---
title: Request for quotation (RFQ)
summary: Ask several suppliers for prices on the same materials, approve the request, and follow it until the bidding closes.
menu: Procurements > RFQ
route: /rfq
who: People who have the View RFQs permission. Creating needs Add, editing needs Edit, deleting needs Delete. Approving, rejecting and archiving need Approve.
---

A request for quotation (RFQ) asks suppliers for their price on a list of materials. You send one RFQ to several suppliers and compare their answers. Each answer is a [quotation](../quotation/index.md). For example, Acme asks Alder Steel Works and two other suppliers for a price on 20 tonnes of steel bars for Acme Heights.

Use an RFQ when you want to compare prices. If you already know the supplier and the rate, you can skip the RFQ and make a [purchase order](../purchase-order/index.md) directly.

![The RFQ list. Mark 1 is the Create button. Marks 2 to 4 are the row icons to edit, approve or reject, and see the details.](../media/rfq-list.png)

## How the RFQ flow works

1. Create the RFQ. See [Create an RFQ](create-rfq.md). Save it as a draft, or save it for approval.
2. A person with the Approve permission approves it.
3. When the bid start time comes, the RFQ goes **Live**. Each supplier gets an e-mail with a link to answer.
4. When the bid end time comes, the RFQ becomes **Closed**.
5. Compare the quotations. See [Compare quotations of an RFQ](compare-quotations.md).
6. Choose the winner. On the [Quotations](../quotation/index.md) screen, click **Mark Awarded** on the best quotation. This opens a purchase order.

## Before you start

- A project must exist and you must select it.
- The suppliers must exist and have an e-mail address. Suppliers without an e-mail address are not shown in the list of vendors.
- You need the resources (materials) in the system.

## How to approve or reject an RFQ

1. Open **Procurements > RFQ**.
2. Find the RFQ. Its status must be **Pending**, **Rejected** or **Approved**.
3. Click the **Approve / Reject** icon (mark 3 in the picture of the list).
4. Choose **Approve** or **Reject** in the small menu that opens.
5. Click **Confirm** in the window **Confirm Action**.

![The small menu that opens from the Approve / Reject icon (mark 1).](../media/rfq-approve-menu.png)

What happens next:

- **Approve** sets the status to **Approved**. If the bid start time has already passed, the RFQ goes **Live** at once. The suppliers get their invitation by e-mail.
- **Reject** sets the status to **Rejected**. The system marks every quotation of this RFQ as **Not Submitted**.

> **Warning:** You cannot approve an RFQ after its bid end time. The screen then shows "Cannot Accept the RFQ after the End Date."

## How to delete or archive an RFQ

1. Click the **Delete** icon to remove the RFQ. Click **Confirm** to finish. The quotations of the RFQ stay in the system. They lose the link to the RFQ.
2. Click the **Archive** icon to hide the RFQ from the default list. Click **Confirm** to finish. Archiving needs the Approve permission.
3. To get an archived RFQ back, choose **Archived** in the filter at the bottom of the table, then click the **Un-Archive** icon.

The **Delete** icon is shown in the list while the RFQ is not yet **Live**. In the details panel, **Delete** is offered only for **Draft**, **Pending** and **Rejected** RFQs.

## How to see the details of an RFQ

Click a row, or click the **More Detail** icon (mark 4 in the picture of the list). A panel opens. It has these parts:

- **Items**: the materials, with **Quantity**, **Target price**, **Net amount** and **Total amount**.
- **Other details**: project, bid type, bid start, bid end, delivery date, who created it, and notes.
- **Attachments**, **Remarks** and **Bid terms**.
- **Quotations**: one entry for each supplier, with its net amount and status. The lines of a quotation are shown only after the RFQ is closed and the supplier has submitted.

To make a new RFQ from an old one, click **Duplicate** in the panel. It opens the form with the data of the old RFQ.

![The details panel of an RFQ, with its parts Items, Other details and Quotations.](../media/rfq-detail.png)

## What the columns mean

| Name | What it means |
| --- | --- |
| **Created On** | The date the RFQ was made. |
| **RFQ No** | The number of the RFQ. A number in brackets after it is the revision. |
| **Title** | The name you gave the RFQ. |
| **Bid Start** | When suppliers can start to answer. |
| **Bid End** | The last time suppliers can answer. |
| **Status** | Where the RFQ is in the flow. |
| **Approved By** | The person who last changed the status. |
| **Actions** | Icons for edit, delete, compare, archive, approve or reject, and details. |

The list shows **Active** RFQs by default. The filter below the table also offers **All** and **Archived**. The **Project** column is hidden by default. Show it with the column selector below the table. **Export to CSV** saves the list as a file.

## Rules to know

| Status | What it means |
| --- | --- |
| **Draft** | You are still preparing the RFQ. Nothing is sent. |
| **Pending** | The RFQ waits for approval. |
| **Rejected** | An approver refused the RFQ. |
| **Approved** | The RFQ is approved. It waits for the bid start time. |
| **Live** | Suppliers can answer now. |
| **Closed** | The bid end time has passed. You can compare the quotations. |
| **Awarded** | A winner has been chosen. |

- The **Compare Quotation** icon appears when the RFQ is **Closed** or **Awarded**.
- When you edit an RFQ that is not a draft, it goes back to **Pending** for approval again. If it was already past **Pending**, its revision number goes up by 1.
- Suppliers cannot see each other's quotations. You also cannot see the prices of a quotation until the RFQ is closed and the supplier has submitted it.
- If you change the bid start or end time, the automatic change to **Live** or **Closed** that was planned is cancelled. Approve the RFQ again.
- When the bid end time comes, quotations that are still **Draft**, **Delivered** or **Pending** become **Not Submitted**.

## If something goes wrong

| What you see | What to do |
| --- | --- |
| Cannot Accept the RFQ after the End Date. | Edit the RFQ and set a bid end time in the future. Then approve it again. |
| No **Approve / Reject** icon | The status is **Draft**, or you do not have the Approve permission. |
| A supplier is not in the vendor list | Add an e-mail address to the supplier. Suppliers without e-mail are not listed. |
| No **Compare Quotation** icon | The RFQ is not yet **Closed** or **Awarded**. |

## Related pages

- [Create an RFQ](create-rfq.md)
- [Compare quotations of an RFQ](compare-quotations.md)
- [Material indents](../material-indent/index.md)
- [Quotations](../quotation/index.md)
- [Purchase orders](../purchase-order/index.md)