What is RFQ And How A Bids Managing Software Uses It?

Companies rely on different vendors for procuring services or products that will benefit them. As a part of the procurement process and due to a lot of vendors to choose from, businesses look for the best that suits their business requirements. Once finalized, it is crucial to formulate a quotation using a request for quotation (RFQ) to get the best deal for the business. 

Through bid management software, a company can manage its bids successfully at any point. With a variety of features to try out, like simplified proposal invites, easy collaboration with the vendors, seamless notification alerts, and even multi-tier approvals, this software is suitable for both small and large-scale companies and relies on standardized procurement procedures.

There is an automated workflow and centralized documentation and safety control features. Bidders can engage with the company and come with full auditability of the documents. Using bidding management software will also help cut down the time taken to create a request for quotations. To know what is RFQ, read on to know more.

What is RFQ?

This is a business document that invites vendors and service providers to come up with payment conditions and prices for the required services. Usually, an RFQ contains documents like technical specifications of the required service or product, the duration of the contract and delivery dates, and the terms and conditions that the vendor must accept. 

This is one of the initial steps that must be taken in case a company requires a product or a service. Once the vendor accepts it, a contract is created, and the purchase process begins. There was a time when RFQs were to be made by companies belonging to the project management domain. Later, the users of such software diversified.

Today, RFQ bidding software has become so versatile that it is used by government organizations too to procure the best products and services for their needs. Alternatively, they also come in handy to check if a vendor and the product or service meet the internal standards and requirements of the company. Sometimes, an RFQ is alternatively known as RFP- Request For Proposal too.

What is RFQ Process?

The RFQ process begins with documentation where the companies identify clear requirements from the stakeholders and include them in the requirements. Some of the requirements in the RFQ include detailed specification of the products, delivery requirements, quantities, and submission requirements. An RFQ can open to all types of bidders, but since there is a need to streamline the process, companies assess operational and financial risks involved in selecting a company by running a pre-selection process.After the RFQ is sent, the company waits for responses to and analyses the ones that arrive. In the end, the company selects the succesful one and signs the contract. There are some extended steps too, especially when the company can give feedback to unsuccessful bidders and point out what can be done to make their bids better. 

What does a bid consist of?

In the process of requesting and getting a bid, it is important to include details like the features and specifications of the service or product required for the company. Adding a timeline about the delivery of the services is also a must to avoid any mishaps in the functioning of the company especially with the ones that involve the new product or service that is going to be acquired. Details like the opening date, last date, and any time intervals or periods, if necessary, can be mentioned. 

RFQs are of different types:

• Open bid

In the open bid system, a quotation format is followed where the details about the requirements are displayed and is a more transparent process. This is also more competitive but this also gives vendors a chance to overshoot the budgetary requirements of the companies. However, the chance of getting a lot of bidders is high. This also means that companies will have to scrutinize through a lot of bids to pick the best ones.

• Sealed bid

A sealed bid is a form of asking vendors to approach the company and submit a sealed bid. In this case, once the bids are received, they are opened after the company decides to close the process and proceed to the next step. Usually government organizations or companies opt for such a process. 

• Invited bid

In case companies or organizations want to cut costs during the acquisition process, they opt for the invited bid process. In this process, only a select few vendors are approached. Usually, vendors that have a long association with the company or have enough goodwill with the company are chosen. However, since this involves only limited vendors, the level of competition is also limited.

While making a bid, it is important to have all the needs sorted at that point. At a time when a company has a lot to make multiple bids or approach multiple vendors, it is crucial to managing all of them, especially related to deadlines. In such a case, there are plenty of tools like bid management software that can cut down human efforts and make this process much easier. Apart from that, here are some more reasons to opt for bid management software.

Benefits Of Using a Bid Management Software

• Saves time

Time is money. Companies opting for a bid management software come with a lot of steps that are usually automated. Steps and documents involving tender, bid and proposal once automated, can save a lot of effort and time. This eventually leads to increasing the productivity in the team and that also leads to an increase in the profitability of the company.

• Gives a professional look

Some bid management softwares comes with templates that come in handy in case a bid has to be created. A high quality bid can help increase the chances of getting one that is favorable for the company. This will also help the company portray itself as a professional one. A professionally backed software is always prone to being updated. In such a case, stakeholders of the bid will be using an updated version of the software at any given point of time. 

• Added safety

A bid management software must have necessary provisions to allow vendors what kind of information must be shown. While choosing one, it is important to pick one that is accredited and approved for safety. Apart from vendors, a bid management software comes with facilities that allow companies to control the risk management process. Vital information of the company stays safe, whereas the company can just set what is the information that must be shown to the vendors if they want to make a bid.

• Easy to access

A bid management software usually comes with features like a dashboard. This helps keep an eye on the bids to know the status of the bids easily. Dashboards are automated, so this reduces the chances of training additional staff for operating it. This eventually helps cut costs for the company too. Bids managed by a software are stored in cloud storage. This comes in handy especially when the different stakeholders in a company are spread across the world or are working remotely and want to access the important details related to the bids. As long as there is a stable internet connection, it is easy to work remotely and even collaborate with different types of clients spread across the world.

Conclusion

Bid management software is also versatile enough to be used across different types of industries, right from healthcare, construction, energy, oil and gas, and manufacturing. Since it is equally important to have updated software, bidding management software can be upgraded with features like sending bulk invites, giving email notifications during the entire process, and even choosing between operating the software either manually or even setting it in automation. Thanks to all of these reasons, the chances of getting the best bid increase and there is a higher chance of smooth operation of the day-to-day operations of the company, making bid management software the go-to investment to securing the best deals for your company.