A poor request for quotation produces bids that cannot be compared, and the decision defaults to the lowest number — which is almost always the vendor who assumed the narrowest scope. The fix is not difficult.
Eleven points that must be in it
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The service type required
Sworn or professional. This is the variable with the largest price impact, and the one most often left ambiguous.
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Language pair and direction
State the direction, not just "Indonesian and English". Some projects need both directions for different documents.
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Volume in a clear unit
Number of documents, number of physical sheets, and where possible a word count. Attach a representative sample document.
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Field and document type
Construction contracts, financial statements and drug registration dossiers each need a different translator, and that affects price.
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Intended use and receiving party
A bank in Singapore, a court in Jakarta, a ministry in Germany — each has different format and certification requirements.
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Onward certification requirements
Notary, ministries, embassy or Apostille. If you do not yet know, say so and ask the vendor to map it.
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Number of hard copies
State how many wet-stamped files you need, not just "the original".
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Input and output file formats
If sources are scans or locked PDFs, say so. If the output must preserve layout, say that too.
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The real deadline
A false, over-tight deadline raises price for no benefit. State the date that genuinely binds, and the ideal date separately.
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Confidentiality terms
State whether an NDA must be signed before documents are sent, and whether your company's version is to be used.
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The quotation format you expect
Ask for itemisation by component, not a single lump figure. This is what makes comparison possible.
Ask for the breakdown in one common format
Attach the empty table below to your request and ask every vendor to fill it in. Bids that arrive in a uniform structure can be compared in minutes.
Bid comparison format
| Component | Unit | Volume | Rate | Subtotal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sworn translation | Page | |||
| Professional translation | Page | |||
| Layout rebuilding | Page | |||
| Notarial certification | Document | |||
| Legalisation / Apostille | Document | |||
| Additional hard copies | Copy | |||
| Shipping | Shipment | |||
| Add a row for the acceleration charge if the deadline might move, and a row for the minimum charge per order. | ||||
Three questions that separate vendors
- How do you count pages, and is that count sent before work begins? A vague answer is a warning sign.
- Who checks the output before delivery, and is that a different person from the translator? One person translating and checking is not quality control.
- What happens if the destination authority rejects the document over a translation issue? Serious vendors have a clear answer.
Send a sample document, not just a description
One representative sample is worth more than three paragraphs of explanation. The vendor can see text density, layout complexity and terminology difficulty at once — so the bid is more accurate and less likely to be revised.
Send us your sample document