CNC Shop Online Quote / RFQ Guide

This is a technical, how-to-build-it guide to the online RFQ form itself — fields, file uploads, routing, and tooling. It doesn't cover how to get more buyers to that form (see How to Get More CNC Machining RFQs) or how to improve the quality of RFQs you're already receiving (see How to Improve RFQs for a CNC Machine Shop). This guide is specifically about the mechanics of the form and what happens to a submission after a buyer hits send.

Scope of This Guide

An online RFQ form has three technical jobs: capture enough information to quote the part, accept the files a buyer needs to attach, and get the submission to the right person reliably. Each of these has practical decisions behind it that are easy to get wrong in ways that quietly cost you RFQs — a file upload that silently fails, or a submission that lands in a spam folder, looks the same to the buyer as you simply not responding.

1. What Fields to Include

A working baseline: name, company, email, phone, part file upload, quantity, and a free-text field for additional notes (target date, material preference, finish requirements). Keep name, company, email, and either a file or a part description as required; treat quantity, target date, and finish notes as optional but clearly labeled, since requiring information a buyer may not have yet (an exact quantity before they've seen pricing, for instance) can stall a submission entirely. A dropdown for general part category or process (milling, turning, sheet metal) can help with routing without adding much friction.

2. File Upload Considerations

Accept PDF for 2D drawings and STEP/IGES as neutral 3D formats at minimum, since these cover the vast majority of what buyers will have on hand regardless of what CAD software they use. Support multiple file attachments per submission — a real RFQ often includes a drawing and a model together, sometimes for more than one part. Set a clear, visible file size limit (commonly in the 25-50MB per file range, depending on your hosting) and display accepted formats and the size limit directly on the form, not buried in fine print, so a buyer isn't surprised by a failed upload after filling out the rest of the form.

3. Routing Submissions to the Right Person

Route submissions to a shared inbox or a small group rather than a single individual, so a submission doesn't sit unseen because one person is out. If your shop has distinct divisions or processes, consider routing by the part-category field mentioned above so quotes reach the person best equipped to respond quickly. Whatever the routing, confirm receipt to the buyer immediately with an on-screen message and a confirmation email — buyers who don't get confirmation often assume the submission failed and either resubmit or, worse, move on to another shop.

4. Tooling Options

Options range from a well-configured form plugin or native form builder on your existing site, through to a custom-built form with backend file handling and CRM integration, up to dedicated RFQ management software for shops with higher volume that need tracking and prioritization beyond what an inbox can handle. Most shops don't need to start at the dedicated-software end — a properly built custom form with reliable file handling and routing covers the core requirements for a long time. See CNC RFQ Software for what dedicated tooling looks like once volume justifies it, and CNC Quote Automation for automating what happens to a submission after it arrives.

5. Security and File Storage

Part drawings can be sensitive, especially for buyers in regulated industries. Serve your form over HTTPS (this should be standard for the whole site regardless), store uploaded files somewhere access- controlled rather than a public directory, and avoid keeping files longer than necessary for the quoting process. If you work with ITAR-controlled parts or similarly regulated files, this needs specific handling beyond a generic form setup — worth confirming with whoever builds the form.

6. Testing Before Launch

Before launch, submit the form yourself with a real file of each accepted type, confirm the confirmation message and email both fire, confirm the submission and attached files actually reach the intended inbox intact, and test what happens with a file that exceeds your size limit or uses an unsupported format — the error message a buyer sees in that case matters as much as the happy path.