Quotes (RFQs) and bills of quantities

Two tools for buying that does not fit the catalogue neatly: RFQs for items no one lists, and BOQs for lists too long to type.

Requests for quotes (RFQs)

An RFQ asks chosen suppliers to price specific lines by a deadline. Use it when:

• a line has no offer in the catalogue, such as a custom enclosure;
• the order is big enough to negotiate, and you want suppliers to compete;
• you want one supplier for a whole package.

1. Draft. Pick the lines, invite suppliers (LCPP suggests ones that sell the category), set a deadline, delivery terms and payment terms.
2. Open. Each invited supplier quotes line by line, or declines. Quotes can be revised until the deadline. Suppliers never see each other's quotes.
3. Compare. The buyer sees every quote side by side, cheapest per line highlighted.
4. Award. Award line by line or the whole RFQ to one supplier. Each winner gets a purchase order, and from there it is the normal flow. Suppliers who were not chosen are told.

An award worth more than a company rule allows waits for approval first. RFQs can start from a request, including lines left over after the rest was ordered, or on their own.

Bills of quantities (BOQs)

A BOQ is a contractor's full list of materials, often hundreds of lines in a spreadsheet, a PDF or a photo of a handwritten page.

1. Upload the file, or paste the list.
2. LCPP reads every line and suggests a catalogue product with a confidence score.
3. Review. Accept good matches in bulk (for example everything above 90%), fix unclear lines, mark add-ons, and flag lines with no match.
4. Convert. Matched lines become a request. Unmatched lines become a draft RFQ.

The BOQ stays attached to the project, so it is clear where each order came from.