What is an RFQ? RFQ vs RFP vs RFI, and how an RFQ works in aircraft parts
Most definitions of an RFQ are written for office supplies and construction bids. In aircraft parts the same three letters carry more: a condition code, a release certificate, a trace chain and sometimes an aircraft waiting on the ground. This page explains what an RFQ is, when an RFP or an RFI is the better tool, how one RFQ turns into a purchase order and a shipment, and the abbreviations you will meet on the answers.
The short answer
An RFQ (request for quotation, or request for quote) is a buyer's request to one or more sellers to state a price and terms for items the buyer has already specified: this part number, this quantity, this condition, this paperwork. The answer is a quote. The buyer compares the quotes and orders from one of them with a purchase order (PO).
The point that surprises people is that a quote is usually not a deal. U.S. federal procurement rules say it plainly: “A quotation is not an offer and, consequently, cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract.” The order is the offer, and “a contract is established when the supplier accepts the offer” (FAR 13.004). Commercial parts buyers are not bound by the FAR, and whether a particular quote binds its sender depends on its wording and on the law that applies. In practice the rhythm is the same: RFQ, quote, PO, then the seller's acceptance. Until that acceptance arrives, the part can still go to someone else (see quote validity and “subject to prior sale”).
RFQ vs RFP vs RFI: which one to send
RFQ, RFP and RFI are often grouped together as “RFx”. They differ in how much the buyer already knows. An RFI asks what is out there. An RFP describes a need and asks how a supplier would meet it. An RFQ asks for a price on something already defined. The federal rules draw the same lines: RFIs are for when the buyer “does not presently intend to award a contract, but wants to obtain price, delivery, other market information, or capabilities for planning purposes” (FAR 15.201(e)), while RFPs “communicate Government requirements to prospective contractors and … solicit proposals” that are evaluated on stated factors (FAR 15.203).
| Request | What the buyer already knows | What it asks for | Typical use in aircraft parts |
|---|---|---|---|
| RFI (request for information) | The need, roughly. Not yet who can meet it. | Capabilities, stock families, certificates the supplier can provide, approvals and memberships. | Building a supplier list for a new fleet type, or vetting a supplier before the first order (see verifying a supplier). |
| RFP (request for proposal) | The outcome it wants, not the exact way to get there. | A proposed solution, terms and price, evaluated on several factors. | Multi-year programs: component support for a fleet, pooling, consignment stock, repair management. |
| RFQ (request for quotation) | Exactly what it needs: part number, quantity, condition, paperwork. | Price, availability, lead time and terms, line by line. | Day-to-day buying: a shopping list for a check, stock replenishment, a single line for a repair. |
| RFQ marked AOG | Exactly what it needs, and that an aircraft cannot fly without it. | The fastest acceptable source, often with a wider set of acceptable conditions. | An aircraft on ground. Send it alone, with AOG in the subject (see the first two hours of an AOG). |
A quick test: if you can write the part number on the request, send an RFQ. If you can only describe the result you want, it is an RFP. If you are not yet sure who to ask, start with an RFI.
The life of an aircraft parts RFQ
An RFQ is the first document in a chain. The airline industry's e-business standard, ATA Spec 2000, models the same chain as structured messages: “Quotation Requests and Responses, Purchase Order Submittals and Response/Status, … Invoicing and Parts Shipment Messages” (Spec 2000 Gen 2 Procurement). Most buyers run it by email and spreadsheet, but the steps are the same.
- RFQ. The buyer lists what it needs and sends it to one or several suppliers. How to write each line so the answers come back complete is in our RFQ guide with an Excel template.
- Quotes. Each supplier answers what it can: price, quantity available, condition, certificate, lead time, minimum order, where the part ships from. What each field means and what it tends to leave out: how to read an aircraft parts quote.
- Compare. The answers go into one grid and are made comparable before price is looked at: comparing quotes from many suppliers.
- Purchase order. The buyer orders from the chosen quote, repeating the requirements that decide whether the part is usable: PO checklist.
- Order acknowledgment. The seller accepts or declines each line in writing and confirms lead time. Under the federal rules a supplier may accept in writing, or simply by delivering (FAR 13.004(b)). A buyer is better off asking for the written version.
- Invoice. Before shipment on prepaid terms, with or after it on credit terms. Check that it carries your PO number, and verify bank details before paying (paying a supplier safely).
- Shipment with release paperwork. The part leaves with the certificate and trace documents the PO asked for, under the delivery term agreed (EXW, FCA or FOB).
- Receiving. The part, the paperwork and the PO are checked against each other before the part goes into stock (receiving inspection).
In the priced supplier quotes we received between June and September 2026 (about 112,000 offer lines for some 13,000 part numbers), a part number drew a median of four offers, and more than half of the part numbers drew three or more. Where three or more offers quoted the same part number in the same condition, the highest price was typically 3.6 times the lowest. Condition was missing on only 2.4% of lines, but 46.6% stated no certificate and 55.7% stated no trace. That is why step 3 matters: several answers to one RFQ is normal, and they rarely line up on their own.
What makes an aviation RFQ different from a generic one
A generic RFQ asks for price, quantity and delivery date. An aircraft parts RFQ needs those plus the facts that decide whether the part can be installed at all. The FAA's guidance on replacement parts explains why: distributors that are not production approval holders “cannot certify the airworthiness of the parts they advertise and/or sell; therefore, it is the installer's responsibility to request documentation establishing traceability” (AC 20-62E CHG 1, paragraph 14). The RFQ is the first place to make that request.
| What an aviation RFQ adds | Why | In depth |
|---|---|---|
| Condition: NE, NS, OH, SV, AR | The same part number in different conditions is a different product at a different price. Words like “like new” do not count: the FAA notes they do not help a buyer determine whether a part is acceptable for installation. | Condition codes |
| Release certificate: FAA 8130-3, EASA Form 1, dual release, CoC | Paperwork is not supplied by default; a quote that does not name it may not include it. Which one you need depends on the part and on where the aircraft is registered. | 8130-3 vs EASA Form 1 |
| Trace | How far back the part's history must go: last operator, manufacturer, or back-to-birth for life-limited parts, plus a non-incident statement for used parts. | Traceability |
| Alternates | A superseded or interchangeable number can be on the shelf when yours is not, but only your engineering can accept it. | Interchangeability |
| Outright, exchange or repair | For a repairable unit you can buy outright, exchange your unserviceable core, or send yours for repair. Each is quoted differently. | Exchange terms |
| AOG priority | An aircraft on ground changes what “best quote” means: the first acceptable part usually beats the cheapest. | AOG checklist |
| Destination and end use | For items exported from the United States, “license requirements under the EAR are determined solely by the classification, end-use, end-user, ultimate destination, and conduct of U.S. persons” (15 CFR 732.3(m)). A seller will ask, and BIS lists a buyer “reluctant to offer information about the end-use of a product” as a red flag. Say it up front. | Export control |
Abbreviations you will meet on an RFQ and a quote
Most of these are trade shorthand, not regulation, and sellers use them slightly differently. When a term decides whether you buy, ask what the seller means by it. The full list of 89 terms is in our aircraft parts glossary.
| Abbreviation | Meaning | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| ARO | After receipt of order. “5 days ARO” counts from when the seller receives your PO. | Usually counts to ready to ship, not to your door; calendar or business days is often unstated. |
| LT | Lead time: how long until the part is available to ship. | Not the same as arrival. See lead time to your door. |
| STK | Stock: on hand now. | “Stock” does not say whose shelf or in which country. |
| TBD / TBA | To be determined / to be advised. | Treat it as unknown, not as “soon”. |
| NE, NS, OH, SV, AR | New, new surplus, overhauled, serviceable, as removed. | AR carries no release for installation. See condition codes. |
| MOQ | Minimum order quantity. | Fifty pieces when you needed six; also ask about a minimum line charge. |
| EXW | Ex Works, an Incoterms rule: the seller makes the goods available at its premises and the risk passes to the buyer there. | Freight, and in principle export formalities, are the buyer's. See Incoterms. |
| CofC / CoC | Certificate of conformity: a statement that the part conforms to its specification or order. | Normal for standard hardware; for other parts it is weaker than an 8130-3 or Form 1. |
| 8130-3 | FAA Form 8130-3, Authorized Release Certificate. | Ask for it by name; for an EU-registered aircraft you may need a dual release. |
Mistakes that cost a round of emails
- Sending an RFP when you mean an RFQ. A request that describes a problem instead of naming parts gets proposals and questions, not prices.
- Treating the quote as a reservation. Until the seller acknowledges your PO, the part is still for sale. Order fast on stock lines and ask for written acceptance.
- Asking for “new” only. If your engineering accepts NS or OH, say so, or you will not see those offers.
- Leaving paperwork to the seller. Without a named certificate and trace, each supplier answers its own way and the quotes cannot be compared.
- One email for everything. An AOG line buried in a 200-line routine list waits for the whole list to be read.
- Hiding the destination. The ship-to country and end user decide freight, duties and export licensing. Leaving them out delays the answer instead of speeding it up.
The same chain in RFQ Radar
For customer companies, MG AVIATION TECH opens accounts in RFQ Radar, our client portal, which follows the chain above. You upload the RFQ as Excel, CSV or PDF up to 10 MB, get an RFQ number at once and see when it is picked up. The answer comes back there with every line's part number, condition, certificates, quantity, unit price in US dollars, lead time in days, minimum order and ships-from country. You place the purchase order with a “certificate needed” tick per line, see our reply to the order accepted or declined, and keep the order PDF and invoices in the same place. Prices we quote are Ex Works our warehouse in Orlando, FL.
Frequently asked questions
What does RFQ stand for?
Request for quotation, also written request for quote. It is a buyer's request to one or more sellers to state a price and terms for items the buyer has already specified.
Is a quote binding once I receive it?
Not in the way buyers often assume. In U.S. federal buying, a quotation is not an offer, and an order becomes a contract only when the supplier accepts it. In commercial trade, it depends on the quote's wording and the law that applies. Many aircraft parts quotes are subject to prior sale. Treat the seller's written order acknowledgment, not the quote, as the moment the part is yours.
Should I send an RFQ or an RFP for aircraft parts?
An RFQ, whenever you can name the part number, quantity, condition and paperwork. Use an RFP when you are choosing a supplier for a program, such as component support for a fleet, and want each supplier to propose how they would do it.
What does ARO mean in lead time?
After receipt of order. “5 days ARO” means the clock starts when the seller receives your purchase order, not on the date of the quote. It usually counts to ready to ship, not to delivery, and it does not say whether the days are calendar or business days, so ask.
Have an RFQ ready? Send it as it is
No need to retype it into our format. Email the file as it leaves your system — Excel, PDF, a scan or the body of an email, five lines or five hundred — to [email protected], and your inquiry will be reviewed by a specialist within one business day. Buying regularly? Ask us to open RFQ Radar accounts for your company's buyers, so every quote, order and invoice sits in one place.
Our client portal, RFQ Radar, keeps every quote, order and invoice in one place.
Before you buy, check what certificates and trace come with each part. Aircraft on ground? See how our 24/7 AOG desk works.
Sources
- Federal Acquisition Regulation — FAR 13.004, Legal effect of quotations (FAC 2026-01, effective 13 March 2026)
- Federal Acquisition Regulation — FAR 15.201, Exchanges with industry before receipt of proposals (paragraph (e), requests for information)
- Federal Acquisition Regulation — FAR 15.203, Requests for proposals
- Airlines for America — Spec 2000: Gen 2 Procurement, Revision 2024.2 (publication description)
- FAA — AC 20-62E CHG 1, Eligibility, Quality, and Identification of Aeronautical Replacement Parts (paragraph 14, “Know your suppliers”)
- eCFR — 15 CFR 732.3, Steps regarding the ten general prohibitions (paragraph (m))
- eCFR — 15 CFR Part 732, Supplement No. 3: BIS's “Know Your Customer” Guidance and Red Flags
- International Chamber of Commerce — FCA & EXW Incoterms® 2020 explained: key differences
- MG AVIATION TECH — offer lines from supplier quotes received between June and September 2026, aggregated; no prices or supplier names published.