How to Write a Reusable-Bag Specification Sheet a Factory Can Quote
Learn which dimensions, materials, artwork, packing, testing, approval gates, and revision controls a reusable-bag RFQ specification should contain before a factory quotes.
· BagWorks Malaysia
A factory can quote a reusable bag accurately only when the request for quotation (RFQ) is a controlled technical record, not a chain of descriptive emails.
Put one owner, one revision number, and one approval status on a sheet that defines the finished dimensions, materials, construction, artwork, packing, tests, and decision gates.
State what is fixed, what is still open, and which document takes precedence if an attachment, drawing, sample, or message conflicts.
This matters because a quotation is built on assumptions.
If “canvas,” “large,” “logo centred,” or “packed individually” is left open, different factories can price different products while appearing to answer the same RFQ.
The result is not a meaningful comparison.
It can also create a late dispute over whether a change is a clarification or a new scope.
CIPS describes a specification as a document that details product or service requirements and enables suppliers to provide a quotation that matches them.
It also distinguishes a conformance specification, which prescribes materials or methods, from a performance specification, which states the required result while leaving the method open. CIPS procurement specifications Start the sheet with document control.
Give it a project code, item code, revision, issue date, prepared-by name, and approval status such as “for quotation” or “approved for production.” Identify the quantity, delivery locations, required arrival window, currency, and quotation validity requested.
Keep a change table that says what changed, who approved it, and whether the change affects price, tooling, testing, or timing.
The control logic is consistent with ISO guidance: documented information may be used to communicate requirements, preserve knowledge, and provide evidence of what was planned and done; its amount and form should be appropriate to the organization and process.
The guidance specifically gives technical specifications as an example and describes records of design changes, review, authorization, and release. ISO/TC 176 guidance on documented information Write the product identity before the details.
Describe the bag type, intended contents, use environment, and whether the request is for a stock construction with customization or a new construction.
A gift-bag project, for example, should identify the carried item and presentation purpose rather than relying on the category name alone.
The BagWorks gift-bag range is a starting point for that conversation, not a substitute for a project specification.
Dimensions should be tied to a measurement condition.
State finished width, height, depth or gusset, handle length, handle drop, and any opening or closure dimensions.
Say whether measurements are taken flat, expanded, before or after sewing, and from which reference edges.
Add a tolerance only when the team has agreed how it will be measured.
If a number is still to be confirmed, mark it “open” rather than inserting a convenient default.
Material fields should identify the substrate and relevant construction properties.
Depending on the bag, this may include fibre or polymer type, mass per area, thickness, coating, colour reference, lining, webbing, thread, closure, label, and reinforcement.
Avoid treating a trade name such as “premium cotton” as a measurable requirement.
If alternatives are acceptable, define what they must match and require the factory to identify substitutions in its quote.
Construction information translates the design into manufacturable features.
Describe panels, seams, hems, joining method, reinforcement points, handle attachment, base treatment, lining assembly, closure installation, and any required finish.
It does need to identify the features that affect fit, strength, appearance, or use.
Where the buyer cares about an outcome rather than a method, say so.
Where a named material or construction is non-negotiable, label it as mandatory and explain the acceptance evidence expected.
Artwork should be its own controlled part of the record.
List the artwork filename and revision, print or decoration method if fixed, number and location of decorated surfaces, colour references, artwork size, orientation, and reference points for placement.
Replace subjective instructions such as “near the centre” with distances from edges, seams, or other stable features.
State whether the supplied artwork is final, for quotation only, or pending brand approval.
The customization process guide explains why material, design, sampling, and production decisions must connect; this sheet makes them traceable before pricing.
Do not let an email thread become the hidden master specification.
The related discussion on email-based specification ambiguity shows how ordinary words can carry different factory interpretations.
Use email to transmit the controlled sheet, ask questions, and record decisions.
When a decision changes a requirement, update the sheet and issue a new revision rather than leaving the change only in a reply.
Packing requirements belong in the RFQ because they can alter labour, materials, carton quantity, and freight assumptions.
Specify whether bags are folded, nested, tissue-wrapped, polybagged, bundled, or packed loose; whether each unit needs a label or barcode; the units per inner pack and outer carton; carton marking; and the delivery-site receiving constraints.
Ask the quote to state the assumed packing configuration and to identify any difference between packed and unpacked quantities.
Testing and inspection fields should describe the decision to be made, not imply a universal threshold.
Identify the characteristic, test or inspection method, specimen or finished-product condition, responsible party, evidence required, and approval owner.
Possible characteristics include dimensions, appearance, artwork position, seam integrity, colour reference, material identity, packing count, or a use-specific performance check.
If no recognized method or numeric threshold is available for the project, say that the method and project-specific threshold require agreement before production.
Separate three gates that are often collapsed into one “sample approval.” The first is quotation completeness: the supplier confirms that every required field was priced or flags an exception.
The second is development approval: the buyer reviews a drawing, artwork proof, material submission, or physical sample against the controlled revision.
The third is production release: the authorized version, approved sample or reference, inspection plan, and packing instruction are identified together.
Record who can approve each gate and what happens when a gate is conditional. “Approved with comments” should not release production unless the comments are resolved and reissued.
A compact RFQ field map can prevent omissions: | Record area | State explicitly | Quote or approval check | |---|---|---| | Identity and control | item code, revision, quantity, locations, precedence rule | supplier quotes the same revision and flags exclusions | | Product and dimensions | bag form, measurement condition, callouts, open values | proposed dimensions and assumptions are visible | | Materials and construction | substrate, components, mandatory versus equivalent options | substitutions and construction exceptions are listed | | Artwork | file revision, surfaces, colours, placement references | proof or sample is linked to the same artwork revision | | Packing and delivery | unit packing, counts, marks, receiving constraints | packed quantity and assumptions are stated | | Tests and gates | method, evidence, owner, threshold status, release authority | quotation identifies test cost, timing, and open decisions | Classification can help procurement systems route the request, compare supplier categories, and avoid a vague “miscellaneous promotional item” label.
UNSPSC is a global classification system used by suppliers and procurement staff to classify products and services. UNGM’s UNSPSC explanation supports using classification as a consistent category identifier.
It does not define the bag’s size, material, artwork, or acceptance criteria, so the code should sit alongside—not replace—the technical schedule.
Before issuing the RFQ, have procurement, the user or brand owner, operations, and quality review the same record.
Each group sees a different risk: the user knows what must fit, the brand owner controls artwork, operations understands receiving and packing, and quality needs measurable evidence.
The final test is simple: can two suppliers quote the same intended product without a meeting to decode the buyer’s language? If not, the sheet is not complete.
Version control then protects the commercial comparison.
Issue the same revision to every bidder, collect clarifications in a shared log, and update the sheet only through an authorized change.
At award, attach the priced specification and list of exceptions to the purchase record.
At production release, carry forward only the approved revision and its linked artwork, sample, packing, and inspection records.
This discipline does not require a long document or a guaranteed numeric answer for every property.
It requires visible ownership of assumptions.
A concise, controlled sheet gives the factory enough information to quote the real scope, gives procurement a fair basis for comparing offers, and gives quality a reference for later decisions.
Where the project genuinely lacks a threshold, record that gap and agree it before the relevant approval gate rather than allowing a supplier default to become an accidental requirement.