How to Send a Request for Quote

Why quote requests leak the price you hope to pay

Emailing a spreadsheet of what you want often includes the price you already estimated. Suppliers reply to that number. The replies come back in different formats, and the buyer copies them into yet another sheet before anyone can compare.

A line can also be quoted twice, by accident, because nothing stops a second email about the same request. After the deadline, late replies still get mixed in.

A request for quote in Procurement starts from lines that are already approved and waiting for sourcing. The supplier sees what to price, not the target. One live request holds the line until you cancel it.

Why this happens

• The estimated price is on the sheet sent to suppliers.
• The same line is quoted on two live requests.
• Quotes arrive after the deadline and are still treated as open.
• Sourcing is forced on every small buy, or never forced at all.

Biznsbook addresses this through quotes only for pending-sourcing lines, a guest link with no login, target price hidden from the supplier, a deadline with a reminder 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: Send a Request for Quote

Written for buyers and approvers who need a request on record before a purchase order. The steps follow Procurement in Biznsbook.

1. Decide when sourcing is required. A sourcing threshold in Settings forces a request for quote when the requisition total is greater than or equal to that amount. Blank means never forced. The buyer can also tick Send for quotes even under the threshold on one requisition.
2. Let approval finish first. After the last approval, a requisition that requires sourcing stops at Pending sourcing. It is not converted to a purchase order.
3. Pick the lines. Open Requests for quote and pick pending-sourcing lines. A line already on a live request cannot be picked again.
4. Set a title and a deadline. The deadline is what the daily job uses to expire the request and to decide when a reminder is due.
5. Send to suppliers. Each supplier gets a link at /rfq/{token}. No login is required. The page shows the description and quantity. It does not show the target price.
6. Let them price or decline. The supplier enters a unit price, or declines. Sending again before the deadline replaces the earlier quote. A buyer can also type a quote for a supplier who replied outside the link.
7. Let the daily job close what is late. The job expires requests whose deadline has passed and reminds suppliers when the deadline is inside the reminder window, default 2 days, and they have not been reminded. Demo workspaces do not send those emails. Cancelling a request frees its lines so they can be sourced again.

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: The estimated price is on the sheet sent to suppliers. Repeating this each month usually shows up first in a purchase that skipped approval or no longer matches the request.
• Mistake 2: The same line is quoted on two live requests. Repeating this each month usually shows up first in a purchase that skipped approval or no longer matches the request.
• Mistake 3: Quotes arrive after the deadline and are still treated as open. Repeating this each month usually shows up first in a purchase that skipped approval or no longer matches the request.
• Mistake 4: Sourcing is forced on every small buy, or never forced at all. 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

• Decide when sourcing is required — A sourcing threshold in Settings forces a request for quote when the requisition total is greater than or equal to that amount.
• Let approval finish first — After the last approval, a requisition that requires sourcing stops at Pending sourcing.
• Pick the lines — Open Requests for quote and pick pending-sourcing lines.
• Set a title and a deadline — The deadline is what the daily job uses to expire the request and to decide when a reminder is due.
• Send to suppliers — Each supplier gets a link at /rfq/{token}.

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 only for pending-sourcing 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 guest link with no login 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.

target price hidden from the 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.

a deadline with a reminder 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

1. Week 1: License Procurement with Purchase, save Settings once, and confirm the approval workflow. Then try quotes only for pending-sourcing lines.
2. 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.
3. Week 3: Add a budget row or leave the mode on Warn, and send one request for quote if you compare suppliers.
4. Month 2: Assign Buyer, Procurement Approver, and Procurement Manager. Retire the request spreadsheet for new buys.
5. Ongoing: Monthly review using one supplier on the direct path.

Related guides

Start with raising a purchase requisition and approving a purchase requisition, then sending a request for quote.

The Procurement overview lists what this add-on includes. Procurement software vs spreadsheets is the decision page. Purchase orders, receipts, and bills stay in Purchase.

Industry: wholesale, manufacturing, retail.

What the reminder does

The daily job reminds a supplier when the deadline is inside the reminder window, which defaults to two days, and only if that invite has not already been reminded. Demo workspaces skip the email. The request itself expires once the deadline has passed.

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 only for pending-sourcing lines and the related Procurement capabilities.

One supplier on the direct path

A requisition that does not require sourcing becomes one draft purchase order for its preferred supplier. Splitting lines across suppliers happens only when a request for quote is awarded. Use the request when you actually need more than one price, not as a copy of every purchase.

Write the rule into your buying policy so requesters, approvers, and buyers follow the same steps, and revisit it each quarter.

Frequently asked questions

How this differs by industry