A request for quotation (hereinafter, RFQ) is a step in a procurement process where you invite a supplier to bid on certain products or services. When you know what you want to buy, you specify your requirements in an RFQ. Then you send it to your suppliers to learn which company can meet the requirements at the best price and terms.
1C:Drive helps you register and process your RFQs.
For processing RFQs, use the Requests for quotation list where you can:
- View RFQs
- Monitor RFQ statuses
- Create RFQs
- Change RFQ statuses
- Send RFQs to suppliers
- Reqister RFQ responses
RFQ workflows
RFQ workflow can vary. The table below shows common workflow steps, RFQ statuses that match the steps, and the tools that support them in 1C:Drive.
Workflow step |
RFQ status |
Tool |
Register RFQ |
Open |
|
Send RFQ |
In progress |
|
Receive RFQ responses |
In progress |
|
Close RFQ |
Closed |
Viewing RFQs
1C:Drive stores all RFQs in the Requests for quotation list.
To view RFQs:
- Go to Purchases > Purchases > Requests for quotation.
The Requests for quotation list shows RFQ details. The list columns can vary depending on the list settings. By default, the following columns are available:
- Date. A creation date.
- Number. An RFQ ID.
- Company. A company that sends an RFQ.
- Subject. An RFQ subject.
- Status. An RFQ RFTDstatus.
- Closing date. An RFQ expiration date.
- Budget. A planned purchase amount.
- Currency. The budget currency.
To quickly find certain RFQs:
- Sort the list by any column by clicking a column header. To change the sorting order, click the header again.
- Use the Search field above the list. You can search by RFQ number, company, status, subject, or currency.
To view RFQ details:
- Double-click an RFQ line.
Monitoring RFQ statuses
You can monitor RFQ statuses in the Requests for quotation list. To open it, go to Purchases > Purchases > Requests for quotation.
Track RFQ statuses in the Status column. The following statuses are available:
- Open. An RFQ is a draft.
- In progress. An RFQ is effective suppliers.
- Closed. An RFQ is no longer effective for suppliers.
Creating RFQs
To create an RFQ:
- Go to Purchases > Purchases > Requests for quotation and click Create.
- Specify general details.
- Specify requirements.
- Specify suppliers.
- Specify products.
- Specify additional information.
- Save the RFQ.
Specifying general details
To specify general RFQ details, fill in the following fields:
Field |
Description |
Subject |
An RFQ subject. It helps you quickly find an RFQ by subject in the Requests for quotation list. |
Closing date |
An RFQ expiration date. |
Budget |
A planned purchase amount. |
Company |
A buyer name from the Companies catalog. You can select another company if Use multiple business accounting option is turned on in Settings > Company > Multiple businesses > Multiple businesses accounting. |
Currency |
An RFQ budget currency from the RFTDCurrencies catalog. |
Specifying requirements
When you create an RFQ, you specify your requirements. For example, you can specify the system requirements for the laptops that you want to buy.
Enter your requirements on the Description of requirements tab.
Specifying suppliers
You can address an RFQ to multiple suppliers. When you create an RFQ, specify suppliers and their contact details. Then you can generate an RFQ email and send it to the suppliers. To learn more, see Sending RFQs to suppliers.
To specify suppliers and their contact details:
- Select the Suppliers tab.
- Click Add.
- Enter or select the following:
Field |
Description |
Counterparty |
A supplier name from the Counterparties list. |
Contact person |
A supplier’s contact person. It is prefilled automatically with the default contact from the supplier’s Contacts list. You can edit it. |
|
An email address where you send an RFQ. It is prefilled automatically from the contact person details of a supplier. You can edit it. |
Add as many suppliers as you need.
To delete a supplier from the list, right-click it and select Delete.
Specifying products
When you create an RFQ, you specify products that you want to buy.
To specify products:
Specifying additional information
When you register an RFQ, you might want to specify additional comments. In 1C:Drive, you can do it as follows:
- Select the Additional information tab.
- In the Comment field, enter your comments.
You can also add custom information if the Additional attributes and information check box is selected in Settings > General settings > Additional attributes and information.
To add custom information, select More actions > Change set of additional attributes, click Create, and add attributes that suit your needs. They appear on the Additional information tab and you can set their values.
Saving RFQs
To save an RFQ, click Save and close.
Changing RFQ statuses
As you process an RFQ, change its status according to your workflow step. Then you can track RFQs by status. To learn more, see Monitoring RFQ statuses.
When you register an RFQ, its status is set to Open. Then you can change the status as your workflow requires. In 1C:Drive, you have the following options:
Condition |
Action |
You start RFQ processing. |
Set In progress status. |
An RFQ is no longer valid and you do not expect supplier responses. |
Set Closed status. |
To change RFQ status:
- Go to Purchases > Purchases > Requests for quotation.
- In the Requests for quotation list, double-click an RFQ.
- On the Main tab, in the Status field, select a status.
- Click Save and close.
Sending RFQs to suppliers
When you register an RFQ, you specify suppliers whose competitive offers you want to receive. Then you can email the RFQ to the specified suppliers. To learn more, see Bulk mailing.
Registering RFQ responses
When a supplier replies to an RFQ, register their response. The registered responses go to the RFQ responses list. You can compare them and choose the best offer. 1C:Drive highlights the offer with the lowest price. To learn more, see RFQ responses.
You can generate an RFQ response from an RFQ. This helps you trace an RFQ to RFQ responses and saves time on data input.
To generate an RFQ response:
- Go to Purchases > Purchases > Requests for quotation.
- In the Requests for quotation list, double-click an RFQ.
- Select Generate > RFQ response.
- Fill in the data.
To learn more, see RFQ responses.