Transformer RFQ Parameter Checklist for Buyers

A transformer request for quotation should let suppliers price the same requirement and identify missing information before manufacture. Capacity and voltage are only the starting point. A useful RFQ also defines operating duty, site conditions, interfaces, acceptance evidence, and supply boundaries, making differences between offers visible to both engineers and buyers.

Establish the Electrical Baseline

Describe the application and provide the single-line diagram and load profile. Separate confirmed demand from future expansion. Include inverter, drive, or motor information where it affects the application, and identify any intended parallel operation or unusual power-flow scenario for engineering review.

• State transformer type, phases, rated power, voltages, frequency, winding connection, and neutral requirements.

• Specify impedance, insulation requirements, tap arrangement, cooling method, temperature-rise limits, and applicable fault duty.

• Request guaranteed no-load and load losses with reference conditions, tolerances, and test basis.

• For pad-mounted units, define feeder topology, connection system, compartments, and required switching and protection functions.

Describe the Site and Connections

Provide ambient conditions, altitude, indoor or outdoor location, and relevant dust, moisture, corrosion, flood, or seismic exposure. Identify fire and environmental requirements through the responsible project specialists. Attach room or site drawings showing cable routes, access constraints, and the proposed foundation.

Specify cable or busway interfaces and who supplies connectors, termination boxes, earthing connections, and auxiliary wiring. Request outline drawings, operating and shipping weights, foundation loads, and handling information. Document delivery restrictions before asking suppliers to commit to a transport arrangement.

Define Evidence and Acceptance

Name the applicable standards and editions required by the project, together with any jurisdiction-specific approvals. Ask for evidence relevant to the proposed design. Separate routine test records from requested type or special tests, and agree which activities require purchaser review or witnessing.

For efficiency comparisons, establish a common evaluation method rather than ranking isolated percentages. IEC TS 60076-20 describes transformer energy-performance evaluation approaches; the selected approach must fit the purchase specification and applicable requirements. Keep the buyer's load and cost assumptions visible alongside supplier loss guarantees.

Close Technical and Commercial Gaps

Require a completed data sheet, accessory schedule, exclusions, and consolidated deviations list. Set milestones for drawing submission, approval, factory readiness, and delivery. State document language, packing, destination, delivery terms, and the required handover package without assuming site services are included.

Unresolved design values should be marked for engineering confirmation rather than invented to complete a form. Send Nelink the same RFQ package used for internal approval, and have the responsible engineer close technical deviations before the order is released for production.

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