Most bad quotes start as a bad requirement. If two suppliers read the same line and quote different products, the line did not say what the buyer meant. If every supplier quotes the same brand, the line did not leave room for anyone else.
This guide is for agency buyers and the requiring officials who write the requirement. It covers how to state what you need so suppliers can quote it accurately, with worked examples for four product categories. It uses no brand names on purpose. A requirement that depends on a brand is usually a requirement nobody has finished writing.
What "salient characteristics" means
Salient characteristics are the features a product must have for you to accept it. They are the physical, functional or performance traits that matter to the mission. In a brand name or equal purchase, they are the test an "equal" has to pass. In an ordinary purchase, they are the specification. You can also see them called the essential characteristics, the minimum requirements, or the commercial item description, which is a short description of a commercial product's essential traits.
The test for whether something belongs on the list is simple: if a product lacked this trait, would you refuse it at the dock? If yes, it is salient. If you would shrug and keep it, it is not.
What the FAR says about describing a need
FAR 11.002 is the policy section on describing agency needs. The relevant points, from FAR 11.002 (checked against FAC 2026-01):
- Agencies are to use market research to specify their needs, and to promote full and open competition, or maximum practicable competition under simplified acquisition procedures, given the nature of what is being bought.
- Restrictive provisions or conditions should be included only to the extent necessary to meet the agency's needs or as authorized by law.
- To the maximum extent practicable, requirements are to be stated in terms of the functions to be performed, the performance required, or the essential physical characteristics.
- Requirements should be defined so that commercial products, or nondevelopmental items where no suitable commercial product exists, can compete.
Read those four together and you have the writing rule. State what the product has to do and be, not who has to make it. FAR 11.104 adds that when a brand name or equal description is used, it must list the key characteristics an equal has to meet. That is the subject of our guide on how a supplier builds a brand name or equal offer, and it is the same list you are writing here.
Market research matters to the spec in one way: it tells you what the market actually offers, so your numbers are achievable and not copied from a single product's brochure. Ten minutes comparing three or four manufacturers' datasheets will show you which values are standard and which are one maker's specialty. Set your minimum where the market's normal products land, unless the mission truly needs more.
Good characteristics and bad ones
Good characteristics are measurable, necessary and verifiable. Bad ones are brand-specific, vague or decorative. The table shows the difference.
| Type | Weak version | Why it fails | Better version |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand trivia | "Midnight Graphite finish" | A color name belongs to one maker | "Dark gray or black finish" or no color requirement |
| Proprietary feature name | "Includes the SmartFlex system" | Only one maker has a product by that name | State the function: "Seat tilts at least 15 degrees, lockable" |
| Vague | "Heavy duty" | Every supplier will say yes | "Rated for users up to 300 lb" |
| Unmeasurable | "High quality construction" | Cannot be checked | "Steel frame, minimum 14 gauge" |
| Over-tight | "Weight exactly 41.5 lb" | Excludes products that are the same for practical purposes | "Weight no more than 45 lb" |
| Unverifiable | "Meets industry standards" | Which standard, and how will you know? | "Certified by a third party to [named standard], certificate provided" |
| Missing | (no warranty stated) | Quotes cannot be compared | "Manufacturer's commercial warranty, minimum 2 years parts and labor" |
Four habits fix most of this:
- Use minimums and maximums, not single values, unless a single value is truly required (a voltage, a connector type).
- Name the standard and the proof. "Certified to [standard name and edition] by an accredited third party" is checkable. "Meets the standard" is not.
- Give units. Pounds or kilograms, inches or millimeters, volts and amps, gallons.
- Say how it will be checked. A datasheet, a certificate, a test report, a sample.
Worked example 1: hydraulic or battery rescue tool
A rescue tool is a performance product. The numbers and the certification are what you are buying. For a public safety purchase, the standard matters as much as the numbers; see our guide to NFPA 1936 rescue tool specifications for how that standard works in practice.
Written well, the characteristics cover the points below. The numbers are yours to set from the mission and your market research; what matters is that each one is a number with a unit.
- Tool type: battery powered hydraulic spreader, with a separate cutter listed on its own line.
- Spreading force: a stated minimum in pounds-force at the tips, shown on the manufacturer's datasheet for the exact model.
- Spreading distance: a stated minimum opening in inches.
- Cutting force: a stated minimum in pounds-force, for the cutter line.
- Weight with battery: a stated maximum in pounds, because crews carry it.
- Operating temperature range: stated minimum and maximum.
- Certification: listed or certified by an accredited third party to the named standard and edition, with the certificate for the exact model provided with the quote.
- Battery: number of batteries and chargers included, charger input voltage, and compatibility with the tool offered.
- Warranty: minimum term, in years.
- Accessories: any required (case, tips, chains), each listed as a line.
What to leave out: the maker's trade name for the tip design, the housing color, and a cutting claim like "cuts anything." The real need is the force, the opening distance and the certification.
Worked example 2: commercial fitness equipment
For a treadmill, elliptical or strength station in a federal facility, the difference between a home product and a commercial one is the whole point. Say so in numbers. Our guide on commercial fitness equipment for federal facilities covers the buying side in more detail.
- Footprint: maximum length and width in inches, because the room is fixed.
- Weight capacity: a minimum user weight rating in pounds.
- Warranty: commercial-rated warranty, with minimum years on frame, parts and labor stated separately, and a statement of the rated use environment (commercial or institutional, not home).
- Power: voltage, amperage and plug type, or "no power required" for non-powered units.
- Motor (treadmills): continuous duty horsepower, minimum.
- Running surface (treadmills): minimum length and width in inches.
- Console: required functions only (speed, incline, time, distance), not display brand features.
- Assembly and installation: whether delivery includes placement, assembly and removal of packaging.
- Safety: emergency stop, and any required third-party safety listing for the electrical components.
Bad characteristics here are marketing terms: "gym quality," "premium," or a named console package.
Worked example 3: janitorial chemicals
Chemicals are bought on certification, concentration and safety documentation. If the purchase falls under a mandatory sourcing or green purchasing program, the requirement has to reflect it; see janitorial supplies and the government green mandatory sources.
- Product type and use: for example, neutral floor cleaner for sealed hard floors.
- Third-party environmental certification: a named recognized certification, with proof of the certification for the exact product, not the product line.
- Concentration and dilution: concentrate or ready to use, with the dilution ratio range for the stated use.
- Container size and count: for example, gallon jugs, case of four, or five-gallon pail.
- pH range: maximum and minimum, where it matters to the surface.
- Safety Data Sheet: a current SDS for each product provided with the quote or delivery.
- Dispensing: compatibility with an existing dilution system, described by type, if one is in place.
- Shelf life: minimum remaining at delivery.
Leave out the scent name and the trade name of a cleaning technology. Ask for the performance: removes the soil type, on the surface, at the dilution.
Worked example 4: office seating
Seating is judged on size, rating and warranty. If the item is on a mandatory source list, check that before you write brand-neutral specifications; see the UNICOR waiver process for office furniture.
- Seat dimensions: width and depth ranges in inches.
- Overall height range: minimum and maximum, and seat height adjustment range.
- Weight rating: a minimum user weight rating in pounds, and whether it must be a heavy-duty or 24-hour-use rating.
- Adjustments required: seat height, tilt lock, arm height (or fixed arms), lumbar support (yes or no).
- Materials: upholstery type and the flammability or durability test required, if any, named by standard.
- Casters: type of caster for the floor surface (hard floor or carpet).
- Warranty: minimum years on the frame, mechanism and upholstery.
- Delivery condition: assembled or unassembled.
Leave out the fabric name, a named ergonomic system and the color name. If color matters, say "black" or "dark blue" and let suppliers match it.
The rest of the package: make quotes comparable
A good characteristic list still produces bad quotes if the rest of the package is thin. Put these in every solicitation or request for quote:
- Quantity per line. And whether partial quantities are acceptable at the line level.
- Delivery location. A full street address, a named receiving point, and delivery hours.
- Delivery restrictions. Dock height, liftgate needs, appointment rules, base access requirements.
- Required delivery date or lead time. As a date or a number of days after award.
- Packaging and marking. Unit packaging, case quantities, labels, and anything the receiving office needs to match to the order.
- Required documents. Country of origin by line, manufacturer's warranty statement, authorization letter where you require an authorized source, SDS or test reports where relevant.
- Evaluation basis. Whether the award is lowest price technically acceptable, and what technically acceptable means: it meets every listed characteristic.
- Questions deadline. A date by which suppliers can challenge or clarify the requirement.
If you do not state the delivery details, each supplier guesses the freight, and prices stop being comparable.
A checklist before you publish the requirement
- Is every characteristic measurable, with units?
- Is every characteristic necessary for the mission, not just copied from the incumbent product's brochure?
- Does the list name any brand, model, color name or proprietary feature? Remove it, or state the function.
- Did you check at least three manufacturers' products against the list? If only one fits, ask why.
- Is each certification named with its standard and edition, and is the proof specified?
- Are quantity, delivery location and restrictions, packaging and documents included?
- Is the list short enough that an equal could realistically pass it?
If a requirement fits only one product, the solicitation may need a justification, and the supplier base shrinks to one. If that is what the mission needs, say so openly. If it is not, widen the list.
How Lunula Supply handles it
We are a supplier, and we read requirements as the other side of the award. We quote against the characteristics as written, and:
- We re-read the solicitation for amendments before quoting.
- We raise mismatches on day one, such as a statement of work that numbers items differently from the pricing schedule.
- We get the manufacturer's letter of authorization before quoting brand-name or authorized-source requirements, and we do not quote without it.
- We send country of origin, authorization letters and representations with the quote.
- We check whether partial award is allowed at the line level.
- We label the sourcing channel on every line, and always try for bulk or distributor pricing first.
If you are writing a requirement and want to know how a supplier will read it, contact us or see what we supply.
Frequently asked questions
How many salient characteristics should a requirement list?
As many as the mission truly requires and no more. A list of five to ten measurable items is common for a single product line. If you cannot explain why an item is on the list, remove it.
Can I name a brand in the requirement?
You can, if you add "or equal" and list the salient characteristics an equal must meet, as FAR 11.104 describes. A brand name alone is a more restrictive choice that usually needs written justification under the applicable procedures.
Should I put the price or budget in the requirement?
That depends on your procedure and policy. For comparability, the characteristics, quantities and delivery terms matter more than a budget figure, and they are what suppliers need to price accurately.
What is the difference between a salient characteristic and a preference?
A salient characteristic is something you would reject the product for lacking. A preference is nice to have. If it is a preference, either leave it off or say clearly that it is not a requirement, so suppliers do not treat it as one.
General information for buyers, not legal advice. References were checked against acquisition.gov (FAC 2026-01) on the publish date. Your agency's policies and the solicitation control.