Draft an RFQ to food service vendors with detailed specs
advancedClaude OpusOperationsVendor Managementhospitalityprocurementrfqvendor-managementoperations
Use case
Use this prompt when bidding out a recurring food service contract — produce, proteins, dairy, dry goods. It produces an RFQ that vendors can respond to apples-to-apples instead of returning incomparable quotes.
The prompt
You are a procurement manager for a multi-unit restaurant or hospitality group. Draft an RFQ to send to food service vendors. Buyer context: - Buyer entity:{{buyer_entity}}- Number of locations:{{location_count}}- Estimated annual spend in this category:{{annual_spend}}- Category being bid:{{category}}(e.g., produce, proteins, dairy, dry goods, paper and chemicals) - Contract term:{{term}}Item specifications:{{item_specs}}Volume estimates (units per week per location, or total per week):{{volume_estimates}}Delivery requirements: - Delivery windows:{{delivery_windows}}- Delivery frequency:{{delivery_frequency}}- Locations to be served:{{location_list}}Evaluation criteria and weights:{{evaluation_criteria}}Produce an RFQ document with these sections: 1. Cover note — one short paragraph explaining who we are, what we are bidding, and the response deadline. 2. Scope of work — bullets covering category, locations, term, and any exclusions. 3. Item specifications — table with: item name, spec (size, grade, cut, organic/conventional, country of origin acceptable), unit of measure, estimated weekly volume per location, notes. 4. Service requirements — delivery windows, vehicle requirements (refrigerated, etc.), order cutoff times, minimum order, substitution policy, returns and credits. 5. Pricing structure requested — fixed price for term, market-plus formula, or hybrid. Specify what we expect. 6. Insurance and certifications — required (e.g., COI minimums, food safety certifications, traceability). 7. Sustainability and sourcing requirements (if relevant) — local %, fair trade, certifications. 8. Evaluation criteria — restate weights so vendors know how they will be scored. 9. Response format — exactly what the vendor must include in their response so we can compare apples-to-apples. 10. Timeline — RFQ release, Q&A deadline, response deadline, award date, contract start. Rules: - Specs must be unambiguous. "Tomatoes" is not a spec; "vine-ripened, 5x6 size, USDA No. 1, 25 lb case" is. - Always require pricing on a unit basis the vendor cannot manipulate (per pound, per case of fixed count, not per "delivery"). - State that quotes received in non-conforming format may be deemed non-responsive. - Tone: professional, clear, no boilerplate filler.
Variables
{{{{buyer_entity}}}}Replace with your {{buyer entity}}{{{{location_count}}}}Replace with your {{location count}}{{{{annual_spend}}}}Replace with your {{annual spend}}{{{{category}}}}Replace with your {{category}}{{{{term}}}}Replace with your {{term}}{{{{item_specs}}}}Replace with your {{item specs}}{{{{volume_estimates}}}}Replace with your {{volume estimates}}{{{{delivery_windows}}}}Replace with your {{delivery windows}}{{{{delivery_frequency}}}}Replace with your {{delivery frequency}}{{{{location_list}}}}Replace with your {{location list}}{{{{evaluation_criteria}}}}Replace with your {{evaluation criteria}}
Example
Input
buyer_entity: Riverbend Hospitality Group location_count: 6 annual_spend: $1.4M category: produce term: 12 months with a 12-month renewal option item_specs: - Romaine hearts: 12-count case, USDA No. 1, hydrocooled - Roma tomatoes: 5x6 size, USDA No. 1, 25 lb case - Yellow onions: jumbo, 50 lb sack - Strawberries: 8x1 lb clamshell, USDA No. 1 - Mixed organic greens: 3 lb bag, certified organic, packed within 48 hours of delivery volume_estimates: - Romaine hearts: 4 cases per location per week - Roma tomatoes: 6 cases per location per week - Yellow onions: 3 sacks per location per week - Strawberries: 8 cases per location per week (seasonal — May to September) - Organic greens: 14 bags per location per week delivery_windows: 5am-7am, 6 days per week (no Sunday) delivery_frequency: 4 deliveries per week per location location_list: 6 restaurants in metro Denver, list provided in addendum A evaluation_criteria: 50% price, 25% service reliability, 15% quality and rejection rate, 10% sustainability
Output
Cover note Riverbend Hospitality Group is bidding our produce category for a 12-month term, with a 12-month renewal option. Annual spend in this category is approximately $1.4M across six restaurants in metro Denver. We are seeking proposals from up to four qualified vendors. Responses are due by [date]. Award decision by [date]. Contract start [date]. Scope of work - Category: produce only - Locations: 6 restaurants in metro Denver (see addendum A) - Term: 12 months, 12-month renewal at buyer option - Excluded: paper goods, dairy, proteins, dry goods (separate RFQs) Item specifications | Item | Spec | UoM | Est. weekly volume per location | Notes | | Romaine hearts | 12-count case, USDA No. 1, hydrocooled | case | 4 | Reject if outer leaves brown | | Roma tomatoes | 5x6 size, USDA No. 1, 25 lb case | case | 6 | Firm, no soft spots | | Yellow onions | Jumbo, 50 lb sack | sack | 3 | Dry skins, no sprouting | | Strawberries | 8x1 lb clamshell, USDA No. 1 | case | 8 | Seasonal, May-September | | Mixed organic greens | 3 lb bag, certified organic, packed within 48 hours | bag | 14 | Provide pack date on each delivery | Service requirements - Delivery windows: 5am-7am, six days per week (no Sunday) - Frequency: 4 deliveries per location per week - Refrigerated trucks required for all produce, temperature logs available on request - Order cutoff: 6pm prior business day - Minimum order: none (multi-location consolidated billing acceptable) - Substitutions: must be approved by Riverbend chef on file before delivery - Returns and credits: full credit for rejected items at delivery, 24-hour notice for quality claims after acceptance Pricing structure requested Submit two pricing scenarios for each item: - Fixed price for the 12-month term - Market-plus formula (e.g., USDA Mountain region wholesale plus markup), with markup expressed as a fixed dollar amount per unit and reset frequency stated Specify how seasonal items (strawberries) will be handled outside of season — in-season pricing only, or year-round availability with seasonal-adjusted pricing. Insurance and certifications - General liability $2M aggregate, naming Riverbend Hospitality Group as additional insured - Auto liability $1M - Workers comp per Colorado statute - Current GFSI-recognized food safety certification (SQF, BRC, or equivalent) - Traceability program documented to grower or farm level for organic items Sustainability and sourcing - Report % of produce sourced within 250 miles of Denver - Report % organic by spend - Disclose any single-use plastic reduction programs Evaluation criteria - Price: 50% - Service reliability (on-time delivery rate, fill rate): 25% - Quality and rejection rate: 15% - Sustainability: 10% Response format - Pricing on attached template (Excel) — pricing in any other format may be deemed non-responsive - Vendor profile, three references from comparable accounts - Sample weekly delivery schedule - COI sample - Sustainability disclosures Timeline - RFQ release: [date] - Vendor questions due: [date + 7] - Buyer answers issued: [date + 10] - Responses due: [date + 21] by 5pm MT - Vendor presentations (top 2): [date + 28] - Award: [date + 35] - Contract start: [date + 60]
Tips for best results
- 1Always require the pricing template. Vendors who submit in their own format are either disorganized or hiding markup structures.
- 2Insist on traceability for organic items. Without it, organic pricing is a margin claim, not a sourcing commitment.
- 3Build in a quarterly business review clause. Pricing on year-long contracts drifts unless reviewed.
- 4If you have multiple locations, weight service reliability above 25%. A great price with three missed deliveries a month costs more than a higher quote with 99.5% on-time.
- 5Run the prompt for each major category separately. Bundling produce, dairy, and proteins into one RFQ usually leaves money on the table.
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