Quick answer
Why some cold chain RFQs get five serious proposals and others get silence — and how to write yours so suitable manufacturers actually respond. Usually because the RFQ is unanswerable: no temperature range, throughput, site or budget. Suitable manufacturers prioritize requests that show a defined project and a realistic budget band.
Key takeaways
- Why do refrigeration suppliers not respond to RFQs? Usually because the RFQ is unanswerable: no temperature range, throughput, site or budget.
- What should a cold room RFQ include? Temperature range, daily throughput, storage volume, country and site conditions, electrical supply, backup power, refrigerant constraints, compliance regime (HACCP/GDP), timeline and a budget band.
- How does ColdMatch match buyers with suppliers? Manually.
Reviewed: Sep 2026 · ColdMatch Group
Suppliers ignore most RFQs. Not because they are busy, but because most RFQs are unanswerable: no temperature range, no throughput, no site, no budget signal. These seven tips come from watching which requests get fast, serious proposals — and which disappear.
1. State the temperature range in the first line
'Cold storage' means +15 °C to one supplier and −30 °C to another. Chill (0 to +4 °C), frozen (−18 to −25 °C) and deep-frozen or pharma (down to −70 °C) are different engineering disciplines with different supplier pools.
2. Give throughput, not just size
A 500 m² room holding static stock and the same room turning 40 pallets a day need different refrigeration duty. Include daily in/out volume and product entry temperature.
3. Name the country and site conditions
Ambient design temperature, grid reliability, altitude and local service coverage determine which suppliers can realistically deliver and support the project.
4. Show a budget band
A stated band (for example USD 750K–2M) tells a manufacturer the project is real and which product line to quote. Anonymous 'best price' requests get list prices or silence.
5. Specify compliance requirements up front
HACCP for food, GDP and temperature mapping for pharma, 21 CFR Part 11 for audit trails — these change the controls, documentation and validation scope. Mentioning them late resets the quote.
6. Ask every supplier the same questions
Comparable quotes require identical scope: same refrigerant basis, same insulation spec, same commissioning and warranty terms. Our quotation comparison guide provides the normalization checklist.
7. Use managed matching, not a directory blast
ColdMatch is not an automatic marketplace and does not blast RFQs to a list. Each request is reviewed, the brief is prepared, and only then are suitable suppliers searched and introductions made where relevant. Directory pages are for discovery and research — the matching itself is manual, which is why the RFQ builder collects the details above before anything is sent.
The pattern
Answerable RFQs get quotes. Brief, load, budget, compliance, identical scope — then managed sourcing. Start your RFQ or run the numbers first in the cooling load calculator.
Run the numbers
Calculators for this project type
Indicative planning figures only — final sizing belongs to the supplier's or consultant's detailed design.
Medical cold chain calculator
Vaccine, pharma and ULT storage volume with redundancy and monitoring requirements.
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.