A quote for commercial furniture is built from a list of items, their specifications and the conditions of delivery, and it can be priced once each of the details below is known. The quote request form has a field or the notes box for each of them.

Quantities

List every item with its quantity and where it goes, such as the room, the floor or the area of the site. A furniture schedule, a table with one row for each item, is the clearest way to send it. When the same chair goes in several rooms, give the count for each room as well as the total, since delivery and installation are planned room by room.

Sizes and models

For each item, give the dimensions or a model number. When a designer has chosen a product, send the manufacturer’s name and model number, and say whether an equal product from another maker can be quoted. A specification that allows this says “or equal.” A link to a spec sheet, a floor plan or a shared folder can go in the form’s link field, since the form takes no file uploads.

Finishes and fabric

Name the wood species and stain, the laminate, the metal finish or powder-coat color, and the fabric or vinyl for each upholstered piece. The fabric choice can change the price of an upholstered piece. A fabric from outside the furniture maker’s own line is called COM, which the Association for Contract Textiles defines as customer’s own material, a fabric the customer chooses other than the standard fabric the manufacturer offers. Say so in the request, with the fabric’s name and maker. Indoor upholstered seating made with COM still has to meet the federal flammability standard in 16 CFR part 1640, so ask how the maker handles it.

Standards

Name every standard the project has to meet: a BIFMA standard for seating, tables or storage, a fabric abrasion level, a flammability test, an accessibility requirement or a sustainability certification. The guide to standards for commercial furniture lists them, and the guide to accessible tables, counters and benches covers the ADA dimensions.

Delivery and installation

Give the delivery ZIP code and describe the site:

  • Whether the building has a loading dock, or the truck needs a liftgate (a platform on the back of the truck that lowers freight to the ground).
  • Whether the furniture is delivered to the curb, inside the building, or to each room, and whether it has to be unpacked, assembled, placed and the packaging removed.
  • Elevator and door sizes, stairs, and any hours when deliveries are allowed.
  • Whether a receiving warehouse will take the delivery and store it until the site is ready.

Indoor or outdoor

Say whether each piece goes indoors, outdoors or in a covered area such as a porch. For outdoor furniture, give the conditions: sun, salt air near the coast, wind on a rooftop, and whether pieces stay outside through the winter or go into storage.

Schedule and budget

Give the date the furniture has to be on site, and say whether the date is fixed, such as an opening date, or can move. If the project is still being planned and you need a price range for a budget, say so. The form has a “Budget pricing only” choice for that. A budget range, if you have one, helps a quote match the project, such as standard finishes in place of custom ones.