THE QUICK ANSWER
Do not assume an elevated feeder stand is flat-pack. Ask whether the customer assembles anything at all, and only then ask for the fixings itemized line by line rather than quoted as a hardware pack. Ask whether bowls are included, which piece count is printed on the carton, where the bag is held, whether the instruction sheet carries a revision mark, and whose number the wobble limit is. Then ask that each answer be written into the specification, the inspection plan or the quotation.
Ask first whether anything is assembled at all
Put it in the RFQ like this: "Is this stand supplied as one moulded piece, supplied already assembled, or supplied as parts the customer bolts together — and which answer applies to each frame material you are quoting?" Our development sheet for this SKU lists four frame routes: bamboo, MDF with melamine, powder-coated steel, moulded PP. It states construction as a frame with one or two dropped apertures sized to the bowl rim. It does not state an assembly method, which is precisely why this is a question and not an assumption you can carry over from the category. The three answers do not produce the same carton, the same packed count or the same price. A good answer names a method for every material on the quotation. A deflection answers for one material and leaves the rest open. Get it into the specification before pricing, because every question below applies only where a fixing pack actually exists.
Ask for the fixings itemized, not summarized
Put it as: "Please list every fixing on its own line — type and head form, thread size and length, finish, quantity per unit — and price that list." The answer can come back three ways: an itemized list with quantities, a list of types with no quantities, or a single line reading hardware pack. The difference is countable versus not. A list with quantities is something receiving can count a carton against; a single line is hard to compare between two quotations and gives a reorder nothing to check. Ask in the same breath for the driver size that matches the head form, and whether a tool is packed or the customer supplies their own, since a head and a key that do not match is the kind of mismatch a drawing catches and a word does not. A good answer has a value in every field. A deflection has adjectives. The list belongs in the specification and priced in the written quotation.
Ask whether bowls ship with the stand
Put it as: "Are bowls included in the quoted price, and if so state the rim diameter and capacity alongside the aperture diameter." Three answers are available: included and priced in, sold separately, or supplied by you to a rim dimension the stand is cut for. Our own SKU sheet is blunt about why it matters — bowl compatibility is a dimension, not an assumption, so state the rim diameter. The arithmetic follows from there. A two-aperture stand quoted with bowls carries two more pieces per unit than the same stand quoted without them, and the carton weight, the carton volume and the packed count all move with it. Two quotations that differ on this are not quotations for the same product. A good answer gives inclusion plus two numbers. A deflection says it fits standard bowls, when no rim standard is named. The answer belongs in the specification and on the quotation line.
Ask which piece count is printed on the carton
Put it as: "Is a spare fixing over-packed, and does the count printed on the carton state pieces packed or pieces used in assembly?" The combinations are few. No spare packed: the two counts are legitimately the same number and one figure serves. A spare packed: the packed count is higher, and if assembly uses eight pieces and one spare of two types is added, the carton holds ten. A carton checked against eight can then be written up for holding exactly the over-pack that was requested. That is why the spare question comes before the labelling question rather than after it. A good answer states both counts, each labelled, and says which one the carton artwork carries. A deflection gives one unlabelled number. Both counts belong in the bill of materials; the printed one belongs in the carton artwork, where receiving can check a sampled carton against a stated intent.
Ask where the bag sits and how it is held
Put it as: "In the packing drawing, which component is the fixing bag attached to, which layer does it sit above, and how is it held — taped, heat-sealed to a card, or seated in a die-cut recess?" Those are the options; loose in the carton void is a fourth and it is the one to query. A bag lying free can settle under the protective layer and leave with the packing material when a customer unpacks over a bin. The missing part can then be reported as a factory shortfall against a carton that was packed correctly. Ask as well whether a packing photograph can be approved alongside the physical sample and filed with the specification, so an inspector has something unambiguous to compare against when the words leave room. A good answer names a component and a method. A deflection says in the box. It belongs in the packing drawing and the approved photograph.
Ask whether the instruction sheet carries a revision mark
Put it as: "Will the instruction sheet carry a part number and a revision mark printed on the sheet itself, and can we approve a printed proof before the run?" Three answers exist: unmarked, part number only, or part number and revision. Only the third lets a corrected sheet be told apart from the one that shipped last season, which is how a known error quietly reprints itself. Specify the sheet as a printed part while you are asking: trim size in millimetres and inches, paper weight, print colors, and a language list matched to the destination markets on the order. Ask that the exploded diagram use the same labels as the fixing list, so the bolt called A in the drawing is the bolt in the compartment marked A. Ask what the proof costs and when it arrives. The specification belongs in the printed-parts sheet; the proof cost and timing belong in the written quotation.
Ask whose number the wobble limit is
Put it as: "What maximum lift do you propose for an assembled unit on a flat bench, how was it arrived at for this frame material, and how many units per shipment are assembled to check it?" Our development sheet lists stability under a side push among the checks for this SKU. It names no figure, and we publish no test standard. Three answers are possible: a number carried over from another product, a number proposed for this frame material, or no assembled check at all. Query the first, because the frame material changes what is achievable. Wobble exists only on an assembled unit, and a carton inspection assembles nothing unless the plan says so. Ask that sampled units be assembled from carton contents alone — the packed fixings, the packed tool, the printed sheet — which tests the sheet at the same time. Method, surface, sample size and the agreed limit all belong in the inspection plan.
Ask what the sample proves, and what happens if a carton is short
Close the RFQ with two questions: "Which of the answers above will be built into the sample?" and "What happens if cartons arrive short?" Our published timing is a stock item with custom details within 7 days, after artwork and details are confirmed, and a fully custom sample within 15 days, after specification confirmation. Within is a ceiling, not a flat number, and both clocks start at confirmation — which is the practical argument for settling the questions above first. A sample built before a fixing list exists proves nothing about the fixing list. When it arrives, assemble it using only what is in the carton, and record how long it took and whether you reached for a tool nobody packed. On short shipment our published commercial terms do state a position: keep the PO, SKU, batch reference, inspection record, photos and quantity affected, and rework, replacement, credit, refund or another remedy is assessed against the agreed specification and documented evidence. What that means for your order — which remedy, on what timing — is confirmed in the written quotation.
A useful comparison
| Question to ask | Answers you may get | What it changes | Where it belongs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Is anything assembled by the customer? | One moulded piece / supplied assembled / supplied as parts — per frame material | Whether a fixing pack, a tool and an instruction sheet exist at all | Specification, before pricing |
| Are bowls included? | Included and priced in / sold separately / supplied by you to a stated rim | Pieces per unit, carton weight and volume, and whether two quotations are comparable | Specification and quotation line |
| How are the fixings listed? | Itemized with quantities / types without quantities / one line reading hardware pack | Whether receiving can count a carton against anything | Specification, priced in the written quotation |
| Is a tool packed? | Packed with a stated driver size / customer supplies their own | Whether the head form and the key can be checked against each other | Bill of materials |
| Is a spare over-packed? | No spare, counts identical / spare packed, packed count higher | Whether one printed number can serve, or two counts are needed | Bill of materials |
| Which count is printed? | Pieces packed / pieces used in assembly / unlabelled number | Whether a correct over-pack can be written up as a discrepancy | Carton artwork |
| Where does the fixing bag sit? | Taped to a named component / heat-sealed to card / die-cut recess / loose in the void | Whether the bag can leave with the packing material | Packing drawing and approved photograph |
| Can a packing photo be approved? | Yes, filed with the specification / no | What an inspector compares against when the words leave room | Specification file |
| Does the sheet carry a revision mark? | Unmarked / part number only / part number and revision | Whether a corrected sheet can be told apart from last season's | Printed-parts specification |
| What does a printed proof cost and when? | Stated cost and date / not offered / not answered | Whether an error is caught before the run or after it | Written quotation |
| What is the wobble limit, and whose is it? | Carried from another product / proposed for this frame material / no assembled check | Whether the inspection tests this stand or a different one | Inspection plan |
| How are check units assembled? | From carton contents only / with bench tools / not assembled | Whether the instruction sheet is tested alongside the frame | Inspection plan |
| What happens if cartons arrive short? | Asked for and answered in writing / left open | Whether you have a remedy or an assumption | Written quotation |
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This guide sets out our own product development practice rather than external research. It makes no market, clinical or comparative-performance claim, and every figure named here is confirmed per order in the written quotation and specification.
How we research and writeTURN THE ANSWER INTO AN OEM BRIEF
