How to Prepare a Tower Packing RFQ with the DAIER Engineering Assistant
A tower packing RFQ does not need to be a complete process design package.
But it should contain enough information for a supplier to understand exactly what needs to be quoted and which technical points still require confirmation.
A request such as:
“Please quote 50 mm Pall Rings.”
may be enough to obtain a unit price.
It is usually not enough to determine whether the packing is suitable for the tower.
The DAIER Tower Packing Engineering Assistant can help organize preliminary project data before the inquiry is sent.
The next step is turning that result into a quote-ready RFQ.
What Is a Quote-Ready Tower Packing RFQ?
A quote-ready RFQ clearly separates three types of information:
1. What Is Already Confirmed
For example:
packing type
packing size
material
required quantity
tower dimensions
2. What Still Needs Supplier Review
For example:
suitable packing size
material compatibility
alternative packing model
packing quantity
replacement option
3. Commercial Requirements
For example:
delivery destination
required delivery time
quotation term
packing requirement
required documents
This distinction is important.
The supplier should immediately understand whether the buyer wants:
a price for an already specified product
or
a technical recommendation plus quotation.
Step 1 — Start with the Engineering Assistant Result
Before preparing the RFQ, review the preliminary result from the DAIER Tower Packing Engineering Assistant.
Confirm whether it contains:
tower diameter
packing bed height
preliminary packing volume
packing family
packing size direction
material direction
preliminary weight information
missing technical data
If you are unsure how to read the result, see:
How to Interpret Results from the DAIER Tower Packing Engineering Assistant
Do not copy the result into an RFQ without checking the original input data first.
Step 2 — State the Project Type
The supplier should know immediately what kind of project is being quoted.
Examples include:
new packed tower
replacement packing
tower revamp
capacity increase
maintenance replacement
pressure-drop improvement
fouling improvement
material upgrade
A replacement project should be identified clearly because existing packing and tower internals may affect the recommendation.
For replacement projects, see:
How to Use the DAIER Tower Packing Engineering Assistant for an Existing Tower Replacement
Step 3 — Give the Exact Packing Requirement If It Is Already Known
If the project specification is already fixed, state it directly.
For example:
Product: Plastic Pall RingSize: 50 mmMaterial: PPQuantity: 8 m³
In this situation, the supplier mainly needs to confirm:
product availability
technical specification
price
delivery time
packing method
commercial terms
Do not unnecessarily ask the supplier to redesign a packing selection that has already been specified by the EPC or end user.
Step 4 — If the Packing Is Not Fixed, Say So Clearly
Sometimes the buyer knows the tower conditions but does not know which packing should be selected.
In that case, write:
Packing type and size are not fixed. Please review the operating data and recommend a suitable preliminary option.
Then provide the available engineering information.
This avoids a common misunderstanding:
The supplier should not assume that a packing mentioned in an early discussion is already the final specification.
Step 5 — Include Tower Dimensions
For quantity calculation and preliminary screening, include:
tower internal diameter
packing bed height
number of packed beds
If there are several packed sections, list them separately.
Example:
Tower ID: 1,800 mmBed 1 Height: 2,500 mmBed 2 Height: 3,000 mmNumber of Beds: 2
If the Engineering Assistant has already calculated the approximate packing volume, include both the dimensions and the result.
Do not send only the calculated cubic meters if tower dimensions are available.
The dimensions allow the supplier to check the quantity basis.
Step 6 — Include the Main Operating Conditions
If technical screening is required, include the available process conditions.
Useful information includes:
gas flow
liquid flow
operating temperature
operating pressure
gas composition
liquid composition
solids or fouling conditions
process application
If some information is unavailable, write:
Not available at this stage
rather than guessing.
For the full engineering-input list, see:
Tower Packing Selection Parameters
Step 7 — State the Process Application
Do not send only numbers.
Tell the supplier what the packed tower is doing.
Examples:
acid gas absorption
wet gas scrubbing
stripping
distillation
wastewater treatment
odor control
gas purification
cooling
The application provides context for the operating data.
For example, a dirty scrubber and a clean distillation column may prioritize very different packing characteristics even if their tower dimensions are similar.
Step 8 — For Replacement Projects, Include the Existing Packing
If the project involves an existing tower, include:
existing packing type
existing packing size
existing material
packing bed height
current operating problem
If available, also attach:
photographs
old drawings
packing datasheets
tower internal drawings
The supplier needs to understand whether the objective is:
same replacement
or
performance improvement.
These are different RFQs.
Step 9 — Explain the Problem You Want to Solve
This is one of the most valuable pieces of information in a revamp RFQ.
Examples:
Current packing has frequent blockage.
Pressure drop has increased significantly.
Existing packing is corroded.
Plant capacity will be increased.
We want to reduce pressure drop.
Existing packing model is no longer available.
This tells the supplier what the proposed replacement is expected to improve.
Without this information, an “equivalent replacement” may simply reproduce the same problem.
Step 10 — Confirm Whether Tower Internals Are Included
Packing RFQs often become unclear because nobody states whether tower internals are part of the quotation.
Confirm whether the quotation should include:
packing only
packing support grid
support plate
hold-down grid
retaining ring
liquid distributor
redistributor
other tower internals
For existing towers, also provide the manway size when new internals may be required.
Large internals may need to be manufactured in segments for installation.
Step 11 — Add Quantity or Ask the Supplier to Confirm It
There are two valid RFQ situations.
Quantity Already Known
Example:
Required Quantity: 12 m³
The supplier quotes based on this quantity.
Quantity Needs Confirmation
Example:
Tower ID: 2,000 mmPacking Bed Height: 4,000 mmPlease confirm the required packing quantity.
The Engineering Assistant can provide a preliminary packing-volume estimate, but the dimensions should still be included in the RFQ.
Step 12 — Add Material Requirements
If the material is already specified, state it clearly.
Examples:
PP
PVDF
SS304
SS316L
ceramic
If the material is not fixed, ask for a recommendation based on the actual medium and temperature.
Example:
Material is not fixed. Please review compatibility with the following process conditions.
Then provide:
chemical composition
concentration
temperature
pressure
Do not allow price alone to determine the packing material.
Step 13 — State Required Technical Documents
If project documentation is required, include it in the RFQ rather than asking after the quotation is completed.
Possible requirements include:
datasheet
dimensional drawing
material information
packing bulk density
specific surface area
void fraction
certificate of analysis
material certificate, where applicable
packing photographs
installation information
Not every project requires every document.
Ask only for documents relevant to the project.
Step 14 — Include Delivery Information
A supplier cannot prepare a meaningful freight quotation without knowing where the goods are going.
Include:
destination country
destination port or city
required Incoterm, if known
required delivery date
whether freight quotation is required
Examples:
EXW quotation required
or:
Please quote CIF Busan, Korea
or:
Please provide product price first; freight will be confirmed separately.
This keeps the technical quotation and logistics requirement clear.
Step 15 — Ask for the Information You Actually Need in the Quotation
A good RFQ tells the supplier what the response should contain.
For example:
Please provide:
recommended packing model
size
material
unit price
total price
required quantity
bulk density
estimated net weight
lead time
packing method
quotation validity
technical datasheet
This makes quotations easier to compare between suppliers.
Example: Weak RFQ vs Quote-Ready RFQ
Weak RFQ
Please quote PP Pall Ring 50 mm.
The supplier still does not know:
quantity
application
tower size
destination
whether 50 mm is fixed
whether technical review is required
Quote-Ready RFQ
Project: Existing scrubber packing replacementTower ID: 1,500 mmPacking Bed Height: 3,000 mmExisting Packing: 50 mm PP Pall RingProcess: Wet gas scrubbingOperating Temperature: 55°COperating Pressure: AtmosphericGas Flow: 9,000 m³/hLiquid Flow: 25 m³/hCurrent Problem: Increasing pressure drop and visible foulingMaterial: PP preferredRequirement: Please review whether 50 mm Pall Ring should be retained or whether a more open packing should be considered.Quotation Required: Packing, technical datasheet, quantity, weight, lead time and packing dimensions.
This RFQ gives the supplier enough context to decide whether the request is simply commercial or requires engineering review.
A Practical RFQ Structure
When preparing a tower packing inquiry, organize it into six sections:
A. Project
New tower / replacement / revamp
Application
Project objective
B. Tower
Internal diameter
Bed height
Number of beds
Manway size if relevant
C. Process
Gas flow
Liquid flow
Temperature
Pressure
Composition
Fouling or solids
D. Packing
Type
Size
Material
Quantity
Existing packing if applicable
E. Tower Internals
Support included or excluded
Hold-down included or excluded
Distributor included or excluded
F. Commercial
Delivery destination
Incoterm
Required delivery time
Required documentation
This structure is usually easier to review than placing all project information inside one paragraph.
What If Some RFQ Data Are Missing?
Do not delay every inquiry until every process parameter is available.
Instead, separate:
Known
from
Unknown
and
To Be Confirmed by Supplier / Engineer
For example:
Tower ID: ConfirmedBed Height: ConfirmedGas Flow: ConfirmedLiquid Flow: Not availablePacking Type: Supplier recommendation requiredMaterial: PP preferred, compatibility to be reviewed
This allows preliminary communication to begin without pretending that incomplete engineering data are complete.
Use the Engineering Assistant Before Sending the RFQ
The DAIER Tower Packing Engineering Assistant can be used as a preparation step before requesting quotation.
A practical workflow is:
1. Enter the available project data
↓
2. Review the preliminary packing direction
↓
3. Calculate or confirm packing volume
↓
4. Identify missing information
↓
5. Convert the result into the RFQ structure
↓
6. Send the RFQ for supplier and engineering review
The tool therefore does not replace the RFQ.
It helps make the RFQ more complete.
From Engineering Screening to Quotation
A good tower packing RFQ should allow the supplier to answer three questions quickly:
What exactly should be quoted?
Packing type, size, material and quantity.
What engineering issue needs to be reviewed?
Selection, replacement, pressure drop, fouling, capacity or material compatibility.
What commercial information is required?
Price, lead time, documentation, packing and delivery terms.
When these three areas are clear, the quotation process becomes much more efficient.
If you have already completed a preliminary screening, use:
How to Interpret Tower Packing Engineering Assistant Results
If you want to understand what the tool calculates, see:
What Does the DAIER Tower Packing Engineering Assistant Calculate?
Use the DAIER Tower Packing Engineering Assistant
Specs and test data available upon request.