An enquiry that reads “please send your best price” produces answers you cannot compare. One supplier quotes a bare inlay ex-works; another quotes a finished, encoded and printed card delivered to your door; a third assumes you will pay separately for tooling that the first two folded into the unit price. Each number is defensible on its own terms, and none of them lines up.
A request for proposal (RFP) is the discipline of asking every supplier the same questions in the same order, so the replies can be read side by side. It also surfaces what a vague enquiry lets a supplier leave unsaid: the exact chip, who owns the encoding, what the one-time charges are, and when goods actually arrive. This guide sets out the questions that make quotes comparable. It is written to be useful whoever you end up buying from.
Table of Contents
Start with an exact specification, not a category
“UHF label” or “MIFARE card” names a product family, not a purchase. Before you ask for a price, define the specification every supplier must quote against: chip and its exact version, physical format and dimensions, material and finish, printing, the encoded state you expect, and the quantity. If you send different specifications to different suppliers, you will get different prices for different products and learn nothing from comparing them.
Write the specification once and attach it to every RFP. Ask each supplier to quote against it exactly, and to describe any substitution they propose rather than quoting a near-equivalent silently. For the reasoning behind pinning down a chip generation and identifier format, see our note on reading an RFID tag quotation.
The questions that produce comparable quotes
The table below groups the questions that most often separate a comparable quote from an unusable one. Keep every row: each closes a gap a quote would otherwise leave open.
| Ask every supplier | Why it belongs in the RFP |
|---|---|
| Chip and exact version | A chip family covers several parts with different memory, identifier length and security. Naming the exact part stops a different variant being quoted as an equivalent. |
| Format, material and dimensions | Card, label, wristband, hard tag or inlay; substrate and finish. Defines the physical product so prices describe the same thing. |
| Printing | Blank, logo, full-colour, variable data or serialisation. Print scope drives both unit cost and any one-time plate or setup charge. |
| Encoding and lock state | Blank, UID only, or written and locked to a defined data layout. States who programmes the parts and what the buyer must still do. See our encoding service. |
| Samples | Availability, whether standard samples are free, and what a customised sample costs. Confirms you can evaluate before committing to volume. |
| Documentation | Datasheets, test reports and any certificate relevant to your market, with the holder and scope named. Lets you check claims rather than accept them. |
| Lead time | First-order and repeat-order lead time, stated as working time, not a delivery date. Makes schedules comparable. |
| One-time charges | Tooling, print plates, encoding setup and sample fees, itemised separately from the unit price. Prevents a low unit price hiding fixed costs. |
| Packaging | Bulk, reel, or retail-ready; units per reel or carton. Affects both unit cost and downstream handling. |
| Warranty and defect handling | What happens if a batch is out of specification, and how a claim is resolved. Turns “no defects” into a stated process. |
| Payment and trade terms | Payment schedule and the Incoterm (see below). Without the trade term, a unit price cannot be compared. |
Read the replies against one specification
Once the quotes arrive, resist ranking them by the bottom-line number. Read each reply back against your single specification and note where it deviates: a different chip version, a blank part where you asked for encoded, bulk packaging where you asked for retail-ready. A quote that answers a slightly different question is not cheaper; it is quoting a different product.
Then compare on more than unit price. The lowest unit price ex-works can become the highest landed cost once freight, insurance, duties and any one-time charges are added. A supplier who lists tooling, encoding setup and sample fees openly is easier to compare than one who buries them in “first-order pricing.” And a documented warranty process is worth more than a lower price that offers no remedy when a reel fails inspection.
Trade terms and shipping documents
A unit price means little without the trade term that says who pays freight, who clears customs, and where risk passes from seller to buyer. The Incoterms 2020 rules published by the International Chamber of Commerce give the shared vocabulary: EXW (ex works) leaves almost everything to the buyer from the supplier’s door; FOB puts the goods on board at a named port of departure; CIF carries freight and insurance to the destination port; DAP delivers to a named place with the buyer clearing import; DDP delivers with duties paid. Ask every supplier to quote the same term, and to name the exact port where a port is involved — “FOB China” is not specific enough to price.
Ask, too, which documents travel with the shipment: commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading or air waybill, and a certificate of origin where a trade preference may apply. Missing paperwork holds containers at the port, and that cost lands on the buyer.
How Proud Tek answers an RFP
Proud Tek is an RFID and NFC manufacturer in Shenzhen, producing cards, key fobs, wristbands, tags and labels since 2008, so an RFP is answered by the factory that will make the order, backed by strong chip supply channels and in-house quality control. We reply to a workable enquiry within one business day and provide a quotation within one business day, itemised so chip, conversion, printing, encoding and any one-time charges are visible rather than merged into a single figure. Standard samples are free; a setup fee applies to customised samples. Minimum order quantity, freight terms and setup-fee amounts are confirmed in the quotation for your specification and destination.
To send us an RFP, browse the full product range or read how we work on the RFID card and NFC tag manufacturer page. To evaluate first, request a sample pack. For minimums and terms in general, see our FAQ.
Common questions
How many suppliers should an RFP go to?
Enough to discover the market without diluting the responses. A small shortlist of suppliers who each take the enquiry seriously produces better information than a broad blast where each supplier senses a long shot and invests little in the reply.
Should I push on price up front?
No. Ask for a specification-matched, itemised quote first. Once every supplier has quoted the same product on the same trade term, you can compare landed cost and negotiate from a position you understand. Price pressure applied before the quotes are comparable simply rewards whoever left the most out.
What if a supplier proposes a different chip?
Treat it as a substitution to evaluate, not an equivalent to accept. Ask for the exact alternative part, its datasheet, and samples, and re-check it against your reader and application. Related guidance on comparing quotes line by line is in how to read an RFID tag quotation, and on minimums in RFID MOQ, explained.
