A bill of materials rarely fails on the common lines. It fails on the two or three parts that went end-of-life, are on allocation, or only exist as factory surplus somewhere. Chasing those lines one by one with several suppliers produces a pile of partial answers that are hard to compare. This guide explains how to prepare a BOM so it can be quoted in one pass, what a quotation for shortage and end-of-life (EOL) lines should contain, and how StockWake handles a BOM request.
Why shortage and EOL lines need a different request
Active parts with healthy distribution stock can be priced from a catalogue. Shortage and EOL lines cannot. The available quantity is often a single lot, the date code is fixed, the packaging may be a partial reel, and the lot can sell to another buyer while you are still comparing offers. A request that only lists part numbers and target prices leaves the supplier guessing which of these conditions you can accept.
The practical goal is one request that a supplier can answer line by line, so that you get one quotation to review instead of a thread of separate emails.
Prepare the BOM before you send it
Spend a few minutes cleaning the file. It saves several rounds of questions later. Our checklist for scrubbing a BOM before requesting quotes covers this in detail. The essentials:
- Full manufacturer part number on every line, including the packaging and temperature suffixes. A part number without its suffix can match several orderable parts.
- Quantity you actually need, not the quantity per assembly. If you can accept a smaller first delivery, say so on the line.
- Manufacturer name, especially for parts that more than one manufacturer makes.
- Approved alternatives on the same line, if engineering has already approved them. Keep them separate from parts that have not been approved. Our guide on recording approved alternatives in a BOM sourcing request shows one way to do this.
- Constraints that change the answer: acceptable date code range, packaging you can use on your line, and whether documents such as a Certificate of Conformance are required.
Remove do-not-populate rows, duplicated designators and internal stock codes before sending. They do not help the supplier and they make the quotation harder to check.
Mark the lines that matter most
Most BOMs have a few lines that decide whether the build can go ahead. Mark them. A supplier who knows that line 14 is the critical EOL part can spend time on that line first instead of quoting the whole file in order. If a line has already been quoted elsewhere and you only want a comparison, note that as well.
What a useful quotation includes
For each line it can supply, a quotation for shortage and EOL parts should state:
- quantity offered and unit price,
- date code and packaging of the lot offered,
- lead time and shipping cost,
- which documents come with the parts,
- whether the line is NCNR (non-cancellable, non-returnable).
Lines that cannot be supplied should be visible as unfilled, so you know what is still open. Our guide on comparing partial BOM quotes and tracking unfilled lines explains how to compare several partial answers without counting the same requirement twice.
How StockWake handles a BOM request
Upload a bill of materials and we quote what we can supply, including shortage and end-of-life parts. Prices are not listed on the site. Send us the part numbers and quantities you need and we will email you a quotation in US dollars, including lead time and shipping cost. Quotations are valid for 7 days, subject to prior sale.
On documents: if the seller holds a manufacturer or distributor Certificate of Conformance (CoC), we provide it. If not, we provide our own outgoing inspection report. The quotation states which one applies.
Some surplus lots are sold on NCNR terms. When that applies, the quotation says so: this part is NCNR (non-cancellable, non-returnable), and the 30-day return policy does not apply.
You may ask for an independent third-party lab test before shipment. The testing fee is paid by the buyer.
To send a BOM, use the BOM upload page. You can upload an Excel or CSV file or paste the list, one item per line.
Before you accept a quotation for EOL parts
Shortage and EOL lots are usually one-off. Before you accept:
- check that the full part number on the quotation matches your approved part, not only the top marking (see component top marking vs full part number),
- compare the offered date code with what your quality process accepts,
- confirm the documents you need are listed,
- if the lead time is an estimate, read our guide on buying obsolete components when the arrival date is unconfirmed.
Frequently asked questions
Can I send a BOM that mixes active, shortage and EOL parts? Yes. Send the whole BOM. Mark the shortage and EOL lines you care about most so they are reviewed first.
Will every line on my BOM be quoted? Not necessarily. We quote the lines we can supply. Lines we cannot supply stay open, so you can source them elsewhere.
Are prices listed on the site? No. Prices are not listed on the site. We email you a quotation in US dollars, including lead time and shipping cost.
How long is a quotation valid? Quotations are valid for 7 days, subject to prior sale. Surplus and EOL lots can sell to another buyer, so check availability again before you place an order on an older quotation.