Writing an RFQ for Mineral Processing Equipment

A mineral processing plant is only as good as the brief that starts it. When a buyer sends a two-line email asking for a price on a gold plant, the supplier has no choice but to guess. The result is a quotation that looks tidy on paper but collapses the moment real ore arrives. A disciplined mineral processing rfq prevents that outcome before a single drawing is made.

That is why a complete equipment inquiry checklist matters so much at the very first step.

This guide walks through how to build a mineral processing rfq that suppliers can actually quote against. It covers the fields you must include, why missing data distorts every number, how to structure the document, and how to compare what comes back. Consider it a working equipment inquiry checklist for your next project.

Henan Amill Machinery Equipment Co Ltd works with buyers across gold, copper, lead-zinc, iron ore, manganese ore and aggregate projects. Most of the friction our team sees in early talks traces back to one cause: an inquiry that never stated the basics.

1. Why a Complete Mineral Processing RFQ Changes the Whole Number

A supplier who does not know your feed size cannot size a crusher chamber. A supplier who does not know your target recovery cannot choose between gravity separation and flotation. Every blank field forces an assumption, and assumptions carry padding.

When information is thin, the only safe commercial move is to quote wide. The supplier assumes coarse feed, hard ore, wet climate and long delivery, then builds margin against all of it. The buyer sees a high number and assumes the equipment is expensive, when the real issue is an incomplete brief. A well-built mineral processing rfq removes that padding.

The distortion usually shows up later as change orders. Once the ore data arrives, the crushing section needs an extra stage, the screen area grows, and the plant layout shifts. Now both sides are renegotiating scope instead of building.

1.1 What a Weak Inquiry Looks Like

A weak inquiry typically states a capacity figure and little else. It might say "we need a 100 tpd gold plant" and stop there, leaving feed size, ore hardness and product target unstated. A proper mineral processing rfq would not leave those blanks.

The supplier then has to invent a flowsheet. Around half the assumptions in that flowsheet will turn out wrong, and each wrong assumption costs money to fix.

1.2 What a Strong Inquiry Looks Like

A strong inquiry reads like a short technical brief. It gives ore type and assay data, capacity in tpd and tph, feed and product size, recovery and concentrate targets, and site conditions.

It also names the delivery port, the acceptance method and the spare parts expectation. Henan Amill Machinery Equipment can price that inquiry directly, because nothing important is left open. In short, a thorough mineral processing rfq usually cuts the back-and-forth by several rounds.

2. The Equipment Inquiry Checklist: Fields Every RFQ Must Carry

The difference between a vague inquiry and a quotable one comes down to a fixed set of fields. Treat this equipment inquiry checklist as the minimum, not the maximum, and add project specifics as you go. Each field below maps to a real decision the supplier must make.

2.1 Ore and Assay Data

State the ore type and, where available, provide assay results. Include head grade, target element, and any known penalties such as clay, sulfur or high moisture.

If you have a grindability or work index figure, include it. That single number often decides how many grinding stages the circuit needs.

2.2 Capacity and Size Targets

Give capacity in tpd for the plant and tph for the circuit. Suppliers plan on a design margin, usually around 10 to 20 percent above nominal, so make clear whether your figure is nominal or peak.

Feed top size and required product size belong here too. A plant feeding roughly 500 mm rock and producing minus 10 mm product is a different machine set from one feeding 100 mm.

2.3 Site, Power and Logistics

Site conditions shape steel and foundations. Note altitude, climate, seismic zone if known, and whether the plant sits indoors or on open ground.

Power supply matters more than most buyers expect. State available voltage, frequency and phase, and confirm whether the site runs on 50 Hz or 60 Hz.

Finally, name the shipment port and any transport limits. Qingdao, Shanghai, Tianjin and Lianyungang are common options, but road or container limits may rule out certain frame sizes.

2.4 Commercial and Acceptance Terms

Set the delivery expectation, the acceptance method, and the spare parts and warranty scope you want quoted. Ask for a three-year wear parts list so the running cost is visible from day one.

Request document lists as well, such as material certificates, test records and a certificate of origin. These are normal shipping papers and help you clear customs and verify quality.

3. RFQ Field Template You Can Fill In

Below is a field template ready to drop into your own document. It mirrors the equipment inquiry checklist above, and the third column tells you how firmly to treat each item. A few fields are genuinely optional at first contact.

Fill every required row before you send. Optional rows can follow once the supplier confirms the flowsheet direction. Amill Machinery Equipment uses the same structure when reviewing incoming inquiries.

4. How Supplier Quotation Review Works After You Receive Replies

A supplier quotation review is where most of the value is won or lost. Three quotations never arrive in the same format, so you need a fixed set of columns to compare them fairly. A structured supplier quotation review also protects you from being swayed by a single headline figure.

Do not start with the total. Start with the configuration list, then move to scope, then to spares, and only then look at the bottom line.

4.1 Align the Configuration Line by Line

Put each supplier in its own column and each equipment item in its own row. Mark clearly where one supplier includes a component that another leaves out.

A missing classifier or an absent control panel can explain most of a price gap before you even discuss totals.

4.2 Compare Scope Boundaries

Check what is included and excluded. Foundation design, steel structure, piping, electrical cabling and installation guidance are the usual gray zones.

If one quotation includes commissioning support and another does not, the two numbers are not describing the same project. Amill Machinery Equipment quotes scope in a written boundary list for exactly this reason.

4.3 Compare Spares, Warranty and Documents

Look at the wear parts and spare parts scope, the warranty period and what it covers, and the document package each supplier will hand over.

A quotation that names a three-year wear list is easier to budget than one that stays silent on running cost.

4.4 Normalize the Calculation Basis

Confirm every quotation uses the same capacity basis and the same product size. A plant quoted at 50 tph and one quoted at 80 tph are not the same offer.

Also check whether design margin is included and whether prices are quoted per unit or per complete line. Same words, different meanings, is the most common trap here.

5. Quotation Comparison Table and Common Pitfalls

Once quotations are normalized, a single comparison sheet keeps the decision clean. The table below lists the dimensions worth scoring during any supplier quotation review.

Fill one column per supplier and leave any unknown cell blank rather than guessing. Blank cells are useful, because they show you what to ask next.

With the sheet in place, a handful of recurring mistakes become easy to spot. Each one is common, and each one is avoidable.

5.1 Comparing Only the Total Price

The lowest total often reflects the narrowest scope. When you strip out a screen, a pump or a control panel, the number drops for the wrong reason.

5.2 Ignoring Spare Parts and Installation Scope

Buyers sometimes treat installation guidance and spare parts as details. In practice they decide how quickly the plant reaches steady output.

5.3 Missing Voltage and Frequency Differences

Motors and drives built for one frequency will not perform as expected on another. State the site frequency in the rfq so the electrical design matches the grid.

5.4 Overlooking Site and Transport Limits

Oversized frames may not fit standard containers or local roads. Altitude and climate also affect motor derating and structure design, so mention them early.

5.5 Real Examples From the Inquiry Stage

Two short cases show how much a single missing field can move a quotation. Both come from gold projects, and both were resolved by filling gaps in the brief.

5.5.1 Case One: The Missing Feed Size

Some time ago a buyer asked for a 150 tpd gold plant and gave capacity alone. Without data on feed top size, the supplier quoted three crushing stages against an assumed coarse feed.

Once the buyer supplied the size distribution, it was clear the ore was finer than assumed. The crushing section dropped from three stages to two, and installed power fell from roughly 400 kW to around 280 kW.

Because the buyer had also stated an 88 percent recovery aim, the gravity circuit was right sized instead of oversized. The lesson is simple: one missing field, one large swing.

5.5.2 Case Two: The Frequency Gap

A few years ago another inquiry omitted line frequency and named only a voltage. The first quotation assumed 50 Hz, while the site actually ran on 60 Hz.

After correction, motor and drive selection changed, and the belt feeder speed range was adjusted. Around a dozen electrical line items were revised before signing.

6. Supplier Quotation Review: Frequently Asked Questions

6.1 How detailed should ore assay data be in a mineral processing rfq?

Start with head grade for the main element, plus any penalty elements such as sulfur, arsenic or clay. Moisture content and a work index figure help a lot, because they drive grinding power and equipment sizing. If you only have partial results, send what exists and mark the rest as pending.

Suppliers can plan a flowsheet around a partial picture and refine it once full assay data arrives. That is far better than quoting against no data at all, and a short table of results is usually enough for a first pass.

6.2 What capacity figure should I give, tpd or tph?

Give both, and label which one is nominal and which is peak. Plant capacity in tpd sets the overall scale, while circuit capacity in tph drives individual machine sizing and conveyor widths. State whether your figure already includes design margin or is a bare target, since suppliers typically add roughly 10 to 20 percent above that.

If your ore varies by season, note the range. Clear capacity labeling removes one of the most common sources of mismatch between what you expect and what the equipment delivers in steady operation.

6.3 Why do I get such wide price ranges from different suppliers?

Wide ranges usually mean the suppliers read your inquiry differently. One may assume coarse feed and hard ore, another fine feed and easy ore, so their machine sizes diverge. Scope boundaries also differ, with some including steel structure, piping or control panels and others leaving them out, and delivery terms plus spare parts scope add further spread.

The fix is to standardize the rfq and then run a proper supplier quotation review on a fixed set of columns. When every supplier answers the same fields, the ranges narrow and the numbers become genuinely comparable. A consistent supplier quotation review is the single habit that keeps procurement decisions clean.

6.4 What should I ask for in the way of documents and spares?

Ask for material certificates, test records and a certificate of origin, which are standard shipping and quality papers. These let you verify what was built and clear customs without delays. On spares, request a wear parts list covering a fixed operating span, typically three years, so running cost is visible before you commit. Also ask the supplier to state the warranty period and exactly what it covers, since a long warranty with narrow coverage is worth less than a shorter one that includes wear items.