Resources

What we wish we'd read before our first import.

Practical guidance for preparing an international industrial purchase: framing the request, choosing the right Incoterm, anticipating customs and avoiding slipping deadlines.

Preparing an actionable RFQ

The six pieces of information needed to quote a requirement without back-and-forth: designation, quantity, Incoterm, destination, lead time, constraints.

›Precise technical designation: reference, brand, standard, drawing or datasheet
›Quantity and unit: pieces, tonnes, metres, containers
›Desired Incoterm if known, otherwise we propose one
›Final delivery address: city, country, site
›Target lead time and availability date
›Specific constraints: dangerous goods, oversized, certifications

Understanding the Incoterms that concern you

The four most commonly used Incoterms on our flows and what they change for you.

›EXW: you buy ex-works, everything else is for you to organise
›FCA / FOB: the supplier hands the goods to the carrier or the port
›DAP: delivery on site, duties and taxes at your expense
›DDP: delivery on site, duties and taxes included in the offer

Pre-shipment checklist

What must be verified before the goods leave the supplier.

›Compliance of the delivered reference with the purchase order
›Supplier documents: invoice, packing list, certificates
›Packaging suited to the transport mode and climate
›Marking and identification of packages
›Insurance and declared value

Template

The RFQ format we process fastest

Copy this block into an e-mail or the form. Five lines are enough to launch a quote.

We are looking for 200 API 6D ball valves, DN150, class 600, A105 steel, EN 10204-3.1 certification, to be delivered DDP to our base in Pointe-Noire (Congo) within 10 weeks. Please provide supplier datasheets and material certificates.

Use the form →

Glossary

Useful vocabulary

RFQ: Request For Quotation: the request that describes the technical requirement, quantity, destination and expected lead time.
Incoterm: International rule defining who organises and pays for each transport step, and at what point risk is transferred.
POD: Proof Of Delivery: the proof of delivery signed on receipt, which closes the logistics file.
Packing list: Document detailing the contents, weight and dimensions of each package in a shipment.
BL / AWB: Bill of Lading (sea) and Air Waybill (air): the transport documents for the goods.
Certificate 3.1: EN 10204-3.1 material certificate issued by the manufacturer, attesting the actual characteristics of the delivered batch.
Last-mile: The final leg of delivery, from the customs arrival point through to the client's operating site.

A purchasing or customs question before you order?

Ask us directly. We reply even if it doesn't lead to an immediate order.

Send an RFQ Request the supplier pack