“Please quote a 5 kN fatigue machine” sounds specific, but it leaves the supplier guessing. What is the lowest force that must be controlled? How will the specimen be held? Does the actuator follow force, position or a programmed sequence? What signals must be exported? Two quotations can use the same headline force rating while describing very different machines.

This guide turns a technical enquiry into a decision-ready request for quotation (RFQ). It is for test-lab managers, product engineers and procurement teams buying a custom or configured system for bicycles, e-scooters, motorcycles or components. It does not replace the approved test method or engineering review. If you are still deciding whether customization is justified, read our standard-versus-custom machine decision guide first.

1. Define the decision the test must support

Begin the RFQ with the question the equipment must answer: verify a defined standard method, compare prototype designs, investigate a failure, or screen production units. State the product type, target market and whether the work is R&D, qualification or routine quality control. The same nominal test can require different throughput, flexibility and reporting depending on that decision.

List each method by document title, edition and applicable clause if known. Attach a controlled excerpt or your own method summary only if you are permitted to share it. For a proprietary customer method, describe its required sequence and acceptance outcome rather than simply writing “customer standard.” Identify who will confirm the final method interpretation. A supplier cannot responsibly infer a test programme from a standard number alone.

Separate mandatory scope from possible future scope. A two-axis frame test required for the launch should not be buried beside a speculative environmental chamber integration. This distinction lets suppliers price a proven base configuration and optional work separately.

2. Send representative specimen and fixture information

Provide drawings or CAD for the smallest, largest and most difficult specimens—not just a catalogue photo. Include external envelope, mass, material where relevant, mounting points, tolerances that affect clamping and the location of the intended load or measurement point. If a finished bicycle or motorcycle must be installed, include protrusions, cable routing, wheelbase or other clearance constraints that the fixture must accommodate.

Describe the boundary conditions: which points are fixed, which are free to rotate or slide, whether a joint must retain its operating orientation and how the sample should be changed. A fixture that makes installation easy but changes the load path can undermine the test. Ask the supplier to show the proposed fixture concept and to state which sample interfaces are included in the quoted scope.

3. Describe load, motion, cycle and stop logic

State the required working range, not only the maximum advertised force or torque. Include the minimum operating point that must remain measurable, expected normal range, overload boundary and direction of loading. For moving tests, describe actuator travel, specimen deflection, clearance and speed or frequency across the actual method. If values are still unknown, say which drawing or pilot test will determine them.

Specify the control mode for each stage: force, displacement, torque, speed, acceleration or another variable. Describe waveforms, ramp-up, dwell, reversal, synchronization between channels and cycle-counting rules where relevant. A machine that reaches the peak force may still be unsuitable if it cannot hold the required low-range control or follow the motion safely.

Define end conditions before procurement: target cycles, time limit, overload, abnormal displacement, loss of control, specimen failure or operator stop. State whether an interrupted test may resume and what data must remain in the record. For a deeper treatment of these three variables, see our load, stroke and cycle RFQ guide.

4. Specify what the laboratory must measure and retain

Name each required channel and its useful range: force, displacement, torque, speed, temperature, vibration or electrical signals, as applicable to the method. Distinguish control sensors from reporting sensors. A displayed live value, a stored raw time series and a calculated pass/fail result are three different deliverables. Define the needed units, sampling or logging behavior, time synchronization and export format.

Ask for an example report and raw-data file early in the conversation. Review whether the file identifies specimen, method version, operator, date, machine and sensor channels; whether it records aborted runs; and whether your analysts can reprocess the data. Do not assume “automatic PDF report” also means access to raw measurements.

For calibration, describe the evidence your laboratory actually needs: sensor identification, calibration status, relevant working ranges and verification after installation. If your laboratory operates under ISO/IEC 17025, align the measurement and record requirements with your quality system. ISO/IEC 17025 concerns laboratory competence and consistent operation; it does not by itself prescribe the configuration of a particular test machine.

5. Include site, safety, delivery and acceptance boundaries

Equipment design depends on the installation site. State available floor area, ceiling height, access route, power supply, compressed air or other utilities, environmental conditions and any integration requirement. Identify who provides network access, handling equipment, reference instruments and test specimens. Ask for an installation drawing and utility schedule with the quotation, not after the machine is built.

Safety must be reviewed against the actual hazards and applicable local requirements. Tell the supplier about rotating parts, stored energy, specimen rupture, hot components, access during setup and operator exposure. Request a description of guards, interlocks and emergency-stop behavior proposed for the project. Do not accept a generic “CE-ready” or “fully compliant” statement in place of a project-specific scope and evidence.

Define how the machine will be accepted: approved drawing, fixture trial, measurement verification, representative test run, software/data demonstration and document review. Separate factory acceptance (FAT) from checks that can only occur after installation. Our test equipment FAT checklist explains how to turn these commitments into witnessed evidence.

6. Use this one-page RFQ matrix as the first attachment

A concise matrix makes missing inputs visible. Add the method document, drawings and sample files as separate attachments; do not cram them into an email body. For every line below, mark required, optional or to be confirmed, and name the owner of any open item.

If a value is unknown, write the decision needed to establish it. “Frequency to be confirmed after a trial using the largest sample” is more useful than leaving the cell blank. It tells both sides which engineering work belongs before final quotation and which may be a priced study or option.

7. Ask suppliers to make quotations comparable

Request a response against the same matrix. For each requirement, ask whether it is included in a proven base platform, included as a configured option, needs new engineering, or is excluded. Ask for assumptions, customer-supplied items and a list of decisions that could change price or lead time. This is more informative than comparing one headline price or maximum force rating.

Compare scope in four passes: first method coverage and specimen fit; then measurement and evidence; then safety, acceptance and support; finally price and schedule. A low quote that excludes the critical fixture, raw-data export or FAT sample trial is not equivalent to one that includes them. Conversely, expensive capabilities that do not support a defined test decision may be unnecessary.

A useful proposal should identify review gates: concept approval, fixture drawing approval, software sequence review, FAT and site acceptance. Before purchase, have the engineering owner sign off the test method and have procurement verify commercial exclusions. This avoids a quotation that appears complete but cannot be converted into an unambiguous purchase agreement.