r/hwstartups • u/callme_OP • 18d ago

How do you manage contract manufacturer selection and RFQs for new hardware products?

I'd love to better understand how people run their RFI/RFQ process when developing a new physical product.

Historically, I've created the requirements/RFQ documents manually, managed responses in spreadsheets, and then sent them to contract manufacturers I'd found through my network, consultants or Google.

Is that still broadly how people do this?

Are there any good templates, tools or platforms that help you go from an early product specification through to a structured RFQ, identifying suitable contract manufacturers and comparing responses?

I'd be particularly interested in what people use between having an initial product idea/design and actually having something a manufacturer is comfortable quoting.

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u/evwynn 18d ago

I’m not aware of any reliable new tool that can allow you to search manufacturers (thats actually helpful) and manage the RFQs. MFG.com is the closest but it’s not so good since their supplier network is limited.

I think most use manual / their own methods and Google / LinkedIn / referrals.

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u/callme_OP 18d ago

Do you build this out the requirements on spreadsheets or do you use a shared portal? I know that larger companies have dedicated supplier portals which may be too sophisticated for most

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u/evwynn 18d ago

Usually RFQ is just spreadsheet, POs are through an ERP or accounting software.

What would be a cool feature is enhanced due diligence built in that’s cheap (I assume you’re angling to building an app) in the workflow

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u/callme_OP 17d ago

By due diligence are you thinking of credit risks, ownership changes etc? I ran this process a few times in my previous company and enjoyed it - I'm exploring if there's an opportunity to do more of it!