Three quotations came in on WhatsApp, and the comparison was done on paper.
An enquiry goes out to the vendors you choose, comes back as rates against the same list of items, and lands in a comparison whose columns line up. Freight, taxes and delivery time sit next to the rate. The purchase order is raised from the quote you picked, and the reason you picked it stays on the file.
One vendor quotes per piece, the second per kilo, the third includes transport and does not say so. The junior copies all three into a sheet at nine at night, makes one mistake in a column, and the order goes to the wrong man.
The enquiry is sent once, with the same item list to every vendor. Replies are entered as they arrive, on WhatsApp, on email, or over the phone. The comparison shows rate, freight, tax and delivery side by side, and the cheapest rate stops winning on its own.
What rfq and quote comparison does.
One enquiry, many vendors
Items, quantity, delivery place and the date you need it, sent to a shortlist in one action and tracked until they reply.
Quotes against the same lines
Every vendor answers the line you asked about. A rate quoted for a different size is recorded as that.
Landed cost, not just rate
Freight, loading, tax and payment terms are added, because the low rate with two-day credit is often the dearer one.
The comparison on one screen
Vendors across, items down, with the lowest on each line marked. Split the order across two vendors if that is what you decide.
Why you chose him
A line of reason against the award: earlier delivery, better material, or he has never let you down in monsoon.
Straight into a purchase order
The chosen quote becomes the order without retyping, at the rates quoted.
What the same item cost last time
Earlier quotes for that item, with dates. You can see whether the market moved or only the vendor did.
The people who open this every day.
Purchase executive
Sends the enquiry, chases the replies, and enters what comes back.
Site engineer
Raises the requirement with the specification he wants, and sees who promised which date.
Owner
Approves the award above a value he sets. He sees the comparison, not only the winner.
It is one part of a system, not an island.
A module earns its place by what it passes to the next one. These are the connections we set up most often.
- Vendor management
- Purchase orders
- Workflow and approvals
- Goods receipt
- WhatsApp and email
How we would put it in.
Questions owners ask about rfq and quote comparison.
We buy from the same two suppliers every time. Do we need this?
Probably not yet. Two suppliers and a known rate need a phone call, not a process. Ask again when a project carries forty material heads, or when a client wants to see that you compared. Our free technology audit says plainly whether you are there yet, with no obligation after.
Vendors send PDFs and photographs of handwritten quotes. Now what?
They are attached to the vendor’s row, and the rates are keyed in from them. Reading a quotation automatically is possible, though it handles a clean PDF far better than a photograph shot at an angle.
Can an award wait for approval?
Yes. Above a value you set, the comparison goes to the owner or the project head, and the order cannot be printed until he agrees. The approval is dated and kept.
Does this need us to change how vendors quote?
No, and asking them to change is how these things die. They send what they always send. Your team enters it once against a common list.
Businesses that ask for this.
Modules that work with it.
Tell us how you handle rfq and quote comparison today.
A spreadsheet, a register or another system: say which, and we will tell you plainly what is worth changing.
- No obligation
- We reply the same working day
- Your details stay private