Send a China sourcing agent your Bill of Quantities or drawings along with three things: destination port, project timeline, and any material or compliance standards that apply. From there, a competent agent breaks the BOQ into product categories, matches each to a shortlist of factories, and returns a structured quotation — typically within 3–5 business days for a standard project package.
What Should Be in the Package You Send?
A BOQ or drawing set does not need to be a finished construction document to be useful — but it does need enough detail for a factory to price accurately. At minimum, include:
- Quantities by item or room (rooms, units, or linear/square metres for materials)
- Specifications — dimensions, materials, finishes, or reference photos where a formal spec doesn’t exist yet
- Destination port and delivery address
- Timeline — when goods need to be on site, not just when you’d like a quote
- Compliance standards that apply in your market (fire rating, AS/NZS, NFRC, CE, etc.)
Photos, Pinterest boards or a competitor’s product page are useful supplements but are not a substitute for quantities — a sourcing agent cannot price “furniture for 40 rooms” without knowing what furniture and to what standard.
Does the BOQ Need to Be in a Specific Format?
No. PDF drawings, an Excel BOQ, a architect’s schedule, or even a written room-by-room list are all workable starting points. What matters is that quantities and specifications are attached to identifiable line items so a factory can price line by line rather than guessing at scope. A furniture sourcing agent or building materials agent will typically convert whatever you send into a standardised purchase schedule before it goes out to factories, so the input format matters less than the completeness of the information.
Sourcing this for a commercial project?
FBM Sourcing works with project owners, developers, main contractors and FF&E contractors on hotel, apartment, school, office and other commercial building projects. Send us your BOQ, drawings or product list — we’ll come back with a sourcing plan and budget estimate.
What Happens After You Submit a BOQ?
Once a BOQ or drawing package is submitted, the process generally runs as follows: the agent reviews it and flags any missing information (usually within 1–2 business days); line items are grouped by product category and matched to factories with relevant export experience; factories return pricing and lead times, which the agent consolidates into one structured quotation; and the buyer receives a single document covering pricing, lead time, MOQ by category, and any specification questions that need answering before an order can be placed.
Common Follow-Up Questions
Expect the agent to come back with clarifying questions on ambiguous line items — a common gap is finish or grade not being specified (e.g. “oak veneer” without a grade, or “marble” without a stone type). Answering these promptly is usually what determines whether a quotation comes back in 3 days or 10.
What If the Project Doesn’t Have a Finished BOQ Yet?
Early-stage projects can still get useful budget pricing from a rough scope — approximate room counts, a general product list, and a target quality tier. This won’t be a final quotation, but it gives a defensible budget number for planning purposes, and it lets the sourcing agent flag any specification or compliance issues early, before drawings are finalised and changes become expensive.
Get a China Procurement Quote for Your Project
Send your drawings or BOQ, quantities, destination port and timeline, and we will return a structured quotation with pricing and lead time by category. Submit your project requirements to get started.
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