A request for qualifications (RFQ) is a step sometimes used in the formal process of procuring a product or service, for example by a government agency.
It is typically used as a screening step to establish a pool of vendors (businesses or individuals to provide a product or service) that are then qualified, and thus eligible to submit responses to a request for proposals (RFP).
[1][2] In this two-step process, the response to the RFQ will describe the company or individual's general qualifications to perform a service or supply a product but generally will not include specific details or price proposals.
[5] For the respondent, they do not spend the time and effort to write a full proposal only to find out they were not qualified as a firm.
[6] In the United States, the Federal Highway Administration denotes a request for qualifications as a "phase one solicitation" for design–build projects.