No-quote email templates for five shop decisions

Choose the real reason

Use capacity when you can make the part but cannot meet the requested release or delivery date. Use capability when the envelope, process or inspection equipment is outside your route. Material and tolerance problems deserve their own explanation because the buyer may be able to change the requirement. For a small order, offer a minimum lot charge or economic quantity only if you actually want the work. The text file below contains all five versions, ready to edit.

Copy a capacity response

Subject: No quote — [RFQ], [part], revision [rev] Hello [name], thank you for the RFQ for [quantity] pieces of [part/rev]. We cannot meet the requested [date] with our current schedule, so we will not submit a price for this release. If delivery can move to [date], please let us know and we can review capacity again. Thank you for including us. [Estimator / shop]

For capability, replace the middle sentence with: This part requires [process/envelope] that we cannot support in our current shop. For material, use: We do not have an approved source for [material/spec] for this release. For tolerance, use: We cannot commit to [feature/callout] with our current process and inspection method. These are statements about your own capability, not criticism of the drawing.

Keep the customer relationship useful

For a small order, write: Our minimum lot charge for this routing is [amount], which would put [quantity] pieces above your target. We are declining this release, but can review a larger batch or a revised scope. Do not imply an alternate material, tolerance or delivery date is approved. If you refer another shop, confirm that shop wants the introduction and avoid promising its capacity. Log the no-quote reason separately from a lost price bid so the next win-rate review does not confuse capability gaps with pricing failures.