Why packaging and export scope are part of the RFQ

A contract manufacturing RFQ usually focuses on the part: drawings, material, tolerances, welding and inspection. Packaging, preservation and delivery boundary are often added as a short paragraph at the end and then paid for as extras. The same part can land in a buyer's yard ready to install, or in a damaged crate with rework needed. The difference is decided before the supplier packs the first item, not after the goods arrive.

Treating packaging and export as a defined scope has three practical effects. It lets the supplier quote on a controlled basis instead of guessing. It puts responsibility for late damage or corrosion in the right place. It also lets the buyer compare bids that look the same on paper but differ on how the part actually travels.

The scope of contract manufacturing at Realjet covers welding, machining and assembly around customer drawings. Final packaging, preservation, transport mode and delivery term depend on the buyer's project documents. Those documents need to be written first, not assumed.

State the destination and the transport mode

The first question is how the part will move. Road, containerised sea, break-bulk sea, rail and air each imply different handling, time and corrosion exposure. The route also drives the delivery term, which is the buyer's tool for placing risk.

Incoterms 2020 defines eleven terms, from EXW (the buyer takes the part at the supplier's gate) through DAP (delivered at the buyer's named place) to DDP (delivered, duties paid). The RFQ should name the intended term and the named place. If the term is not yet fixed, the RFQ can ask bidders to price the same scope under two terms, for example FCA and DAP, so the buyer can decide on a like-for-like basis.

A sea shipment in a 40-foot high cube container is a different design problem from a road trailer. A 12-metre welded frame may not fit through a container door even when disassembled. A heavy chassis with a finished painted face may need timber crating and sling points, not a pallet. The transport mode is an input to the packaging design, not a consequence of it.

Define preservation against the storage and route

Once the route is known, the preservation specification can be set. A part that goes straight to a final assembly line has very different needs from one that sits in a port yard for three months. Salt air, humidity, condensation and UV exposure all change the coating and wrapping choice.

ISO 12944-2:2017 classifies atmospheric corrosivity from C1 (very low) to C5 (very high), with marine and industrial sub-categories. The buyer should state the corrosivity class for the route, the destination and any expected storage. A coastal sea crossing almost always pushes the requirement above C4, which means more than a single coat of standard primer.

Useful preservation items to call out in the RFQ:

  • coating system on the fabricated part before packing, including any hold-back areas where mating surfaces must remain uncoated;
  • drying time and handling rules before the part goes into its wrap;
  • wrapping or bagging: VCI film, shrink wrap, sealed plastic, desiccant and oxygen absorber where the route justifies it;
  • moisture indicators inside sealed packs for long sea transits;
  • protection of machined bores, faces and threaded interfaces with blanks, caps or wax;
  • marking of centre of gravity, sling points, fragile areas and orientation.

Each of these is cheap to specify and expensive to fix afterwards. They also make the buyer's inspection on arrival meaningful, because the condition recorded then can be checked against the agreed baseline.

Set the wood packaging and fumigation rule

Many countries regulate wood packaging used in international transport to stop the spread of pests. The buyer should not assume the supplier's local crate meets the destination market's rule.

ISPM 15 governs wood packaging material in international trade. It requires heat treatment or methyl bromide fumigation and a visible mark on the wood. The mark's country code, producer code and treatment code must be legible. If the goods are entering a market that enforces ISPM 15, the supplier's crate must carry the mark, or the goods can be refused or re-treated at the border at the buyer's cost.

The RFQ should say which standard applies to the route, who pays for treatment and the mark, and how pallets and dunnage are to be disposed of on arrival. Buyers that overlook this point tend to discover it at the port.

Write the marking, documentation and handling list

Packing and export scope is also where the buyer's documentation expectation needs to be put in writing. A drawing that says "deliver to project X" is not enough.

The packing list should identify each item, its dimensions, weight and the crate or container it sits in. ISO 780:2015 provides a recognised set of packaging pictograms for handling, stacking, moisture, fragile and centre of gravity. The RFQ should say which pictograms are required and in which language any handling text is to appear.

Documents that often travel with the goods and should be listed in the RFQ:

  • commercial invoice and packing list with HS codes where the buyer is the importer of record;
  • certificates of conformance and material certificates tied to part numbers;
  • welding and inspection records as agreed in the quality plan;
  • fumigation or heat treatment certificate for wood packaging;
  • country-of-origin statement, especially for preferential tariff claims;
  • insurance scope if the buyer is arranging cover;
  • shipping marks and case numbers that match the packing list.

The buyer should also say which language the documents are to be issued in. A bilingual version is often needed when the goods cross a language border.

Decide who pays for damage in transit

Risk and cost follow the delivery term, but the practical question is who handles a damaged crate at the port. The RFQ can put the answer in writing instead of leaving it to a post-shipment argument.

Useful points to cover:

  • photographs and written notice within a stated number of days of arrival;
  • who unloads and inspects at the named place;
  • who arranges and pays for any local handling after the named place;
  • whether the supplier replaces or the buyer claims insurance;
  • what evidence the supplier needs before approving a concession.

Most of this is already implied by the chosen Incoterm. Writing it in the RFQ removes the room for dispute on a damaged shipment.

Bring packaging and export into the RFQ package

The practical step is to add a packaging, preservation and export section to the same controlled document that carries the drawings and the quality plan. The section should state the transport mode, the Incoterm, the corrosivity class, the wood packaging rule, the marking and documentation list, and the damage-handling boundary. Each bidder then quotes on the same basis, and the buyer's procurement, engineering and quality teams have a shared reference when they compare.

Buyers who want a single point of contact for fabrication, machining, surface treatment, packing and export coordination can use the made-to-drawing contract machinery manufacturing service. Final packaging, preservation, transport mode and delivery term are confirmed through the buyer's project documents, and the supplier's evidence is provided against the agreed list.