The step where you shop around before a Purchase Order. You list what you need, invite several vendors to quote, compare the replies and award the business. The Purchase Orders are then raised for you.
When to use it
When a requirement is worth putting out to more than one vendor, either because of its value or because your buying rules require quotations.
Before you start
- The vendors you plan to invite must exist in the Chart of Accounts.
- The products you need must exist in the Product master.
- If the requirement came from a Material Requisition Note, keep its number to hand for the reference field.
Where to find it
Entry > Purchase > Request for Quotation.
The fields on this screen
| Section | Field (on screen) | What to enter | Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| Voucher Details | Miti | Nepali (BS) date of this document. Pick from the calendar - the AD date is filled in for you. | Yes |
| Voucher Details | Cost Center | Branch, project or department this document belongs to. Lets you report profit and cost per unit. | No |
| Voucher Details | Voucher Number | Numbered automatically when you save. Leave it blank unless you need to set the number yourself. | No |
| Voucher Details | Narration | Short note on why this entry was made. It shows on reports and makes the entry easy to find later. | No |
| Voucher Details | Voucher | Attach a scan or photo of the bill. You can then use AI to read the amounts straight off it. | No |
| Voucher Details | Required By | The date the materials are needed by. | No |
| Voucher Details | Award Mode | How the winner is chosen. Minimum Cost fills the award rows from the quotes; the others are typed in. | No |
| Voucher Details | MRN Ref | The material requisition this request came from. Fill it so the two documents can be traced. | No |
| Product Details | Product Name | (not explained yet) | No |
| Product Details | Sub Product | (not explained yet) | No |
| Product Details | Cost Center | (not explained yet) | No |
| Product Details | Remarks | (not explained yet) | No |
| Product Details | UOM | (not explained yet) | No |
| Product Details | Qty | (not explained yet) | No |
| Product Details | Rate | (not explained yet) | No |
| Product Details | Amount | (not explained yet) | No |
| product_total | Total | (not explained yet) | No |
| product_total | Qty | (not explained yet) | No |
| product_total | Rate | (not explained yet) | No |
| product_total | Amount | (not explained yet) | No |
| invited_vendors | Vendor | A vendor you are asking to quote. Their quotation is linked back to this request. | No |
| invited_vendors | Status | Where this vendor stands - sent, responded or declined. | No |
| award_allocation | Product | The item being awarded. Pick one of the items you asked the vendors to quote for. | No |
| award_allocation | UOM | Unit the quantity is measured in - piece, kg, litre and so on. | No |
| award_allocation | Awarded Vendor | The vendor who wins this item. One purchase order is raised for each vendor named in this grid. | Yes |
| award_allocation | Award Qty | How much of this item goes to this vendor. Split a line between vendors by adding a row for each. | No |
| award_allocation | Rate | Price for one unit, before tax. | No |
| award_allocation | Landed Rate | Unit cost after freight, duty and other charges. The award itself still compares the plain rate. | No |
How it works
- Draft. Enter what you need on the item lines and the date you need it by, and list the vendors you are inviting. Award Mode says how the award will be decided.
- Send to Vendors. The request moves out of draft.
- Collect the quotations. Record each vendor's reply as a Purchase Quotation that names this request in its reference field, with the vendor and their rate per item. Only quotations linked this way are compared.
- Compare. The RFQ Comparison report puts items down the side and vendors across the top, with the quoted rate in each cell, so the cheapest stands out. Choose the request first.
- Award and Generate Orders. Suppose Award Mode is set to lowest cost and the Award Allocation lines are empty. The system then picks the cheapest vendor for each item from the quotations. If you fill the Award Allocation lines yourself (one vendor, or a split across several), your choice is used instead. Awarding creates one Purchase Order per awarded vendor, with the awarded lines and rates on it, and links each order back to this request.
- Awarded is the final stage, and the request becomes read only. You can Cancel while it is still a draft or out with vendors.
Tips and common mistakes
- A quotation that does not name the request is invisible here. Always fill in the reference on the vendor's quotation.
- The comparison and the automatic award both rank on the quoted rate alone. Freight, duty and other landed costs are not taken into account, so check them yourself before awarding.
- To split an order between vendors, fill the Award Allocation lines by hand. The automatic mode runs only when they are empty.
- The generated Purchase Orders come through without a document number. Open each one and check it before you send it out.
Related guides
- Purchase Quotation (the vendors' replies), Purchase Order (what the award creates), Material Requisition Note (where the requirement often starts), Purchase Invoice.