazing, insulation, interior fit-out, sanitaryware, kitchen, appliances, electrical and plumbing, lighting, floor finish, exterior finish.
• Excluded: foundation, cranage and placement, site services and connections, permits, import duties and taxes, inland transport, furniture and soft goods, commissioning.

Haishu ships units factory-finished and turnkey-ready, with a three-day installation programme once the site is prepared - but a three-day install assumes the foundation, the cranage and the service stubs are already there. If your RFQ does not say who provides those, the quote cannot be compared with one that includes them.

Commercial Terms You Need to Fix

Delivery terms

Incoterms define who pays for what and where risk transfers. EXW means you collect at the factory gate; FOB puts loading and export clearance on the seller; CIF adds freight and insurance to your port; DAP goes further inland. Ask every supplier for the same term, and for the alternative as a separately priced line so you can see the freight component on its own. A unit that ships efficiently - Haishu's A Series units are designed to travel one per 40HQ container - makes the freight line easier to predict, but it still needs to be visible.

Lead time and validity

Separate production time from transit time, and ask what starts the clock. "10-60 working days" is a wide range because trim level, customisation and order quantity all move it - so ask which end of the range applies to your configuration, in writing. Also ask how long the quoted price holds, because a quote that expires in seven days is not a quote you can plan around.

Payment schedule

A deposit and a balance-on-completion structure is normal, but the trigger for the balance matters. "Before shipment" is not the same as "after inspection". Ask whether you can inspect - in person or by video - before the balance is due, and what happens if the inspection finds defects.

Questions That Reveal Whether the Supplier Understood

Include a short question set. The content of the answers matters, but the specificity matters more: a supplier who answers precisely is easier to work with for the next two years.

• Which parts of the unit are finished in the factory, and which on site?
• How does the unit travel, and how many fit in a container?
• What does the site need to provide before the unit arrives?
• Which standards does the unit address for my market? Requirements may vary by application, market and applicable standard.
• What is covered by warranty, for how long, and what is the spare parts process?
• Can you support repeat orders with the same specification twelve months from now?

How to Score the Responses

Once the quotes come back in the same shape, score them on more than price. A simple weighted score avoids the two classic mistakes: buying the cheapest unit that arrives late, and buying the most detailed quote from a supplier who cannot ship.

• Scope match (high weight). Did they quote what you asked for, or something adjacent?
• Total landed cost (high weight). Price plus freight, duties, cranage and site work - for the suppliers who gave you enough information to compute it.
• Lead time confidence (medium). A specific date with a named trigger beats a vague range.
• Answer quality (medium). Specific, documented, and willing to say "that depends".
• After-sales (medium). Warranty terms, spares availability, and who answers the phone.
• Future fit (low). Whether the supplier can support expansion, OEM/ODM changes, or a dealer arrangement later.

Common Mistakes in a First RFQ

• Sending the same email to fifteen suppliers. Five good ones, properly briefed, produce better outcomes than a wide blast.
• Asking for "your best price". It invites a low quote with thin scope rather than a fair one with full scope.
• Hiding the quantity. Suppliers price differently for one unit and for twenty; withholding it does not get you the twenty-unit price.
• Ignoring the excluded list. The excluded items are frequently a third of the real project cost.
• Comparing after the fact. If two quotes are not comparable, ask both to re-quote against your table rather than doing mental arithmetic on their totals.

The Takeaway

An RFQ is not paperwork; it is the specification of a decision. Fix the model, trim, quantity, delivery term, currency, lead time and inclusion list, then ask every supplier to fill in the same table. Compare landed cost and scope match rather than the headline number, and pay attention to how precisely each supplier answers the awkward questions. Do that, and the quote you accept is the price you actually pay.