---
title: Compare the proposals of an RFP
summary: 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.
order: 2
menu: Contracts > RFP
route: /rfp/comparative
who: 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](../proposals/compare-revisions.md).

## 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](../work-order/create-work-order.md).

If you want a better price first, click **Negotiate** on the proposal. See [Proposals](../proposals/index.md#how-to-ask-a-vendor-to-bid-again).

## 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**. |

## Related pages

- [RFPs](index.md)
- [Proposals](../proposals/index.md)
- [Work orders](../work-order/index.md)