Battery Module RFQ Checklist: What to Include

Short answer: A complete battery module RFQ should cover six areas: application and operating profile, electrical boundary conditions, mechanical format and cooling, BMS and communication scope, compliance and documentation requirements, and commercial terms. Missing any one of these forces the supplier to make assumptions, which delays a valid quotation.

Getting a useful quotation for battery modules depends almost entirely on the quality of the specification you send. A vague enquiry produces a vague, or heavily caveatted, response. This checklist sets out what a supplier needs to answer properly, why each item matters, and what happens when it is left out. The structure follows the natural flow of a technical design review, from application context down to commercial terms.

1. Application and operating profile

Start with context. A supplier reading your enquiry needs to understand what the module will do before recommending a format or chemistry.

Application type: vehicle (passenger, commercial, off-highway, marine) or stationary storage (behind-the-meter C&I, grid-scale, UPS). These two families use different module formats and have different cycle-life expectations. Do not assume the supplier will guess from context, state it explicitly. See energy storage solutions and why the electrification of commercial fleets in Europe is accelerating for context on how requirements differ.
Energy and power requirement: usable energy in kWh, peak power in kW and duration.
Cycles per day and daily depth of discharge: for example, one full cycle per day at 80 % DoD, or two partial cycles. Cycle-life figures on datasheets are stated at 80 % DoD; use that as your sizing basis.
Ambient temperature range: operating minimum and maximum in °C, and whether the installation is climate-controlled or exposed.
Expected service life: years or total cycles, whichever is the binding constraint.

2. Electrical boundary conditions

These figures drive module selection more directly than anything else.

System voltage window: the minimum and maximum DC voltage the inverter, drive or charger accepts. This determines how many cells, and therefore which module configuration, fits the window.
Nominal system voltage: where the system is designed to operate most of the time.
Continuous discharge current and peak current: in amperes, with the duration of the peak (e.g. 10 s, 30 s).
Charge current: maximum and typical, including any fast-charge requirements.
Number of modules in series and parallel: if already determined by your pack architecture, state it. If not, state the voltage window and let the supplier propose a configuration.
Chemistry preference: LFP (LiFePO4) or NCM. If you have no preference, say so, but note that the two differ in energy density, voltage curve, thermal behaviour and cycle life. A comparison is available at NCM batteries vs LFP batteries.

3. Mechanical requirements

Module format: VDA 355 (roughly 355 × 151 × 108 mm, standardised by the German automotive industry association VDA so that modules from different suppliers are mechanically interchangeable) or MEB 590 (roughly 590 mm long, associated with Volkswagen's MEB platform and increasingly used in stationary storage). If neither format fits, describe your envelope.
Mounting orientation and interface: flat, vertical, stacked. Busbar and terminal positions.
Cooling method: liquid-cooled base plate, side cooling, forced air or passive. State the coolant inlet temperature if liquid-cooled.
Weight and dimensional constraints: maximum module mass in kg, any hard envelope limits.

4. Communication and BMS scope

This is where assumptions cause the most project-level confusion. What is included in a module, such as temperature sensing, a cell supervision circuit (CSC/slave board) or an integrated BMS, varies by module and by project. State what you need (the article on the BMS integration boundary explains the split):

Does the module need an integrated CSC/slave board, or will your master BMS communicate directly with cells?
What communication protocol is required: CAN, SMBus, proprietary?
Do you need the module to report state of charge, state of health and fault status, or will your system handle those calculations?
Are analogue temperature sensor outputs sufficient, or do you require digital integration?

Avantis Energy configures the scope per module and per project; the buyer specifies requirements, and the offer reflects them. Never assume a standard BMS scope applies across products.

5. Compliance and documentation

Regulatory requirements are not optional and vary by market and application.

Transport: lithium cells and modules shipped internationally must be tested to UN 38.3 (UNECE). Confirm whether you need a UN 38.3 test summary; the shipping article explains what it contains.
Safety standard: IEC 62619 covers safety requirements for secondary lithium cells and batteries for industrial applications, which includes stationary storage (IEC). For stationary projects, the overview of stationary battery standards shows how it relates to the UL standards. State which documentation you require.
EU Battery Regulation 2023/1542: batteries placed on the EU market are subject to phased requirements on labelling, due diligence, carbon footprint and the battery passport under Regulation (EU) 2023/1542. The timing differs per requirement and battery category, so check what applies to your product; our article on the regulation gives an overview. Confirm whether you need a declaration of conformity or batch traceability documentation.
Other certifications: CE marking scope, UL listings, marine class society requirements: list what applies.
Traceability: state whether you need lot-level documentation tracing cells to a specific production batch and factory.

Avantis Energy provides documentation and traceability per lot before release, with certification tracked per manufacturer, factory, product and project. If your project has specific documentation requirements, include them in the RFQ.

6. Commercial terms

Volume: annual volume in units or kWh, broken into order tranches if phased. Quantity usually influences pricing and production planning.
Delivery schedule: required delivery window per tranche. Lead time is product-specific and is published on each product page; do not assume a fixed lead time applies across the range.
Packaging requirements: palletised, individually boxed, specific labelling for incoming goods inspection.
Incoterms: EXW, FCA, DAP or DDP. State the destination country and port or facility.
Warranty requirements: required warranty period in years, and what the warranty covers (defective cells, capacity retention threshold, workmanship). State any minimum retained-capacity guarantee at end of warranty. For how the warranty limits interact, see reading a battery warranty.
Payment terms: if your organisation has fixed payment-term policies, state them in the first enquiry to avoid rework later.

Reference table: what to provide and why

Information block	Why the supplier needs it	What happens without it
Application type (vehicle / stationary)	Determines module format family and cycle-life target	Wrong format proposed; quotation requires full revision
Usable energy (kWh) and peak power (kW)	Sets number and configuration of modules	Supplier cannot size the system
Voltage window (V min / V max)	Determines series configuration and cell count per module	Offer based on assumption; may not fit inverter
Cycles per day and DoD	Determines cycle-life requirement and chemistry suitability	Life expectancy cannot be verified
Ambient temperature range (°C)	Affects chemistry choice, derating and cooling design	Thermal design left open; risk of underperformance
BMS/CSC scope	Defines what electronics are included in the supply	Scope gap discovered after order; cost impact
Compliance requirements (UN 38.3, IEC 62619, EU Battery Reg)	Determines documentation and testing obligations	Non-compliant shipment or missing market-access documents
Annual volume and delivery schedule	Influences production planning and pricing	Indicative price only; no commitment possible
Incoterms and destination	Sets freight, duty and insurance responsibility	Commercial terms remain open; quotation not comparable
Warranty requirements	Defines after-sales obligation scope	Contract negotiated from scratch after order

Example: a short, complete RFQ in practice

The following is a worked example with clearly labelled fictitious figures. It shows how the checklist translates into a short covering note.

Application: stationary C&I storage, behind-the-meter peak shaving, northern European industrial site with ambient temperatures between −10 °C and +40 °C.

Energy and power (fictitious): 200 kWh usable at 80 % DoD, 100 kW continuous discharge, 150 kW for up to 10 seconds.

Electrical (fictitious): inverter DC bus 600–900 V. Chemistry preference: LFP for cycle life. Target: 6,000 cycles at 80 % DoD over a 15-year service life.

Mechanical: preference for MEB 590 format to match existing rack design; liquid-cooled base plate, coolant inlet 20 °C.

BMS scope: CSC/slave boards required per module with CAN output; master BMS supplied by integrator.

Compliance: UN 38.3 test summary required for air freight. EU Battery Regulation 2023/1542 conformity documentation required. IEC 62619 compliance documentation preferred.

Commercial (fictitious): 50 modules in first tranche, 150 modules over 12 months. DAP Rotterdam. Standard payment terms net 30 from invoice. Five-year warranty, 80 % capacity retention at end of warranty period.

This note, attached to a one-page technical datasheet, gives a supplier everything needed to return a firm, comparable quotation. See the cell and module catalogue for the technical parameters of available formats before drafting your specification.

Frequently asked questions

What is a battery module RFQ checklist?
A battery module RFQ checklist is a structured list of the technical, regulatory and commercial details a buyer must provide so that a supplier can return a firm, comparable quotation. It typically covers application profile, electrical boundary conditions, mechanical format, BMS scope, compliance documentation and commercial terms.

Why does the BMS scope need to be specified in a battery module enquiry?
What is included in a module, such as integrated temperature sensing, a cell supervision circuit or a full BMS, varies by module and by project. Without a defined scope, the supplier cannot price the supply correctly and the buyer risks a scope gap after the order is placed, with cost and schedule consequences.

Which compliance documents should I request when buying battery modules for the EU market?
At minimum, request a UN 38.3 test summary for transport, IEC 62619 compliance documentation for stationary applications, and documentation supporting EU Battery Regulation 2023/1542 traceability and labelling requirements. Additional certifications depend on the end application and target market.

What volume information does a battery module supplier need to give a firm price?
Provide the total annual volume in units or kWh, the size and timing of individual order tranches, and your required delivery window. Quantity usually influences pricing and production planning; without it the supplier can only provide an indicative answer.

How do I choose between LFP and NCM modules in my specification?
State your cycle-life target, operating temperature range and energy-density constraints. LFP offers longer cycle life and better thermal stability; NCM offers higher energy density at the cost of a shorter cycle life and narrower thermal window. If you have no firm preference, include both as options and ask the supplier to compare them against your operating profile.

Request a quotation

Send your specification to Avantis Energy using this checklist as a guide. A complete enquiry receives a complete response.