Hotel Lighting RFQ Template and Supplier Comparison Checklist

What makes hotel lighting bids comparable?

A comparable hotel lighting RFQ identifies each fixture and asks every supplier to state its price, assumptions, deliverables and exclusions against that same reference.

• Use one fixture reference and drawing revision across every supplier response.
• Ask suppliers to mark each cost and service Included, Optional, Excluded or To Be Confirmed.
• Resolve material, driver and delivery differences before comparing quotation totals.

A hotel lighting RFQ should give each manufacturer the same fixture schedule, design references, electrical requirements and delivery scope. It should also specify how suppliers must answer. Otherwise, two quotations can look comparable while covering different quantities, samples, drivers or installation responsibilities.

The template below is for decorative lighting packages such as lobby chandeliers, ballroom fixtures, guestroom pendants and wall lights. Copy the fields into your project document, attach the available drawings, and ask each supplier to list assumptions beside the relevant fixture reference.

Start with one controlled fixture schedule

Assign a reference to every fixture type and use it throughout the room schedule, drawings, quotation, sample approval and packing list. A description such as “gold chandelier” leaves the supplier to decide its size, finish and construction. A reference such as L-01 lets the team track a particular design and its revisions.

For the wider project sequence, our guide to lighting design and procurement resources explains how quotation, approval and delivery fit together.

If the design is still developing, mark the unresolved fields explicitly. Ask the manufacturer to identify which assumptions affect price and which prevent a firm quotation. This makes a preliminary budget useful without presenting it as a production-ready offer.

Show the difference between fixture height and total drop

For a large lobby or staircase chandelier, the fixture body and the suspension length are separate dimensions. Include a section drawing showing the finished floor, finished ceiling, intended bottom of the fixture and available suspension zone. State whether the dimensions shown are fixed or subject to a coordinated shop drawing.

Ask the supplier to return its proposed body dimensions, overall drop, estimated weight and ceiling connection arrangement. The building team can then review the interface against the actual structure and access conditions. Building-support suitability requires review against the actual site and proposed fixing arrangement.

Use a completed line to remove ambiguity

The following illustrative RFQ entry uses a fictional brief. Its dimensions and quantities show how to complete the schedule.

L-01 · Lobby feature chandelier · Quantity 1. Target diameter 2,400 mm. Target body height 1,200 mm. Overall drop 3,600 mm from finished ceiling to the lowest point. Clear glass elements with a warm metal finish, subject to approval of a physical finish sample. Supply voltage and dimming protocol to be confirmed by the project electrical designer. Supplier to return a construction proposal, weight estimate, suspension details, sample scope, price and programme.

That entry gives the manufacturer a usable starting point while exposing the electrical decisions still open. If the supplier proposes acrylic in place of glass, or a shorter body to simplify shipment, the quotation should identify that proposal as a deviation requiring design approval.

Once the fixture references and ceiling assumptions are organised, review the proposed development route with a manufacturer. Kinglong Lighting offers custom lighting manufacturing for project and OEM/ODM buyers. Share the drawings and intended destination so the discussion can identify sample work, engineering inputs and documentation still required for the quotation.

Ask for project-specific electrical and product evidence

Give the supplier the destination market, intended room conditions and the electrical designer’s requirements. Request documentation for the proposed luminaire configuration, including the light source and driver where applicable. Record which documents are supplied with the quotation, which follow after detailed design, and which require additional testing or review.

UL identifies Product iQ as an online certification directory for certified building materials and equipment. UL certification directory guidance

A certificate logo in a catalogue is insufficient for checking a particular configuration. Ask the project’s compliance reviewer to confirm the required evidence and whether the proposed report or certificate applies to the quoted model. Keep the reviewer, supplier and electrical contractor identified in the RFQ so unresolved questions have an owner.

Price the sample work before approving production

Separate a metal finish chip, a glass sample, an illuminated component sample and a full fixture mock-up. Each answers a different question and can involve a different cost and preparation time. Specify the sample needed for each fixture reference.

For example, a finish chip may establish colour and surface appearance, while an illuminated sample can help the design team review how a glass element behaves with the proposed light source. List the approval criteria and the revision process. Agree how an approved sample is identified and retained as a production reference.

Make packing, shipping and installation scope visible

Request the anticipated packed dimensions, crate count, assembly approach and destination handling requirements. An oversized chandelier may ship as labelled modules. The project team needs to know who assembles those modules, what access equipment is required and which drawings or instructions accompany them.

ICC describes Incoterms 2020 as rules that clarify buyer and seller responsibilities. ICC guidance on Incoterms® 2020

Ask every bidder to state the proposed Incoterms® rule, named place and edition. The ICC’s Incoterms® 2020 rules allocate delivery-related obligations, costs and risks between buyer and seller. Put the agreed delivery arrangement beside the quoted freight and packing scope. The rule should be selected with the logistics team against the actual shipment.

List factory pre-assembly, site attendance, installation guidance, commissioning support and spare parts as separate quotation lines where relevant. A supplier should state whether each item is included, optional, excluded or awaiting information.

For a concrete configuration reference, review the materials and available forms in the Crystal Tube collection. Identify the configuration in your enquiry and ask the manufacturer to confirm its proposed packing and assembly approach against the project drawings.

Copy this supplier response into your RFQ

1. Project and destination
2. Buyer contact and technical contact
3. RFQ revision and quotation deadline
4. For each fixture reference
5. Quantity, unit price, currency and quotation validity
6. Proposed dimensions, materials, finish and construction
7. Light source, driver, voltage and dimming information
8. Weight, suspension arrangement and ceiling information required
9. Drawing and sample deliverables, cost and preparation time
10. Production programme and the approvals needed to start it
11. Packing method, packed dimensions and assembly responsibilities
12. Delivery rule, named place, freight scope and exclusions
13. Documentation, spare parts and support included
14. Deviations, alternatives and unanswered questions
15. Please mark each item Included, Optional, Excluded or To Be Confirmed.
16. Return alternatives separately from the quotation for the requested design.

Set the response deadline early enough to resolve technical questions before supplier selection. Ask bidders to identify schedule dependencies, such as receipt of approved drawings or finish samples. Use the same assumptions when comparing their programmes.

Compare bids with an exceptions table

After receiving quotations, record missing items against the fixture reference. Follow up with each bidder before treating the quoted totals as equivalent.

Identify the proposed driver and control interface

Request the driver manufacturer and model, the proposed dimming interface and the intended control system. For a DALI brief, ask for the relevant product entry and the project team’s compatibility review. DALI component certification has a defined product scope. The electrical designer can then review the proposed combination against the hotel controls, scene requirements and commissioning plan.

Review the manufacturer’s relevant work alongside its quotation. The Kinglong project portfolio provides a starting point for discussing the type of decorative lighting package you need. Ask for references and technical information relevant to your fixture scale and destination.

The DALI Alliance lists DALI-2 certified products in its public product database. Source guidance

Record the location of each driver and the available maintenance access. A concealed driver above an inaccessible ceiling creates a coordination task that should be resolved while the fixing and ceiling details are still being drawn. Ask the bidder to list the information it needs rather than silently assuming a driver location.

Specify how the sample will be viewed

Set out the intended colour temperature and the project designer’s colour-rendition requirements in the fixture schedule. Ask for the proposed light-source information and review the illuminated sample with the materials it will light. A sample viewed in a bright showroom may look different from the same assembly in a dim hotel lounge.

PNNL guidance describes TM-30 colour-rendition metrics as a way to differentiate light sources for specification. Source guidance

For sample approval, record the light source and driver used, the viewing conditions and the finish or glass sample reference. If one of these changes, identify whether the design team wants another review. The useful approval record ties the decision to a particular assembly so the factory and installer can trace it.

Agree the acceptance records before ordering

For a decorative lighting package, list the drawings, finish approvals, installation instructions, packing references and inspection records to be handed over. Identify who reviews the factory assembly and who checks the installed fixture. These are proposed purchasing fields for this RFQ, with the final responsibilities agreed in the project contract.

WBDG commissioning documentation links design and acceptance records to the owner’s project requirements. Source guidance

An RFQ can state the desired result while recognising that detailed testing procedures will follow design coordination. For example, require the supplier to describe the planned factory pre-assembly and the information available for site installation review. Ask the project commissioning lead to define any scene tests or operational checks that depend on the building controls.

Prepare your hotel lighting package for quotation

Kinglong Lighting manufactures decorative lighting for overseas projects and supports custom fixture development. Bring your fixture schedule, design references and open technical questions to our hotel lighting team so the proposed manufacturing scope can be discussed against your project brief.

Frequently asked questions

Can I send an RFQ before the lighting design is complete?

Yes. Label it as a preliminary budget request, identify the information still open and ask the supplier to state its assumptions. Update the RFQ revision when the scope changes so bidders can revise against the same brief.

Should the RFQ include a budget?

A budget range can help a manufacturer propose feasible construction and material options. Request the specified design and any budget-led alternative as separate offers so the design team can evaluate the changes.

What should I send for a custom chandelier quotation?

Start with design references, quantities, target dimensions, room or ceiling drawings, destination, desired delivery date and available electrical requirements. Include the sample and documentation expectations that will affect approval.