Why & When RFQs Matter 🔎
RFQs help you request pricing, freight costs, and lead times from suppliers in a structured way. You can compare responses side by side, choose the best option by price or lead time, and send the selected quote information back to your Project Sheets before creating a Purchase Order.
🧭 Step 1: Review your Quote template (first-time only)
- Go to Project Settings.
- Choose between editing and adding a new template.
- Create/edit the template:
1. Provide a name & description.
2. Map supplier-input columns: Unit Price, Lead Time, Freight Cost.
3. Add item-info columns the supplier needs (e.g., Product Name, Dimensions).
4. (Optional) Enable Eco Tax and map the column.
5. Click Save.
Supplier-vs-Info Columns
• Supplier-input: Vendors fill these.
• Item-info: Read-only context you supply.
- Save the changes to the new project.
🧭 Step 2: Select the Items to Quote
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Open your Project Sheet.
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Check the items you want to include.
Pro Tip💡: Use Group By > Category (or another field as Supplier) to isolate items faster—e.g., locate and select all or some Electrical items in a few clicks.
🧭 Step 3: Launch Request Quotes
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Click on Procurement > Request Quotes.
🧭 Step 4: Complete the RFQ information
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RFQ No. – Auto-increments (editable).
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Creation Date – Auto-filled (editable pre-send).
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Submission Deadline (Required) – Deadline dictates overdue RFQ status.
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Ship To / Bill To – Ensures accurate freight/tax.
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Attachments – Add drawings, specs, or T&Cs.
- Alternatives – You can request your supplier to send alternative
🧭 Step 5: Choose Supplier Contacts & Send
- Click on Send to Supplier.
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Email To ➜ select one or more supplier contacts (add new if needed).
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Enter a Subject (required) and optional message.
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Toggle Company Logo on/off.
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Click Send.
Why specific contacts? Quotes go to a responsible person, not a generic inbox, ensuring accountability.
🧭 Step 6: Enter Quote Manually (Optional)
If for some reason a determined supplier cannot input Quotes in Fohlio, but still want to compare this supplier quote with other quotes, you can enter a quote manually.
- Click on Enter Quote Manually
- Select a supplier contat (or create a new one if needed).
- Click on Create.
- After creating the Quote, you can start filling information for that supplier.
🧭 Step 7: Track Supplier Responses
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Open the RFQ later: Main Menu > Procurement > Quotes.
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Locate the RFQ by it's RFQ in the list and click to open it.
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Review the status: Each supplier appears in its own tab.
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Need another vendor? Click ➕ to add a contact and enter prices manually if necessary.
🧭 Step 8: Compare, Select, and Finalize
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Click on Compare Quotes.
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Select which quotes you want to compare and click View.
- Review Unit Price, Lead Time, Freight Cost side-by-side.
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Review the table and decide which supplier best meets your cost-and-schedule needs.
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Create Purchase Orders with the selected items.
Once you select the suppliers, you can click on the Create PO button. From this step you can also choose to accordingly update the pricing and lead time values in Project Sheets.
Note: If you select products from more than one supplier, you'll get more than one PO (one per supplier).
FAQ ❓
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Can I invite multiple suppliers at once? | Yes—select multiple contacts in Email To. |
| Why doesn’t a supplier appear? | Add at least one contact for that supplier in Contact Book. |
| What if the deadline passes? | Suppliers lose edit rights; resend a new RFQ if needed. |
| Can I change columns later? | Edit the template, then issue a fresh RFQ. |
We hope this article was helpful, please rate the article, and reach us via Live Help if you still need assistance.