Bitumen Procurement · 8 min read
How to Prepare a Bitumen RFQ That Suppliers Can Quote
A useful enquiry connects the requested material to its delivery requirements and acceptance documents. Clear inputs make the first quotation more useful.
Start with the worked example and downloadable worksheet
Questions this guide addresses
- Which information should a buyer provide in the first enquiry?
- How can quotations be compared on the same quantity and delivery basis?
- Which details remain subject to confirmation before a purchase?
PentaBay working example
Worked comparison: the lowest quoted price costs more
Bring three supplier offers to the same destination and net product quantity before ranking them.
Teaching example created by PentaBay, not actual supplier quotes or market prices. Each offer covers 100 net MT of the same accepted material and packaging, the same arrival window and destination. Taxes, inland delivery and financing are excluded from all three offers.
Offer A looks cheapest at $400 per tonne. Its ocean freight and insurance are outside the price. Offer B quotes $430 CFR with freight included, while C quotes $432 CIF with freight and the quoted insurance included. The delivery basis changes which costs must be added, so comparing only the headline numbers produces the wrong ranking.
For this exercise, destination handling is $1,200 per cargo for each offer. Add it once, then divide the complete entered cost by 100 net MT. B is $3.50 per net MT below A even though its quoted unit price is $30 higher. B is only $0.50 per tonne below C; a $50 difference in a previously omitted cargo charge would remove that advantage.
This is a cost comparison, not a recommendation to select B. The ranking is useful only after the specification, net quantity, schedule and insurance scope are comparable. A missing charge remains an unresolved item. Record the supplier's written answer rather than silently treating the blank as zero.
| Cost / basis | A — FOB | B — CFR | C — CIF |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quoted USD / net MT | 400.00 | 430.00 | 432.00 |
| 100 net MT: quoted cargo value | 40,000 | 43,000 | 43,200 |
| Additional ocean freight, USD / cargo | 3,500 | 0 — included | 0 — included |
| Additional insurance, USD / cargo | 200 | 150 | 0 — included |
| Destination handling, USD / cargo | 1,200 | 1,200 | 1,200 |
| Comparable entered total, USD | 44,900 | 44,350 | 44,400 |
| Entered cost, USD / net MT | 449.00 | 443.50 | 444.00 |
Apply it to your review
- Send each supplier the same specification and named destination.
- Ask which line items are included and which are still estimates.
- Replace the sample figures in the worksheet and retain quote dates and validity separately.
Opens in a spreadsheet; contains the example values, not a completed transaction record. Example added: 21 September 2026
Use this guide in your next review
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Yesterday’s Price, the First Shipment ↗
Read how a historical transaction separated a quoted price, its validity and available volume. The disclosed historical record is separate from the teaching examples in this guide; it does not establish present supply or the results of a new shipment.
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Enter net product quantity and your supplier's price. Leave unresolved additional costs blank; the calculator preserves them as unknown and carries that status into an enquiry draft.
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Download the RFQ and reply-review template (.txt) ↓
Record requested conditions, confirmed items with evidence and dates, unresolved items and the next evidence request. A supplier's reply closes only the specific issue its evidence resolves.
Method and verification scope
- This editorial checklist combines primary-source definitions with PentaBay's proposed purchasing workflow. The sample enquiry and review steps are illustrative and do not establish current inventory, a supplier relationship or an agreed transaction.
- The reply-review scenario added on 13 October 2026 is a fictional continuation of the existing workbook. It is not an actual supplier reply or transaction outcome and is not presented as the transaction described by any public field note.
01 · Material
Describe what the project requires
A request for a bitumen price becomes useful when it identifies the material the project can accept. Begin with the intended application, requested grade and the buyer's specification. Attach the relevant specification pages or list the required properties, units and accepted test methods. A grade name alone leaves room for different assumptions.
SGS identifies local grading conventions, sampling and testing requirements as recurring challenges in bitumen trade. Its service description supports a practical starting point: establish the acceptance basis before treating two quotations as equivalent. A requested grade is a buyer requirement; its appearance in an enquiry does not confirm that a supplier has it available.
Sources [1]
02 · Quantity
Separate product quantity from packaging
State the first shipment in net metric tonnes of bitumen. If there is repeat demand, show it separately as an estimate and explain its expected timing. A trial order and a possible monthly programme are different commitments, so combining them into one large volume can produce an unhelpful quotation.
Identify the packaging preference and ask the supplier to propose the package count, net fill, packaging tare and quantity tolerance. If the buyer has unloading or storage constraints, include them. These questions establish a common commercial basis without assuming a universal drum size or a fixed quantity per container.
Initial order
Give the quantity currently being evaluated and whether split shipments are acceptable.
Future demand
Label forecasts as forecasts and state when the buyer expects to confirm them.
03 · Delivery
Name the place as well as the trade term
Provide the destination country and port or delivery address, the requested shipment window and any arrival deadline. Distinguish a required date from a preferred one. Include the proposed Incoterms® rule, named place and edition, or ask for alternative delivery bases if the buyer has not decided.
ICC's rules explain the significance of a precise delivery point. For a container handed to a carrier at a terminal, FCA may fit the intended arrangement; FOB involves delivery on board a vessel. Agree the actual handover before selecting a label. Also identify freight inclusions and destination charges that need separate clarification.
04 · Evidence
Ask what can be provided, and when
For an Iraqi-origin enquiry, ask for the proposed producer and production location, available origin documentation and the intended shipment route. Keep production origin separate from the loading port. ICC describes certificates of origin as documents used to authenticate the origin of exported goods; the document's issuer and its connection to the shipment deserve review.
Request the product specification and any available reference COA. Ask when the actual batch will be identified and when its analysis report can be supplied. Add packaging details and the desired inspection scope. These are requests for evidence, not assumptions that a report, inspector or production allocation has already been secured.
Sources [4]
05 · Worked example
Turn an open-ended request into an actionable enquiry
The following example uses invented purchasing requirements. It is neither a current order nor an offer of available material. Bracketed information should be completed by the buyer before it becomes a firm comparison basis.
What this establishes
Material, quantity, packaging and timing are explicit enough to begin a focused discussion.
What remains open
Supply availability, the final specification, route, inspection arrangements and all commercial terms still require confirmation.
06 · Comparison
Compare the complete offer before selecting a price
Put each quotation on the same currency, net-tonne quantity basis and delivery point. Record inclusions beside exclusions: freight, insurance where relevant, inspection, documents, handling and destination charges. Treat an unanswered item as open rather than assigning it a zero cost. Keep quotation validity and the proposed shipment window visible.
A short follow-up can then resolve the differences: confirm the required grade, explain a quantity discrepancy or request an alternative delivery basis. Preserve the agreed answers in the purchase record. The objective of the first enquiry is a reviewable offer; final acceptance depends on the agreed documents, material and commercial conditions.
07 · Reviewing the reply
A reply saying the price is unchanged does not complete the comparison
Continue the three-offer worksheet with a fictional reply. This is not a supplier response or a PentaBay transaction outcome. B has an entered cost of $44,350 and C has $44,400, a difference of $50. Assume B’s quotation expires during the review and a contact emails that the price is unchanged.
Record that reply, then confirm the renewed validity, allocation of the 100 net MT, named delivery point, shipment window and included charges. Identify which quotation the reply updates and whether the sender can confirm terms for the supplier. If allocation or cost scope remains open, do not label B the lowest offer that can be accepted.
Put any newly confirmed charge into the same comparison. A further $50 per cargo for B brings its total to $44,400, equal to C. If the amount has not been provided, retain an unknown item rather than entering zero. Equal entered costs still leave specification, insurance scope, delivery timing and execution capability to be assessed.
The public field note “Yesterday’s Price, the First Shipment” recounts management’s experience of checking quotation validity alongside actual allocation. It explains the background to these questions; it is not evidence for the fictional offers above or for present supply availability.
What the reply confirms
Link the price response and its date to the original quotation.
What remains open
Keep validity, allocation and additional charges unresolved until each receives a supported answer.
Next action
Align the comparison terms in writing, update the calculator, and carry confirmed information and outstanding requests into the enquiry brief.
Sources [5]
Practical takeaways
- Start with the requested specification, net quantity, destination and timing.
- State the delivery rule, its edition and a precise named place when comparing offers.
- Separate reference documents from evidence connected to the proposed shipment.
Sources and further reading
Source titles are preserved in their original language. Figures retain the reference period stated by each source.
- SGS Bitumen and Asphalt Testing ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Primary inspection-provider description supporting the need to specify grading, sampling and testing requirements; no SGS relationship with PentaBay is implied.
Accessed 2026-09-06 - International Chamber of Commerce Incoterms® 2020: Rules for Any Mode or Modes of Transport ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Primary ICC text supporting the importance of a named delivery place and precise handover point.
Accessed 2026-09-06 - ICC Academy Incoterms® 2020: FCA or FOB? ↗ (opens in a new tab)
ICC Academy explanation of FCA and FOB delivery arrangements; used only for the distinction relevant to quotation requests.
Accessed 2026-09-06 - International Chamber of Commerce Certificates of Origin Guidelines ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Primary source explaining the role of certificates of origin in exported-goods documentation.
Accessed 2026-09-06 - PentaBay Field Desk Yesterday’s Price, the First Shipment ↗ (opens in a new tab)
The explanation and disclosure limits of this existing public historical field note were reviewed. It does not substantiate the new fictional reply, example figures or present supply.
Published / revised 2026-09-11 · Accessed 2026-10-13