How to Compare Supplier Quotes
Why quote comparison turns into a second spreadsheet
Replies arrive as attachments, photos, and short emails. The buyer builds a grid, picks a winner, and then types a purchase order that may not match the price they circled. A week later nobody can show which reply was chosen.
Awarding every line to one supplier is simple. Awarding line by line, then forgetting to order the rest, leaves the request half done with no status anyone else can see.
Awarding inside the request keeps the chosen price on the line and creates the draft purchase order from that price. Lines that are not awarded stay open.
Why this happens
- Prices are copied by hand onto the purchase order.
- Two quotes are treated as chosen for the same line.
- A partial award is mistaken for a finished order.
- A score or a sealed bid is expected and is not in this release.
Biznsbook addresses this through quotes on the same lines, a quote typed for an off-link reply, one award per line, one draft order per supplier in the Procurement module. The module creates a draft purchase order in Purchase. It does not receive stock and it does not post journals.
Buying problems rarely come from one large order. They come from requests that were approved in email, retyped, and then impossible to match. One requisition, with the decision and the draft order attached, removes that gap.
Step-by-step: Compare Supplier Quotes
Written for buyers and approvers who need a request on record before a purchase order. The steps follow Procurement in Biznsbook.
- Collect the quotes on the request. Suppliers enter a unit price on the link, or decline. A buyer can type a quote for a supplier who replied outside the link.
- Read the unit price. Compare the prices on the line. This release does not weight criteria, hide bids until a seal is opened, or convert currencies on the quote.
- Award one quote per line. Award one quote per line. That sets the awarded price used later on the purchase order.
- Check the budget again. Award uses the awarded prices. Warn continues with a message. Block stops the whole award unless a partial award is allowed, in which case supplier groups that would break the budget are skipped.
- Create the purchase orders. Each awarded supplier gets one draft purchase order. Every requisition in that group must have a deliver-to warehouse. The warehouse on the order is the first requisition's warehouse.
- Leave unfinished lines open. The requisition becomes Converted to PO only when every line is awarded and ordered. Otherwise it stays Pending sourcing.
- Remember what this is not. There is no supplier portal, no weighted scoring, and no sealed bid. The link is only for entering or declining a quote.
Review results after the first full monthly cycle. Adjust roles, mappings, or approvals where the same exception repeats.
Inside Biznsbook, open Procurement and then Guide for the seven setup checks. This article explains the business process behind those screens.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Mistake 1: Prices are copied by hand onto the purchase order. Repeating this each month usually shows up first in a purchase that skipped approval or no longer matches the request.
- Mistake 2: Two quotes are treated as chosen for the same line. Repeating this each month usually shows up first in a purchase that skipped approval or no longer matches the request.
- Mistake 3: A partial award is mistaken for a finished order. Repeating this each month usually shows up first in a purchase that skipped approval or no longer matches the request.
- Mistake 4: A score or a sealed bid is expected and is not in this release. Repeating this each month usually shows up first in a purchase that skipped approval or no longer matches the request.
Each of these shows up as an order that does not match the request, or a request nobody can find. Fix it on the requisition rather than with another spreadsheet tab.
Best practices that hold up as you scale
- Collect the quotes on the request — Suppliers enter a unit price on the link, or decline.
- Read the unit price — Compare the prices on the line.
- Award one quote per line — Award one quote per line.
- Check the budget again — Award uses the awarded prices.
- Create the purchase orders — Each awarded supplier gets one draft purchase order.
Keep the request, the approval, and the draft purchase order on the same requisition. Purchase still approves, receives, and bills the order.
How Biznsbook supports this workflow
quotes on the same lines is part of Biznsbook Procurement. It stays on the requisition or the request for quote until a draft purchase order is created in Purchase. Procurement does not receive goods and does not post a journal.
a quote typed for an off-link reply is part of Biznsbook Procurement. It stays on the requisition or the request for quote until a draft purchase order is created in Purchase. Procurement does not receive goods and does not post a journal.
one award per line is part of Biznsbook Procurement. It stays on the requisition or the request for quote until a draft purchase order is created in Purchase. Procurement does not receive goods and does not post a journal.
one draft order per supplier is part of Biznsbook Procurement. It stays on the requisition or the request for quote until a draft purchase order is created in Purchase. Procurement does not receive goods and does not post a journal.
Access is permission-based. Procurement Manager covers requisitions, requests for quote, budgets, and settings. Buyer can create and submit requisitions and run requests for quote. Procurement Approver can view and approve assigned requisitions. Company Admin keeps full access. There is no separate reports screen in this release.
Suggested implementation timeline
- Week 1: License Procurement with Purchase, save Settings once, and confirm the approval workflow. Then try quotes on the same lines.
- Week 2: Pilot with one buyer and one approver: raise a real requisition, approve it, and leave the purchase order in Draft until Purchase approval runs.
- Week 3: Add a budget row or leave the mode on Warn, and send one request for quote if you compare suppliers.
- Month 2: Assign Buyer, Procurement Approver, and Procurement Manager. Retire the request spreadsheet for new buys.
- Ongoing: Monthly review using after the award.
What you should not expect on the comparison
There is no weighted score, no sealed bid, and no multi-currency conversion of the quotes. You compare the unit price the supplier entered, or the price a buyer typed from an email reply. Cancelling the request frees lines that were not ordered so they can be sent again.
A line that is awarded but not yet on a purchase order is still open work. Create purchase orders only when the warehouse is set on every requisition in that supplier group. The order uses the first requisition's warehouse.
Metrics to track monthly
- Requisitions waiting for approval longer than the escalation hours
- Approved requisitions that still have no purchase order
- Requests for quote past their deadline
- Requisitions warned or blocked by a budget
Start with three metrics; trend direction matters more than a single point-in-time snapshot.
Spreadsheets and email vs Biznsbook Procurement
Compare a typical email-and-spreadsheet buying process with Biznsbook quotes on the same lines and the related Procurement capabilities.
| Capability | Manual / Spreadsheet | Biznsbook |
|---|---|---|
| Where prices sit | ❌ Attachments and a private sheet | ✅ On the request for quote |
| Chosen price | ❌ Retyped on the order | ✅ The awarded unit price |
| Lines split by supplier | ❌ Several orders typed by hand | ✅ One draft purchase order per awarded supplier |
| Half awarded | ❌ Looks finished | ✅ Stays pending sourcing until every line is ordered |
| Scoring | ❌ A homemade weight | ✅ Not in this release; compare the unit price |
| Currency | ❌ Converted in the sheet | ✅ No multi-currency quote comparison |
After the award
The purchase order stays Draft. Purchase runs its own approval. The link between the requisition and the order is stored, including for this award path, so the purchase order, its goods receipt, and its bill can show a leading Requisition node and the request for quote when one was used.
Write the rule into your buying policy so requesters, approvers, and buyers follow the same steps, and revisit it each quarter.
Frequently asked questions
Can I award two suppliers for one line?
No. Award one quote per line. Different lines can go to different suppliers, and each supplier then gets one draft purchase order.
Does a partial award close the requisition?
No. The requisition stays Pending sourcing until every line is awarded and ordered. Then it becomes Converted to PO.
Which warehouse is on the purchase order?
The first requisition in that supplier group. Every requisition in the group needs a deliver-to warehouse.
Is there a score or a sealed bid?
No. Compare the unit price. Weighted scoring, sealed bids, and multi-currency quote comparison are not in this release.
Can I type a quote the supplier sent by email?
Yes. A buyer can enter a quote for a supplier who replied outside the link.
Does the award post accounts payable?
No. It creates a draft purchase order. Purchase still has to approve it, receive the goods, and bill it.
How this differs by industry
Retail
A buyer awards packaging to one supplier and a seasonal item to another, and gets two draft purchase orders instead of one mixed order.
Wholesale & distribution
Distributor quotes on the same lines are awarded per line, so the purchase order price is the price that was awarded.
Manufacturing
Component quotes stay on the request until every line is ordered, so a half-awarded requisition is still visible as pending sourcing.