Quote requests
Compare supplier quotes on a consistent scope, record the award decision and carry the selected offer into purchasing.
StatusDraftSentResponseReceived
Creating an RFQ
An RFQ is usually created from an approved requisition, which supplies its lines; it can also be raised standalone for a sourcing exercise with no requisition behind it yet. The header retains department and cost centre. Each line records its category, item or description, quantity, unit and need-by date, plus the originating requisition line when present. The Buyer writes the statement of work, sets the response deadline, sets the weights for price, lead time and quality on the RFQ itself, and lists the invited suppliers. Configured email and supplier access deliver the invitations; and each invitation tracks its own state: Invited, Acknowledged, Declined, Responded, NoResponse.
Category rules can restrict who may be invited. A category with qualification requirements only offers suppliers with current, verified evidence covering that scope. A Suspended or Blocked supplier cannot be invited at all.
ResponseReceived
| RFQ | RFQResponse | Normalized Price Score | Normalized Lead Time Score | Quality Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RFQ-37212 | RFQ-83657 | 35 | 75 | 60 |
| RFQ-52433 | RFQ-31557 | 65 | 85 | 60 |
| RFQ-35962 | RFQ-67145 | 35 | 35 | 65 |
| RFQ-76362 | RFQ-33115 | 65 | 60 | 80 |
| RFQ-62397 | RFQ-92234 | 25 | 35 | 70 |
| RFQ-13102 | RFQ-46983 | 30 | 90 | 90 |
Sending
When the configured delivery channel sends the RFQ, each invitation records delivery and response state. The RFQ moves to Sent and appears in RFQs Awaiting Response. The weights are locked at send so every bidder is scored the same way.
Approval conditions
Visible to: Approver, Controller, Procurement Manager. Visibility does not establish approval authority.
PendingApproval
- PO-49881 VND-185 5 d
- PO-47580 VND-134 8 d
- PO-67854 VND-021 13 d
- PO-11876 VND-143 12 d
- PO-86783 VND-035 13 d
PO-49881
- Supplier
- VND-185
- OrderDate
- 12 Sep
- TotalAmount
- 13,547.44
- Buyer
- GE
- CompetitionType
- Competed
A hand-raised PO with no requisition, award or release may use an effective independently authorised Buyer-limit exception, within the full limit and all category, RFQ and pricing constraints.
Supplier responses
The supplier answers in the portal with a header and one line per RFQ line:
| Header | Lines |
|---|---|
| Response date, overall lead time, quote validity in days | Unit price and line total against each requested line |
| Payment terms, FOB point and freight terms offered | Per-line lead time where it differs from the header |
| Notes | Alternate part offered, with notes on the alternate |
Supplier access is limited to the invited RFQ and that supplier’s own response. A supplier can withdraw and resubmit a response before the deadline. After the deadline the RFQ moves to ResponseReceived and responses are locked. The total quoted price is masked from the Requester and Viewer roles; the requester learns the outcome and does not see the bids.
SentResponseDeadline >= today; Supplier sees only own RFQInvitedSuppliers
| RFQNumber | Scope Description | Issued At | Response Deadline | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RFQ-55577 | Sent rfq-366 | 08 Sep | 12 Sep | Sent |
| RFQ-87057 | Sent rfq-320 | 04 Sep | 09 Sep | Sent |
| RFQ-62804 | Sent rfq-483 | 14 Sep | 21 Sep | Sent |
| RFQ-77279 | Sent rfq-544 | 13 Sep | 22 Sep | Sent |
| RFQ-59172 | Sent rfq-211 | 12 Sep | 15 Sep | Sent |
| RFQ-42579 | Sent rfq-633 | 07 Sep | 15 Sep | Sent |
Bid comparison
Each response is scored on three dimensions with the weights set on the RFQ:
- Price, normalised so the lowest total scores highest.
- Lead time, normalised so the shortest scores highest.
- Quality, the supplier’s QualityScore from its latest published scorecard with usable quality observations. A supplier with no published history uses the documented neutral value. Delivery punctuality is a separate measure and does not alter this reject-based quality score.
The weighted total ranks the responses and flags one as Recommended. The Bid Comparison view lays the responses side by side with the three component scores, the total and the rank. Line references expose alternates and partial coverage. Buyer reviews comparable scope before using a lower total as the basis for award.
StatusSentAcknowledgedPartiallyReceived
Award
Buyer records the selected response, award reason, person and date. Choosing another bidder than the recommendation requires Procurement Manager review before using the exception. Required qualifications still apply; an override cannot make an ineligible supplier eligible.
The reviewed award creates a draft order linked through FromRFQAward. The other responses become Rejected and the configured channel can notify their suppliers. Buyer may prepare a draft ContractRates row from the award; Procurement Manager reviews and activates it before later orders use it.
An RFQ where no bid is acceptable closes as NoAward with the reason, and the Buyer re-scopes or invites a wider field.
The award is a sourcing decision. Automatic order approval requires valid unconsumed spend authority for the same scope. A standalone RFQ grants no spend authority by itself: its order must pass the matrix. The Buyer-limit exception does not apply to RFQ-backed orders. Price and off-contract holds remain separate decisions.
YouStatusSentAcknowledgedPartiallyReceived
Cancelling and re-issuing
An RFQ can be cancelled at any point before award. Sent scope and evaluation weights remain frozen. A changed scope requires a new version or re-issued RFQ with a new deadline; earlier bids and the original comparison remain evidence.
Period = current quarter
| Scorecard Number | Supplier | Period | POCount | Lines Received |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP-75571 | VND-200 | PRD-485 | 18 | 70 |
| SP-12049 | VND-164 | PRD-879 | 24 | 130 |
| SP-14985 | VND-218 | PRD-108 | 10 | 170 |
| SP-18729 | VND-024 | PRD-378 | 15 | 220 |
| SP-23889 | VND-214 | PRD-138 | 39 | 30 |
| SP-95020 | VND-164 | PRD-506 | 19 | 60 |
Modules
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Suppliers and catalog
Choose qualified suppliers and give purchasing teams a catalog with the information needed to order.
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Contracts and pricing
Apply negotiated prices, control agreement commitments and prepare renewals before approved capacity or contract terms run out.
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Requisitions and approvals
Route purchase requests to the right people and preserve the approved amount, scope and version through sourcing.
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Quote requests
Compare supplier quotes on a consistent scope, record the award decision and carry the selected offer into purchasing.
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Purchase orders
Keep purchasing authority, supplier terms, revisions and receipt progress together from draft order through close.
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Receipts and expediting
Confirm what was accepted, keep outstanding deliveries in view and give accounts payable the evidence needed to match.
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Supplier performance
Review delivery, quality and price evidence separately, then use published scorecards to inform sourcing decisions.
Reports
All reportsRFQ Award Cycle
Per RFQs: days from IssuedAt to AwardedAt, supplier response rate (Responded over invited), awarded price against the requisition estimate, and the share of awards with RecommendationOverridden, listed with their AwardReason.
Roles and permissions
Owns supplier decisions, signed agreements, rate activation, price exceptions, sourcing review and published performance.
Runs sourcing, draft orders, change requests, expediting and procurement-side exception resolution.
Department user who submits a need and confirms authorised non-stocked deliveries at their desk.
Named department head, budget owner, CFO, CEO or committee representative holding the application Approver role.
Inspects dock arrivals, records acceptance and raises controlled returns.
External seat restricted to its own purchasing relationship and published evidence.
Finance reviewer of commitment, migration control totals and supplier performance, and signer for assigned Controller rules.
Read-only executive view of scoped aggregate purchasing and published supplier performance.
Related processes
Requisition to receipt
Connect purchase requests, recorded spending authority and accepted deliveries through to the invoice-matching handoff.
6 stages · 2 approvals
Competitive sourcing
Compare eligible suppliers on a frozen scope and carry the chosen offer into an independently authorised purchase order.
6 stages · 2 approvals
Change orders
Review the full effect of order changes, preserve cumulative spending authority and keep suppliers on the approved revision.
6 stages · 1 approval