The buyer'spre-quote checklist.

"Timber" is not a specification. "KD spruce, C24 structural, 45 x 145 mm, 4.0–5.4 m, planed four sides, moisture 18% ±2" is. The same gap exists in every commodity: HMS 1&2 80:20 is a different cargo from shredded scrap, and Brent-linked light sweet crude is a different cargo from a heavy sour blend.

Name the standard you will be measured against — EN, ASTM, ISO, ISRI, GAFTA, ENplus — and the tolerance you can live with. If a single parameter is non-negotiable (ash content, sulphur, protein, moisture, FSC chain of custody), flag it as a rejection criterion, not a preference.

Where a spec is flexible, say so. A desk that knows which parameters can move will often find a cheaper origin that still meets your end use.

Quantity drives everything downstream: whether the cargo moves in containers or break-bulk, whether a mill will hold production for you, and whether a supplier treats the enquiry as a trial or a programme.

Give the unit explicitly — m³, MT, CBM, cargoes, units — and state whether the figure is a single shipment or a monthly programme with a term horizon. Add a tolerance, typically ±5% or ±10% at seller's option, so the loading plan does not stall over a part-filled hold or container.

Origin restrictions are commercial and regulatory at once. Sanctions exposure, EUDR and EUTR due diligence, phytosanitary regimes and customer-facing sourcing policies all narrow the origin list before price is discussed.

On the receiving side, give the discharge port and the final delivery point. A quote to Rotterdam and a quote to a plant 400 km inland are different numbers, and the difference is usually larger than the margin being negotiated.

If you have a preferred lane or an existing freight contract, say so early — it often changes which Incoterm makes sense.

A shipment window is a commercial term, not an aspiration. "Laycan 10–25 October" is quotable; "as soon as possible" is not, and it invites offers that quietly assume a two-month lead time.

Name the Incoterm you want to trade on — FOB, CIF, CFR, FCA, DAP — and the named place that goes with it. Terms without a named place are the single most common source of dispute we see on incoming enquiries.

Documentation decides whether a cargo clears customs and whether a bank releases payment. List what your side, your customer and your regulator require: certificate of origin, phytosanitary certificate, ISPM-15 treatment, FSC or PEFC chain of custody, EUDR due diligence statement, SGS or Bureau Veritas inspection, quality and quantity certificates, bill of lading type.

Say who nominates the inspection company and who pays for it. Late disagreement on inspection is a common reason a confirmed cargo slips a laycan.

Payment structure is a filter on which suppliers will engage at all. Cash against documents, LC at sight, confirmed and irrevocable LC, escrow, part prepayment — each carries a different cost and a different level of supplier appetite.

Name your bank and, if the instrument needs confirmation, whether a confirming bank is already lined up. A buyer who can evidence a workable instrument gets firm offers; a buyer who cannot gets indications that never firm up.

Serious counterparties run KYC in both directions. Have your company registration, beneficial ownership, VAT or EORI number and a signed company profile ready, plus an end-user statement where the commodity or destination calls for one.

Sanctions screening, dual-use checks and end-use restrictions apply to more flows than most buyers expect — aerospace assets and certain metals in particular. Raising these at the start shortens the deal; raising them after a price is agreed usually kills it.