Prepare an RFQ that an engineer can qualify

PCBVerified Editorial · Updated 2026-09-20

A useful PCB request for quotation is a manufacturing brief. It lets the fabricator identify the applicable process and return explicit exceptions. It also gives procurement a consistent basis for comparing replies.

Describe the board and quantity

Provide finished dimensions, layer count, proposed stack-up, quantities for prototype and production, and delivery destination. State whether the request concerns bare boards, assembled boards or both. Keep the drawing revision and file package identifier visible throughout the conversation.

Define the controlled characteristics

List the laminate grade, copper weights, finished thickness, smallest line and space, critical finished holes, surface finish and impedance targets. Mark which features are mandatory and which can change after engineering review. Avoid asking the supplier to infer critical requirements from a screenshot.

State the service scope

Ask which process offering applies. PCBWay, for example, publishes separate standard and advanced capability information. A quotation should name the route that meets your board’s requirements instead of combining a standard-service price with an unspecified advanced capability.

Request the manufacturing review

Ask for the proposed production site, stack-up confirmation, exceptions, special tooling, testing and required documents. Where the design uses blind or buried vias, a heavy-copper construction or mixed materials, request confirmation of the complete combination and the relevant process conditions.

Compare replies line by line

Compare technical scope before price: material, stack-up, acceptance criteria, testing, documentation, lead-time assumptions and any outsourced process. Keep open questions beside the quotation. An unanswered technical item should remain open even when the commercial price has arrived.

Share files deliberately

Agree the recipient and confidentiality arrangements before sharing production files. This local version of PCBVerified records the written RFQ brief and selected capability profiles; it does not provide Gerber upload or automated Gerber inspection. A factory must have an approved account to access its platform conversations.

Close the loop

Once the engineering questions are resolved, keep the accepted drawing revision, supplier exceptions and quotation together. Any later design change should trigger a review of the affected requirements rather than an assumption that the old quotation still applies.