Skip to main content

How to Raise a Request for Quote

What you're doing here​

Raising an RFQ is writing down what you need and asking a handful of suppliers to price it. In a few minutes you'll list your items, choose the suppliers you want to hear from, and send it out. Their priced replies come back to you as bids, ready to compare.

We'll follow one running example throughout: sourcing 500 kg of steel rod from three suppliers.

Before you start​

  • The suppliers you want to invite already exist in your supplier list
  • You know roughly what you need — the items and quantities
  • Your role allows you to create RFQs

Step-by-step​

Step 1: Open the new RFQ form​

  1. Go to Purchase in the sidebar
  2. Click Request for Quote
  3. Click the add button to start a new RFQ
  4. The form opens

Step 2: Give the RFQ a title and a date​

Title — a short, clear name so you can find it later.

  • Example: "Steel rod — May restocking"
  • This is the one thing you must fill in.

RFQ number — filled in for you automatically (for example, RFQ-2026-0001). You can leave it as is.

RFQ date — defaults to today. Change it only if you need to.

Step 3: Set the response deadline​

This is the date by which you'd like your suppliers to reply.

  • Pick a realistic date — enough time for suppliers to price properly, but soon enough to keep your buying on track.
  • Suppliers who haven't replied by then are clearly marked as not having responded, so you know who to chase.

In our example, you give the three steel suppliers three days to come back.

Step 4: Add the items you need priced​

This is the heart of the RFQ — the list of what you want quotes on.

For each item:

  1. Choose the item, or type its name if it's something new you don't keep on your item list
  2. Enter the quantity and the unit (kg, pieces, litres — whatever you're buying in)
  3. Optionally add specifications — any detail a supplier needs to quote accurately (grade, size, finish, packaging)
  4. Optionally note a target rate — what you're hoping to pay

In our example you add one line: Steel rod — 500 — kg, with a note that you need a particular grade.

To add more items, add another row and repeat. You can put as many items on one RFQ as you need.

Step 5: (Optional) Ask for volume or payment-term pricing​

Sometimes you want a supplier to quote more than one price for the same item — a better rate if you buy more, or a better rate if you pay quickly. You can ask for this against any item:

  • A price from a certain quantity up — "quote me your rate if I take 1,000 kg or more"
  • A price for paying within so many days — "quote me your rate if I pay within 15 days"

This is entirely optional. Most RFQs don't need it — leave it blank and each supplier simply quotes one price.

Step 6: Choose where and when you need delivery​

  • Delivery location — where the goods should come to
  • Expected delivery date — when you need them

These help suppliers quote accurately, since delivery affects both price and whether they can take the job.

Step 7: Invite your suppliers​

Now choose who to ask. This is what makes an RFQ powerful — you're asking several suppliers at once.

  1. Add each supplier you want to invite from your supplier list
  2. Add as many as you like — three, five, ten
  3. Each one you add joins the RFQ's invitation list

In our example you invite three steel suppliers you've bought from before.

Invite more than you think you need

Inviting an extra supplier or two costs you nothing and often surfaces a better price. The whole point of an RFQ is choice — give yourself some.

Step 8: Add notes and terms (optional)​

  • Notes — anything you want the suppliers to know
  • Terms and conditions — your standard purchasing terms, if you want them stated up front

Step 9: Save, then send​

Save the RFQ first. It's now recorded, but nothing has gone to your suppliers yet.

Send it when you're ready. This is the moment your invitations go out — each invited supplier receives the request and a secure link to open it and reply.

  • If your business requires an RFQ to be approved before it can go out, sending puts it in Awaiting approval first. Once an approver says yes, the invitations go.
  • If no approval is set up, sending delivers the invitations straight away.

That's it — the ball is now in your suppliers' court. Head to Track and Compare RFQs to watch the replies come in.

Field definitions​

FieldWhat it's forRequired
TitleA clear name for the RFQ, so you can find it later
RFQ numberThe RFQ's reference, filled in automaticallyAuto
RFQ dateThe date you're raising the request (defaults to today)Auto
Response deadlineThe date you'd like suppliers to reply byRecommended
ItemWhat you want priced — chosen from your list or typed in
Quantity & unitHow much you need, and in what unit (kg, pieces, etc.)
SpecificationsDetail a supplier needs to quote accurately (grade, size, finish)Optional
Target rateWhat you're hoping to pay — a guide for you, never a committed priceOptional
Delivery locationWhere the goods should be deliveredOptional
Expected delivery dateWhen you need the goodsOptional
Invited suppliersThe suppliers you're asking to quote
Notes / TermsAnything else you want suppliers to knowOptional

Common issues​

I can't find a supplier to invite​

The supplier isn't on your list yet. Add them in Suppliers first, then come back and invite them.

The item I need isn't in my list​

You don't have to keep every item on your list to ask about it. Type the item name straight onto the line and quote it as a one-off. If you'll buy it regularly, add it to your item list later.

I saved the RFQ but nothing went to my suppliers​

Saving records the RFQ; sending is what delivers the invitations. Open the RFQ and send it. If your business requires approval, it waits in Awaiting approval until an approver signs off — then the invitations go out.

I can't send it — it's waiting for approval​

Your business is set up to approve RFQs before they go out. An approver needs to review and approve it. Once they do, it sends automatically.

A supplier says they never received it​

Check that the supplier's email is correct on their record, and ask them to check spam. You can re-share the invitation from the RFQ.

Need help? Contact support at support@bizconnekt.com