CNC RFQ Checklist: Prepare Drawings, Requirements and Inspection

A CNC request for quotation (RFQ) should make the part, requirements and requested deliverables clear enough for technical discussion. Assemble consistent design files and record unanswered questions before comparing prices.

This is an editorial preparation workflow, not a supplier’s mandatory submission format or a guarantee of acceptance.

What the documents communicate

This distinction helps separate what was requested, what was offered and what was measured. A price quotation is not an inspection result. Keep the agreed design revision identifiable throughout the exchange. RFQ package and revision guidance

1. Align drawings, models and revisions

Record the part identifier, revision and quantity. Check that the model, drawing and written notes describe the same version. Identify the governing document if they disagree, and ask the supplier to resolve conflicts before manufacture.

Use a short file manifest: part ID, revision, filename, units and purpose. Fictiv’s RFQ guidance calls for coordinated models and drawings and updated revisions; Xometry’s drawing guidance includes a revision reference and revision history. These sources support version control without establishing one precedence rule for every supplier. Fictiv RFQ guidance, Xometry drawing guidance

A 3D model communicates geometry; a drawing or agreed model-based specification communicates requirements that geometry alone does not establish. Confirm accepted file formats and whether a drawing is required for your service. A model-only quoting option does not mean special requirements can be left unstated.

2. State material and functional requirements

Identify the material condition and important mating or functional features. Specify critical dimensions and finish requirements, with a reason for each special requirement. Read dimensional tolerance definitions and limits before transferring a supplier’s default tolerance into a drawing.

Avoid tighter requirements without a functional reason: they can add machining operations. Protolabs design guidance

3. Flag manufacturability questions

Identify deep pockets, thin walls, deep holes and restricted tool access for discussion. The source discusses machining difficulties associated with such features, not universal acceptance limits. Ask for part-specific feedback rather than copying a generic threshold. Protolabs design guidance

4. Agree inspection and delivery evidence

Ask what measurements, material documentation or first-part review are required. Put the agreed scope in writing; do not assume a quote includes every possible inspection or certificate.

Specify which features, how many parts, which report and when it is required. Where useful, number critical dimensions on a ballooned drawing so the report can identify them. Xometry describes this approach, while Protolabs distinguishes first-article, dimensional and basic inspection options with different coverage. A report name alone does not define coverage. Xometry inspection options, Protolabs inspection options

Keep the number of inspected parts separate from the number of measured features. Confirm both quantities and the report contents for the service being quoted; a provider’s published limit is not a universal inspection plan. Inspection service description

CNC RFQ package checklist

5. Review the quotation against the package

Compare the returned quote with the manifest and checklist. Record accepted requirements, exclusions and unresolved questions. After a design change, resend the affected files with a new revision and obtain confirmation that the quote covers that version. This reconciliation is an editorial workflow; it does not impose one supplier’s commercial terms on another.

Scope and related references

The checklist is for enquiry preparation. Obtain technical review of the actual part and confirm contractual acceptance terms separately. Keep proposed milling speed and feed separate from finished-part requirements. Use the evidence-reading guide to assess supplier statements.