Glossary

The words in an electrical RFQ, defined

Plain definitions for the terms contractors, estimators and inside sales use when material gets requested and quoted. General practice varies by region and manufacturer; this is a starting point, not a code reference.

Requests

RFQ (request for quote): A customer's request for pricing on a list of material. At an electrical distributor it arrives as an email, a spreadsheet, a PDF, a photo or a phone call, usually from a contractor, and becomes a quote once each line is matched to an item and priced.
BOM (bill of materials): A list of the material a job needs, with quantities, often exported from estimating software as Excel or CSV. BOMs mix part numbers, descriptions, section titles and subtotals, so each row has to be read before it can be quoted.
Material list: A contractor's list of what they need, in any format and any level of detail, from a typed email to a handwritten sheet. Less formal than a BOM, and often written in trade shorthand.
Takeoff: The count of material an estimator makes from a job's drawings, often split by floor, area or phase with a total per item. Distributors quote from the takeoff; they don't count devices off the drawings themselves.
Quote draft: A quote before a person approves it: each requested line matched to a catalog item, or marked for review, with quantities and prices ready to check. In Goodshed, lines are Resolved, Review or Unresolved.
House rules: How a distributor's counter quotes when a customer leaves something out: which reel to quote, which brand is the default, stranded or solid wire. In Goodshed an admin writes them in Settings and every request follows them.

Specs

Spec section (Division 26): The part of a project specification that describes electrical products and how they're installed. Section 26 27 26, for example, covers wiring devices: grade, ratings, color, tamper resistance and acceptable manufacturers.
Basis of design: The specific product an engineer designed around and names in the spec, such as a manufacturer's series number. Other manufacturers' equivalents may be acceptable when the spec lists them.
Or equal: Wording that lets a named product be replaced by an equivalent. Whether an equal is acceptable is a judgment call, so it deserves a person's review before the quote goes out.
Acceptable manufacturers: The list in a spec of manufacturers whose products may be supplied in place of the basis of design, sometimes with prior approval required.
Schedule: A table in a bid package listing devices, fixtures or panels with tags and quantities. A schedule row is often terse ("Duplex receptacle — 64") and relies on the spec for grade, brand and color.
Submittal: The package of product data sent to the engineer for approval before material is ordered. Submittals confirm that what will be supplied matches the spec.
Cross-reference: Finding the item a distributor stocks that is equivalent to another manufacturer's part number. A real equal matches ratings, poles, sizes and features, not just the description.
Discontinued or superseded part: A catalog number a manufacturer no longer makes, often replaced by a newer number. Quoting the old number risks an order that can't be filled.

Wire & conduit

THHN / THWN: The most common single-conductor building wire: thermoplastic insulation with a nylon jacket. Most is dual-rated THHN/THWN-2. Quotes need the gauge, color, stranded or solid, and the reel or spool size.
Reels and spools: Wire is stocked on reels of set lengths, commonly 500 ft and 2,500 ft for building wire. A request for 5,000 ft can be two 2,500 ft reels or ten 500 ft reels, which is why distributors set a house rule.
NM-B (Romex): Non-metallic sheathed cable for dwellings, sold by the coil (250 ft is common). "12/2" means two #12 insulated conductors plus a ground.
MC cable: Metal-clad cable: insulated conductors inside an interlocked armor, commonly aluminum. Written like "MC 12/2" and sold by the foot off coils or reels.
EMT: Electrical metallic tubing, the thin-wall steel conduit used most in commercial work. Sold in 10 ft sticks and quoted by the foot.
Set-screw vs compression fittings: Two ways EMT connectors and couplings grip the tubing: a set-screw bites into it, a compression nut squeezes a ring around it. Compression fittings are used where a raintight or concrete-tight fitting is needed. Each comes in die-cast zinc or steel.
Trade size: The nominal size of conduit and fittings, such as 3/4 or 1-1/4. It names the size class, not an exact measured diameter.

Devices & gear

4" square box and mud ring: A 4-inch square metal box, commonly 1-1/2 or 2-1/8 in deep, with a separate device ring (mud or plaster ring) that sets the opening for one or two devices and is raised to match the wall finish.
Plug-on neutral: A load-center design where AFCI and GFCI breakers clip onto a neutral bar instead of connecting a pigtail wire. The breaker must match the panel's family, such as Square D QO or Homeline.
AFCI / CAFCI: Arc-fault circuit interrupter, a breaker that trips on dangerous arcing. CAFCI (combination AFCI) is the common type in dwellings. Catalog numbers often carry AF or CAF.
GFCI: Ground-fault circuit interrupter, as a receptacle or a breaker, that trips when current leaks to ground. Receptacle versions are often self-testing and may also be tamper- and weather-resistant.
Tamper-resistant (TR): Receptacles with shutters that block objects from being pushed in. The NEC requires them in dwellings and many other occupancies, so requests often say TR.
Weather-resistant (WR): Receptacles built to resist UV and moisture for damp and wet locations, such as outdoors. Outdoor GFCIs are commonly both WR and TR.
Spec grade vs commercial grade: Wiring-device quality levels. Specification grade is heavier-duty than commercial or residential grade. Manufacturers define the grades a little differently, so a spec's grade call matters when matching.

Units & orders

C and M: Roman-numeral quantities from estimating software: C means hundreds and M means thousands. "5 M" of wire is 5,000 ft.
Unit of measure (UOM): The unit an item is sold in: EA (each), FT (foot), RL (reel or coil), BX (box). A request in feet against an item sold by the each needs converting, or a person's look.
Will call: An order the customer picks up at the counter rather than having delivered.
Inside sales / quote desk: The people at a distributor who turn requests into quotes and orders by phone and email, as opposed to outside salespeople who visit customers.

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