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Compare the proposals of an RFP

Put the proposals of all vendors side by side. See the rate of each BOQ item and the total of each vendor, then choose the winner.

Where to find it
Contracts > RFP
Who can use it
People who have the View RFPs permission.

After the bid period ends, you have one proposal from each vendor that answered. The screen RFP - Comparative shows them in columns. For each BOQ item, you see the rate of every vendor. The lowest rate is marked. At the top of each column you see the total of that vendor.

This screen compares different vendors on one RFP. To see how one vendor changed a proposal over time, use Compare revisions of a proposal.

Before you start

The RFP must be Closed or Awarded. Before that, the proposals are sealed and the screen has no data. The RFP closes by itself at Bid End, or earlier when every vendor has sent a proposal.

How to open the comparison

  1. Open Contracts > RFP.
  2. Find an RFP with the status Closed or Awarded.
  3. Click the Compare Proposals icon in the Actions column.

How to read the table

There is one column group for each vendor. The first column lists the BOQ items.

The top of each vendor column shows:

  • The vendor name, and its turnover and website when they are known.
  • Status, and Rev. with the revision number if the vendor changed the proposal.
  • The net amount of the proposal. A green tick marks the lowest net amount. No tick shows when all vendors have the same amount.
  • Valid Until, Delivery, Credit in days, and the payment terms, when the vendor gave them.

Under that, each row is one BOQ item. The first column shows the code, the name, the category, the quantity with its unit and the specifications of your RFP. For each vendor there are three cells:

Name What it means
Rate The rate for one unit that the vendor quoted. A green tick marks the lowest rate of the row. A dash means the vendor did not quote this item.
Net Amount The rate times the quantity.
The page icon Shown when the vendor wrote a note for this item. Click it to read the note.

How to save the comparison

Click Export. The system saves the comparison as an Excel file.

How to choose the winner

  1. Open Contracts > Proposals.
  2. Click the Award icon of the proposal of the winning vendor.
  3. The form for a new work order opens. Follow Create a work order.

If you want a better price first, click Negotiate on the proposal. See Proposals.

Rules to know

  • A proposal may still be in negotiation or kept as a draft. It shows its last revision, not the newest unsent changes.
  • The lowest rate is chosen per item. The vendor with the lowest total is not always the vendor with the lowest rate on every item.
  • Vendors that did not send a proposal show dashes.

If something goes wrong

What you see What to do
"No data available." The RFP is not Closed yet, or no vendor sent a proposal.
The Compare Proposals icon is missing The RFP is not Closed or Awarded.