How to Build a Refrigeration RFQ (Cold Storage & Cold Rooms)
Building a good refrigeration RFQ is a 90-minute exercise if you follow the sequence below. Skip a step and you'll spend 2–3 weeks answering supplier clarifications instead.
Fix the design duty before contacting suppliers, write the scope and exclusions in one document, pre-qualify 4–8 suppliers, issue one identical pack, answer clarifications once in writing, then normalise scope before comparing prices.
Step 1 — Define the business need in one paragraph
Start with why the project exists (new market, capacity constraint, energy upgrade, compliance). This one paragraph aligns every downstream decision and lets suppliers propose smarter alternatives.
Step 2 — Fix the design duty before contacting suppliers
Model the cooling load from room size, temperature set point, insulation, design ambient and daily throughput, and write the result into the RFQ as a design basis. Without a written duty each bidder sizes a different plant and the prices cannot be compared.
- Room dimensions, clear height and floor area (m × m × m, m²)
- Room temperature set point and tolerance (e.g. +2 °C ± 1.5 K)
- Design ambient (°C dry bulb / RH% summer)
- Product mix and daily throughput (t/day) with inlet temperature
- Door openings per day and door type
- Estimated cooling duty (kW) from the cooling-load calculator
- Redundancy requirement (none / N+1 compressors / N+1 full system)
Step 3 — Freeze the technical specification and the exclusions register
Lock capacity, temperature class, refrigerant, controls architecture and code compliance (ASHRAE, IIAR, ATEX, EN 378) before publication — and write the exclusions in the same document. Most price spread comes from scope, not equipment: name electrical infeed, civils, floor heating, racking, drainage and commissioning explicitly. Use our Technical Specification Guide as a template.
Step 4 — Write commercial terms
Choose Incoterms 2020, currency, milestone payments, warranty and LDs. State up front whether financing (leasing, ECA-backed export credit) is welcome.
Step 5 — Publish evaluation criteria
Publish the scoring rubric inside the RFQ. Transparent criteria produce better bids and defensible award decisions.
Step 6 — Invite the right suppliers
Invite 4–8 qualified vendors — regional and international mix. Use the ColdMatch supplier directory to shortlist by capability, references and geography.
Frequently asked questions
How ColdMatch Group works — independent B2B procurement and sourcing platform — ColdMatch Group is an independent B2B procurement and sourcing platform for industrial refrigeration, cold storage and cold-chain projects from USD $250K+, connecting buyers with qualified third-party suppliers, EPC contractors and independent financing providers.
Cold storage RFQ example and refrigeration RFQ template
This is the structure the buyer in the case study used: a design basis fixed before supplier contact, a named exclusions register and one comparison sheet. Download it, replace the bracketed fields with your project data and issue the same pack to every bidder. No email required.
- Project name: [New chilled store — 600 pallet positions]
- Buyer / end user: [Legal entity name]
- Site address and country: [Street, city, country]
- Project type: [New build / extension / replacement]
- Indicative budget band (USD): [$900,000 – $1,600,000]
- +2 more in the download
- Room dimensions: [40 m x 27.5 m x 9 m clear height] — [1,100] m²
- Target room temperature: [+2 °C], tolerance [±1.5 K]
- Design ambient: [32 °C dry bulb / 55% RH summer]
- Insulation assumption: [120 mm PIR walls, 160 mm roof, insulated floor]
- Product and daily throughput: [dairy, 18 t/day inbound at +8 °C]
- +5 more in the download
- Refrigeration plant, evaporators, condensers, pipework and insulation
- Control system, alarms and temperature monitoring with data logging
- Panels, doors, floor build-up: [included / by others]
- Installation, commissioning and performance test
- Operator training and O&M documentation
- +1 more in the download
- Electrical infeed, transformer and main switchboard: [by buyer / by supplier]
- Civil works, foundations and floor heating: [by buyer / by supplier]
- Racking, dock levellers and internal fit-out: [by buyer / by supplier]
- Condensate and defrost drainage
- Permits, F-gas / ammonia safety documentation and local approvals
- +1 more in the download
- Price breakdown: equipment / installation / commissioning / spares / service
- Currency, validity period and payment milestones
- Delivery lead time and installation programme in weeks
- Modelled annual energy consumption (kWh/year) at stated design conditions
- Local service coverage: nearest engineers and response time
- +2 more in the download
- Heat-load calculation supporting the offered duty
- P&ID / schematic and equipment list with makes and models
- Electrical load schedule (kW and starting current)
- Commissioning and performance-test protocol
- Compliance statement (pressure equipment, refrigerant safety, local codes)
- +1 more in the download
- 1. Fix the design duty before contacting suppliers — Model the cooling load from room size, temperature, insulation, ambient and throughput. Without a written duty each bidder sizes a different plant and the prices cannot be compared.
- 2. Write the scope and the exclusions in the same document — Most price spread comes from scope, not equipment. Name electrical infeed, civils, floor heating, racking, drainage and commissioning explicitly.
- 3. Pre-qualify a short list — Three to six suppliers with references in the same temperature class and application. More bidders rarely improve the outcome.
- 4. Issue one identical pack to everyone — Same annex, same deadline, same response format so proposals arrive in a comparable structure.
- 5. Answer clarifications once, in writing, to all bidders — Keeps the comparison like-for-like and protects the tender from informal side agreements.
- 6. Normalise before comparing — Price missing scope back onto one common baseline, then compare lump sum, annual energy and 10-year cost together.
Templates are planning documents for buyers and consultants. They are not engineering designs, quotations or compliance certification; final duty, refrigerant selection and code compliance must be confirmed by the selected manufacturer and your engineer.
Next steps for your project
Wherever your project stands — early feasibility, budget approval or supplier selection — these are the practical next steps. Every stage is supported by our human expert team, and requesting quotes is free and supplier-neutral for buyers and project owners.