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Draft an RFQ email that gets comparable quotes, budget unseen

  • For Procurement
  • You practice Setting limits and rules
  • Time about 5 minutes
  • Level Intermediate

About this exercise

Write a prompt for an RFQ email to send to three label suppliers. The first line is exactly "Subject: RFQ - 4x6 thermal labels, 120 rolls". It then lists the specs as short lines, asks every bidder for these four items so the quotes can be compared (unit price per roll, freight to Reno, lead time in days, payment terms), and sets the response deadline of Dec 12, 5 p.m. Pacific with Priya Nair as the contact. Do not reveal the budget or the current supplier's price. Plain text, under 150 words.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

  • Leaking the budget. The AI mentions a target price or the current supplier to be helpful. Try: Say: "Never mention our budget, current supplier or any current price."
  • Quotes that can't be compared. The AI asks for 'your best price' only. Try: Say: "Ask for unit price, freight, lead time and payment terms."
  • Missing specs or subject. The AI skips the subject or summarizes the item loosely. Try: Say: "First line: Subject:" and list the specs.
  • Getting markdown back. AI adds bold, headings and bullets by default, which show up as stray symbols where this is pasted. Try: Say "plain text, no bold, no headings, no asterisks".
  • Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting and usually runs long, so a vague "keep it short" lands over the limit. Try: Cap each part instead of the total, for example "each line under 15 words".

What a strong prompt includes

  • Starts with a subject
  • Lists the specs
  • Names the four quote items
  • Keeps the budget private
  • Asks for plain text

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