Quick answer
How to convert a rigorous requirements document into an RFQ that produces comparable, defensible offers from qualified independent manufacturers — with scoring, evaluation and negotiation structure baked in. Temperature class and tolerance, internal volume or pallet positions, throughput and pull-down duty, ambient design conditions, refrigerant preference, insulation and door specification, controls and monitoring, backup power, Incoterm and delivery point, commissioning scope and documentation requirements.
Key takeaways
- What should a cold storage RFQ include? Temperature class and tolerance, internal volume or pallet positions, throughput and pull-down duty, ambient design conditions, refrigerant preference, insulation and door specification, controls and…
- How long does it take to get cold storage quotes? Expect 4–8 weeks from a complete RFQ to comparable quotations, including supplier clarification rounds.
Reviewed: Feb 2026 · ColdMatch Group
An RFQ is only as good as the requirements document behind it. If the requirements document is missing or vague, no RFQ template can rescue the process — offers will diverge, comparisons will collapse and the buyer will end up negotiating on price against a supplier who owns the specification. the pillar guide on planning before equipment explains why the requirements come first; this guide covers what to do with them next.
What a serious cold storage RFQ contains
- Cover page: project name, buyer legal entity, confidentiality, submission deadline, submission format.
- Executive summary: project archetype, location, target commissioning, capex ceiling, financing intent.
- Requirements pack: the full engineering specification (product, volume, throughput, temperature, ambient, envelope, workflow, regulatory).
- Scope of supply matrix: exactly what is in and out for each package (civil, envelope, refrigeration, controls, racking, doors, backup power, commissioning).
- Technical response schedule: a fixed table where every bidder answers the same questions the same way.
- Commercial response schedule: capex, unit rates, spares list, service rates, mobilisation, payment milestones.
- 20-year TCO schedule: annual energy at design and part load, refrigerant lifecycle, maintenance schedule, retrofit path.
- Warranty, liquidated damages and performance guarantees.
- Evaluation criteria and weighting, disclosed to bidders up front.
Shortlisting before RFQ
Do not send an RFQ to twenty suppliers. Pre-qualify to a shortlist of three to five who can credibly deliver the archetype in the target country, and issue the RFQ to that shortlist. Wide RFQs generate wide noise; narrow RFQs generate comparable offers.
Evaluation discipline
Score technical and commercial responses separately, on the criteria disclosed in the RFQ, before opening any negotiation. This is the single strongest defence against a supplier trying to steer the specification during clarification.
Related planning resources
- the pillar guide on planning before equipment — why the RFQ is a downstream artefact, not the starting point.
- How to write a cold storage requirements document — the input to the RFQ.
- Cold storage risk management checklist — the risks the RFQ must price.
- Draft yours with the RFQ Builder and refine it in the Cold Storage Budget & Cost Planner.
Run the numbers
Calculators for this project type
Indicative planning figures only — final sizing belongs to the supplier's or consultant's detailed design.
Refrigeration load calculator
Indicative cooling load in kW from room volume, temperature class, insulation and design ambient.
Energy & backup powerEnergy & backup power cost calculator
Annual energy spend from load and running hours, plus the cost of generator hours during outages.
Frequently asked questions
Plan the numbers before you send an RFQ
The reference pages buyers use most before requesting quotes.