IC RFQ Checklist: Compare Quotes Before You Buy Chips

An IC RFQ checklist should make supplier offers comparable before it makes them cheaper.

You request an integrated circuit and receive three attractive prices. One offer covers the complete ordering code on your BOM. Another drops the packaging suffix. A third lists the right number but cannot confirm who holds the stock. Comparing their unit prices immediately creates a false competition: the suppliers may be offering different goods, delivery commitments and remedies.

The practical fix is a short, controlled quote comparison. Freeze the technical requirement, ask every supplier the same questions and separate unresolved conditions from confirmed differences. This guide provides a reusable RFQ structure, an illustrative calculation and a release checklist that purchasing, engineering and incoming inspection can share. It does not assume that a catalogue listing is reserved inventory.

1. Define what counts as the same order

A useful comparison starts with a controlled requirement, not a supplier spreadsheet. Identify the BOM revision, manufacturer, complete manufacturer part number and approved alternative list. Add the required quantity and the date material must be available to the assembly process. Keep those fields consistent across every enquiry and any follow-up quotation.

Then separate mandatory conditions from preferences. A required package and temperature grade are acceptance criteria. A preference for one date-code range may require discussion with quality rather than automatic rejection. If everything is described as negotiable, a supplier cannot tell which changes need engineering approval. If everything is mandatory without a reason, purchasing may exclude usable supply unnecessarily.

Give the enquiry a revision identifier and require the supplier to reference it. When engineering changes a requirement, revise the comparison rather than silently accepting a quotation against an earlier version. That small discipline prevents a low price for yesterday's requirement from winning today's purchase.

2. Resolve the full MPN before the first price comparison

A familiar family name is not a purchase specification. Manufacturer ordering codes can distinguish package, temperature grade, qualification or shipping format. The meaning of a suffix belongs to that manufacturer's ordering documentation; it is not a universal alphabet that can be transferred between brands. Ask the supplier to reproduce the complete quoted MPN without abbreviations.

For a concrete example, TI's SN74HC595 family includes SOIC and TSSOP package options. SN74HC595DR and SN74HC595PWR are not the same physical package merely because both belong to a 16-pin logic family. Compare the exact package drawing and board requirement rather than accepting a matching function and pin count as sufficient.

When an alternative is proposed, retain the original requested MPN and record the offered code separately. Have engineering approve the difference before it enters the comparable-price column. Otherwise a substitution becomes invisible when a buyer replaces the original cell with the supplier's spelling.

3. Separate package, carrier and quantity

The component package describes the device mounted on the board. The shipping carrier describes how the assembly team receives it: for example, a reel, tube, tray or cut tape. A suitable electrical part can still arrive in a format that the assembler cannot use efficiently. Confirm feeder requirements, leader and trailer needs, and any permitted repacking before ordering.

TI's SN74HC595DR page lists a SOIC package and a standard large tape-and-reel quantity of 2,500. That published carrier quantity does not establish a particular seller's minimum order quantity or promise that a smaller purchase will arrive on an original full reel. Ask how the offered quantity will actually be supplied.

Keep MOQ, order multiple and carrier quantity in separate cells. An offer for cut tape should say so, including any handling or custom-reel charge. If a reel is opened or material is repacked, request the relevant handling information rather than treating a newly printed label as evidence that nothing changed.

4. Send one RFQ with fields suppliers can answer

A concise, complete RFQ often reduces more delay than sending a larger number of vague enquiries. The table below is an editorial template, not a claimed industry certification. Adjust it to your organisation's quality requirements, and mark genuinely unknown fields as pending rather than filling them with guesses.

Ask suppliers to identify every deviation in a dedicated response field. A sentence such as “please state all differences from the attached requirement” is more useful than assuming silence means compliance. Keep clarification answers attached to the quote revision used for approval.

5. Ask who owns and can allocate the stock

A quantity displayed online can represent different supply situations. The seller may physically hold the parts, have a partner offer, expect a replenishment or still be checking availability. None of these categories should be silently described as the same confirmed stock position. Ask which situation applies and when it was last verified.

Two brokers offering the same underlying lot do not create two independent sources. Where confidentiality limits disclosure, ask what evidence the supplier can provide to the authorised reviewer and what remains unverified. Do not add advertised quantities together and call the sum available inventory.

Reservation also needs a boundary: quantity, expiry, conditions and the party making the commitment. A quotation valid until a stated date does not necessarily mean the stock is held until that date. Record quote validity and allocation validity separately, then reconfirm the relevant position before releasing the purchase order.

6. Turn a lead-time phrase into a delivery milestone

“Available in five days” leaves several questions unanswered. Does it mean ready for collection, ready to dispatch after payment, arrival at an intermediate warehouse or receipt at your factory? Ask for the milestone, starting event and whether the interval uses working days. Put the destination and any required inspection window on the same timeline.

Work backwards from the production need. Material that reaches a receiving dock on the build date may still need document review, incoming inspection and transfer to the assembler. Separate the supplier's commitment from your internal planning allowance so that neither party mistakes an estimate for a guaranteed event.

For split deliveries, request quantities and dates for each shipment. Clarify which costs repeat and what happens if the first lot passes inspection but the balance is delayed. A partial quantity that keeps a line running can be valuable, but it should be evaluated as a distinct delivery plan rather than hidden inside one optimistic headline.

7. Ask what the evidence actually proves

A photograph can show visible marking, packaging or apparent condition. It cannot by itself establish authenticity, storage history or an authorised supply route. Request evidence tied to the offered lot, and distinguish manufacturer-issued records from a seller's declaration. A document title alone does not explain who issued it or what it covers.

TI's anti-counterfeit guidance recommends buying its products directly or through TI-authorised distribution. It also warns that convincing labels can appear on counterfeit parts and that its warranty and support do not cover purchases outside its authorised sources. Those are TI's published conditions, not a blanket statement about every manufacturer's policies.

Check an authorisation claim with the manufacturer rather than relying on a logo in a quotation. If your quality process permits another supply route, document the approval, available traceability and unresolved evidence separately. Testing and documentation should support an explicit risk decision; neither should be advertised as a universal guarantee that every defect or counterfeit will be detected.

8. Review date codes together with handling conditions

A recent manufacturing code does not prove authenticity, and an older code does not establish that a device is unusable. TI's shelf-life guidance ties product suitability to its controlled storage practices and the customer's subsequent handling conditions. Do not extend that statement to parts with an unknown storage history or to another manufacturer's products without checking their guidance.

Ask quality to define why a date-code restriction exists. It may arise from a customer requirement, a process limitation or an agreed traceability policy. Record that requirement rather than treating an arbitrary age threshold as a universal semiconductor rule. If the offered material falls outside it, seek approval before accepting the quote.

For moisture-sensitive devices, review the applicable MSL information, package condition and exposure records. A sealed-looking bag is not a substitute for a complete handling history. Where exposure or storage cannot be established, escalate to the qualified process owner; do not invent a baking recipe or assume all devices, reels and trays tolerate the same treatment.

9. Compare committed spend with a controlled example

The following figures are entirely illustrative, expressed in CNY. They are not current component prices, supplier quotations or inventory claims. Assume the same unnamed approved IC, a requirement for 2,000 units, and the same tax treatment. Handling and freight are included only as the stated combined fee; real comparisons need the actual applicable charges.

Offer A has the lower unit price than Offer B, but requires CNY 1,250 more cash and leaves 1,000 units beyond the immediate need. Those remaining units may have future value; they are not automatically waste. Record their planned use and holding requirement instead of pretending the smaller unit price resolves the decision.

Do not assign an invented failure probability to make an uncertain offer look numerically precise. Compare eligible offers on confirmed costs and delivery conditions. Keep ineligible offers visible in a separate clarification queue, with the exact information needed to reconsider them.

10. Read the conditions attached to the price

Ask which charges are included, when payment is due and how long the quoted price remains valid. Record cancellation, return, inspection and discrepancy-reporting conditions as written for this transaction. A supplier may describe an order as NCNR; ask it to explain the applicable non-cancellation and non-return conditions before anyone relies on the abbreviation.

Separate voluntary cancellation from a reported nonconformity. Do not infer that the same process, remedy or deadline applies to both. If commercial wording conflicts with your purchase requirements, involve the responsible commercial or legal reviewer and obtain a resolved written position before placing the order.

Specify the delivery basis and named destination consistently across quotations. Otherwise an offer that includes a different freight leg, import responsibility or service level can appear artificially cheaper. This article provides comparison questions, not a substitute contract or an interpretation of rights under a particular jurisdiction.

11. Use three decisions: comparable, clarify or reject

A comparison sheet works better when unresolved offers cannot accidentally win a price sort. Use an explicit status and a named owner for the next action. The status should describe the evidence available today, not an assumption that the supplier will eventually confirm everything.

Before release, reconcile the purchase-order line with the accepted quotation and requirement revision. Preserve the clarifications, agreed deviations and evidence references. Send receiving staff the same acceptance baseline so that the organisation does not buy against one definition and inspect against another.

12. A reusable clarification message

Please confirm the manufacturer and complete ordering code against the attached BOM revision, and identify every deviation. State the supplied package and carrier, quoted quantity, MOQ and order multiple. Identify whether the offer is physically held stock, partner stock or expected supply, and state the verification and reservation conditions.

Please distinguish the ready-to-dispatch date from the expected arrival date at our named destination. List partial-shipment conditions, available lot and traceability documents, applicable handling information, included charges, quote validity and written cancellation, return and nonconformity-reporting conditions. Mark unavailable evidence as unconfirmed rather than leaving the field ambiguous.

This message is intentionally specific about the response, while leaving the supplier room to disclose limitations. Attach your actual technical requirement and acceptance criteria; the template cannot decide them for you. Reuse the answers in the comparison sheet instead of reopening the same questions in separate email chains.

13. Frequently asked purchasing questions

Why is the cheapest IC quote not always the cheapest order?

A lower unit price can require a larger order, extra handling or a different delivery arrangement. Compare the committed quantity and included charges after technical and evidence conditions are satisfied. Keep excess inventory visible; it may have future value, but it still changes the immediate purchase commitment.

Can a supplier omit the last letters of the part number?

Do not approve an ambiguous order line. Ask for the complete manufacturer ordering code and compare it with the manufacturer's documentation. A suffix may relate to packaging or another characteristic, and the meaning is not universal. Record any proposed alternative separately from the requested part.

Does a quoted stock quantity mean it is reserved?

No reservation should be assumed from the quantity alone. Ask who can allocate the goods, which quantity is held, how long the reservation lasts and what conditions apply. Keep price validity separate from allocation validity, and check the position again before releasing the order.

Should all older date-code material be rejected?

Apply the agreed customer and quality requirements, together with manufacturer guidance and available handling evidence. Age alone does not explain authenticity or storage condition. Material outside an approved restriction needs review; material inside that restriction still needs the other required checks.

Is a photograph enough to establish that a part is genuine?

No. It can support a visible-condition check, but it does not establish a complete supply history or guarantee electrical authenticity. Review the supply route and lot-linked evidence through the appropriate quality process. Do not confuse an attractive image with an approved traceability package.

What should a buyer send with an alternative-part request?

Include the original full MPN, manufacturer, BOM revision, required package, critical specifications, quantity and delivery need. Identify which alternatives are already approved and who can review new ones. Keep the offered alternative visible until its differences have been assessed and explicitly accepted.

14. Sources and related sourcing guides

Manufacturer references checked on October 30, 2026:

• TI SN74HC595 datasheet and package options
• TI SN74HC595DR carrier and package information
• TI anti-counterfeit guidance and authorised sourcing
• TI product shelf life and customer storage guidance

Related Chip-seek reading:

• Electronic component availability guide
• W25Q128JVSIQ alternative selection and qualification

Cover photograph: Raimond Spekking, WCH CH340G on a board, CC BY-SA 4.0. Chip-seek adapted the crop and typography under the same licence. The image illustrates a real component, not quoted stock or proof of authenticity.