Writing a copra RFQ that a supplier can actually answer

A weak copra RFQ gets a weak quotation: a price per tonne with no port, no pack type and no basis for weighing, followed by three rounds of questions. A strong RFQ is short, but it gives a supplier every field it needs to answer in one reply. This note goes through the fields of the copra RFQ template on this site and says why each one is there.

Company and contact

Legal name, your name and a contact that you read the same day. Suppliers answer a named person faster than a generic address, and a name makes a later follow-up possible.

Product and grade wording

Say what you are buying in plain words: copra, and the drying method if it matters to you. Then ask the supplier to define any grade name it uses in its reply. Grade names such as A and B are used loosely across the trade; Kora lists Grade A and Grade B but gives the bands that separate them on request, so asking for the definition is normal.

Volume

State tonnes per shipment and the number of shipments you plan. A supplier prices a single trial container differently from a standing programme, and saying so lets them quote the case you actually have. If you are unsure, state a range and say it is a range.

Destination and Incoterm

Give the country and the port of discharge. Name the Incoterm you prefer, or leave it open if you want two quoted. Kora lists FOB or CIF from an Indonesian port. With FOB you book the freight and the quotation ends at the loading port; with CIF the supplier arranges it to your port. Asking for both lets you compare what the freight actually adds.

Packing, and what it does to a container

Kora lists jumbo bag or bulk. Other supplier pages we read mention polypropylene sacks of about 35 kg, jute sacks and bales of about 60 to 100 kg. They are claims by those suppliers, not Kora data, and they matter because pack type changes how much fits a container. Kora publishes roughly 13 metric tons per 20-foot container; other pages in our reading give figures from about 12 to about 18. The gap is not an error to resolve but a question to ask: for my pack type, what is the loaded weight, in writing.

Documents you expect

List the documents you want with each shipment, and add any permit you are arranging yourself. The five Kora lists are a COA, a phytosanitary certificate, a certificate of origin, a packing list and a bill of lading. If your destination asks for more, say so here, not after loading.

Tests you need

Name the parameters, the method and the basis you accept. Moisture, oil content and free fatty acid are the three Kora publishes limits for, and aflatoxin has no published figure, so if you need one say so now. A parameter without a method invites an answer you cannot compare.

Sample

State whether you need a sample from a stated lot. A sample that cannot be tied to a lot tells you little about the cargo.

The four items every reply should confirm

End the RFQ by asking the supplier to state the port of loading, the minimum order, the weight basis and how long the quotation stays valid. These are the four items most listings leave out. Asking in the first message saves a round of mail, and a supplier who skips them has told you something.

Next step

Copy the fields from the copra RFQ template, fill what you know and send it through the contact page. The Kora sales team replies within two business days and answers open items one at a time. The published figures are on the copra for import page.