Create RFQ

Article • 4/2/2026 • 17 min read

You can create RFQ in three different ways:

Navigation Path:

To create a RFQ:

  1. From the left pane, click Request For Quote > Create RFQ.
    Or
    Navigate to the RFQ search screen, click NEW.
    The Create RFQ screen appears.

  2. Enter the RFQ ID.

    If you don’t enter the RFQ number, it will be generated automatically when you complete the process.

  3. If you want to copy some details from the existing RFQ, in the RFQ to Copy field, enter the RFQ number from which copy and select the required options.

    You can copyInitial Text , Final Text , Custom Fields , Line Items , and Supplier from an existing RFQ.

  4. Click NEXT. The RFQ screen appears with the selected information copied from the selected RFQ.

  5. From the MAIN tab, enter/modify the required the RFQ Details , Custom Information , Initial Text , and Final Text.

  6. Click CREATE.

The RFQ details will be saved and the status will be updated as Entered. Note that if you have entered RFQ number in the Create RFQ screen, it will be generated automatically.

After creating a RFQ, you need to add LINES and SUPPLIER to the RFQ.

You can configure the Request for Quote Numbering, fromSetup > Setup Options > Purchasing Setup Options > Numbering Methods > Request for Quote Numbering.

Add LINE

You can add lines in the following different ways.

Navigation Path:

Add Line From RFQ Screen

To add a LINE from the RFQ screen:

  1. Navigate to the RFQ.

  2. Click the LINES tab and click NEW LINE. The Add New Line Item section appears.

  3. Search and enter the Item Number and Item Type.

  4. Click RFQ SEARCH from the contextual pane. The RFQ page appears.

  5. Search and select the RFQ from which you want to import the Item lines.

    You can select multiple items and import the lines.

  6. Click IMPORT. All the lines will be imported and added to the RFQ.

To quickly add another line after adding this line, clickADD ANOTHER instead of ADD.

Add Line From INVENTORY SEARCH Contextual Pane

To add a LINE from the right contextual pane:

  1. Navigate to the RFQ and click the LINES tab.

  2. Click INVENTORY SEARCH from the contextual pane. The Inventory page appears.

  3. Search and select the item from which you want to import the lines.

    You can select multiple items and import the lines.

  4. Click IMPORT. All the lines will be imported and added to the RFQ.

  5. A caution icon will be displayed in the RFQ Line row, if any information of the imported line is missing. Hover the caution icon to view the error message.

  6. You can navigate to the DETAILS page and update the missing information.

    The line item Qty will be updated based on the itemUSAGE > Grand Total. If the item USAGE data is not available then the Qty will not be updated during the import.

Add Line From HIERARCHY Contextual Pane

To add a LINE from the right contextual pane:

  1. Navigate to the RFQ and click the LINES tab.

  2. Click HIERARCHY from the contextual pane. The hierarchy page appears.

  3. Select the hierarchy item (Equipment, Serial, Catalog, Stock, and MPN) using which you want to search and add the line.

  4. Search and select the hierarchy information and click GO.
    The hierarchy available will be displayed.

  5. Select the item from the hierarchy.

  6. Click Import. All the lines will be imported and added to the RFQ.

  7. A caution icon will be displayed in the RFQ Line row, if any information of the imported line is missing. Hover the caution icon to view the error message.

  8. You can navigate to the DETAILS page and update the missing information.

    The line item Qty will be updated based on the item USAGE > Grand Total. If the item USAGE data is not available then the Qty will not be updated during the import.

Add Line From REQUISITION SEARCH Contextual Pane

To add a LINE from the right contextual pane:

  1. Navigate to the RFQ and click the LINES tab.

  2. Click PO SEARCH from the contextual pane. The Requisition page appears.

  3. Search and select the item from which you want to import the lines.

    You can select multiple items and import the lines.

  4. Click IMPORT. All the lines will be imported and added to the RFQ.

  5. A caution icon will be displayed in the RFQ Line row, if any information of the imported line is missing. Hover the caution icon to view the error message.

  6. You can navigate to the DETAILS page and update the missing information.

The supplier associated with the imported requisition will be added to the current RFQ.

Add Line From PO SEARCH Contextual Pane

To add a LINE from the right contextual pane:

  1. Navigate to the RFQ and click the LINES tab.

  2. Click PO SEARCH from the contextual pane. The Purchase Order page appears.

  3. Search and select the item from which you want to import the lines.

    You can select multiple items and import the lines.

  4. Click IMPORT. All the lines will be imported and added to the RFQ.

  5. A caution icon will be displayed in the RFQ Line row, if any information of the imported line is missing. Hover the caution icon to view the error message.

  6. You can navigate to the DETAILS page and update the missing information.

The line item Qty will be updated based on the itemUSAGE > Grand Total. If the item USAGE data is not available then the Qty will not be updated during the import.
If the item on the purchase order has been already marked as closed, then that item will not be allowed to import.

Add Line From RFQ SEARCH Contextual Pane

To add a LINE from the right contextual pane:

  1. Navigate to the RFQ and click the LINES tab.

  2. Click RFQ SEARCH from the contextual pane. The Request For Quote page appears.

  3. Search and select the item from which you want to import the lines.

    You can select multiple items and import the lines.

  4. Click IMPORT. All the lines will be imported and added to the RFQ.

  5. A caution icon will be displayed in the RFQ Line row, if any information of the imported line is missing. Hover the caution icon to view the error message.

  6. You can navigate to the DETAILS page and update the missing information.

The line item Qty will be updated based on the itemUSAGE > Grand Total. If the item USAGE data is not available then the Qty will not be updated during the import.

Delete LINE

To delete LINES:

  1. Navigate to the RFQ.

  2. Click the LINES tab and select the line to be deleted.

  3. Click DELETE LINE. A confirmation dialog box appears.

  4. Click Yes.

You cannot delete a line if it is approved, already deleted, or sent to supplier.

Add SUPPLIER

You can add supplier to a RFQ, from the RFQ > SUPPLIER tab. To add a Supplier from the RFQ screen:

  1. Navigate to the RFQ.

  2. Click the SUPPLEIR tab and click NEW. The Add New Supplier section appears.

  3. Search and select the Supplier. The Supplier details will be populated.

  4. If the Contact Email Address is different from the Supplier Email Address , a confirmation dialog box appears. Click Yes to use the Contact Email Address.

    You cannot add a supplier that already exists in the RFQ.

  5. Turn on the Tabsource toggle button, to send the RFQ information to the supplier through Tabsource.

    After adding the supplier, you can see the tick icon in the Tabsource column for this supplier.

  6. Incase, Email is configured in the Tabsource, click the TABSOURCE EMAIL FOR RFQ option. The TabSource Emails dialog box appears.

  7. Modify/Enter the required email address and click SAVE.

  8. Turn on the Via Email toggle button, to send the RFQ information to the supplier through the configured Email Address.

  9. Turn on the TabSource toggle button, to send the RFQ information to the supplier using TabSource.

  10. Enter the supplier Telephone number.

  11. Click ADD to add the supplier.

To view and edit the details of a supplier, select the supplier, and click DETAILS from the right pane.

Supplier Action Bar

You can perform the following action for the supplier added to the RFQ:

EDIT

To edit the supplier detail:

  1. Select the supplier and click EDIT. The Edit Supplier section appears.

  2. Edit and update the details required.

  3. Click SAVE.

DELETE

To delete a supplier:

  1. Navigate to the RFQ.

  2. Click the SUPPLIER tab and select the supplier to be deleted.

  3. Click DELETE. A confirmation dialog box appears.

  4. Click Yes.

You can delete a supplier only when the supplier status is Entered.

To view the print preview the RFQ for a supplier:

  1. Navigate to the RFQ.

  2. Click the SUPPLIER tab and select the supplier to be previewed.

  3. Click PRINT PREVIEW. The PDF preview will be generated for the selected supplier.

ISSUE OFFICIAL RFQ

You can issue official RFQ to a supplier, to review and provide bid information:

  1. Navigate to the RFQ.

  2. Click the SUPPLIER tab and select the supplier to issue official RFQ.

  3. Click ISSUE OFFICIAL RFQ. A Buyer Comments dialog box appear When the Tabsource toggle button is turned ON for that supplier.

  4. Enter your comments and click CONTINUE.

    A popup appears prompting to print a hard copy of the RFQ.

  5. Click Yes to print and No to cancel printing. The RFQ will be issued to the supplier.

If you need an approval before sending the RFQ to the supplier, then you must turn ON the Request for Quotes must be approved before being sent to Suppliers setup option. To directly send it to the supplier, turn off this setup option.
The RFQ status will be changed to ApprToSend, if the Request for Quotes must be approved before being sent to Suppliers is turned on.
The RFQ status will be changed to SentToSupplier, if the Request for Quotes must be approved before being sent to Suppliers is turned off.
When the official RFQ is issued, the RFQ status will be changed to Sent.

ENTER BID

After send the RFQ to a supplier, you can enter the bid according to your requirement.

To enter bid to a supplier:

  1. Navigate to the RFQ.

  2. Click the SUPPLIER tab and select the supplier to enter the bid.

  3. Click ENTER BID. The Supplier Bid Entry page appears.

  4. Update the basic details in the HEADER tab.

  5. After entering all the details click the Create Button. The bid will be created and the supplier status will be changed to Responded.

  6. Update the line details in the LINES tab.

  7. Select item line and click the Enter Bid Information button. The item bid details pop-up will be displayed.

    You can bid or decline by selecting the Bid radio button.

  8. To enter the bid details, click the Bid radio button and enter the bid details such as Bid Qty, package, Unit cost, etc.,

From the contextual pane, you can add documents to the bid entry from theHEADER page, as well as you can add documents for each line from LINES page.

DECLINE TO BID

To decline the bid for a supplier:

  1. Navigate to the RFQ.

  2. Click the SUPPLIER tab and select the supplier to decline.

  3. Click DECLINE TO BID. The status of the supplier will be changed to Declined.

Contextual Panel

This section contain the information contextual items available in MAIN , LINES , and SUPPLIER tabs.

Contextual Panel for LINES Tab

In the RFQ > LINES tab, you can select a record to enable the Contextual Panel located at the right of the window. The RFQ > LINES remains open when you jump to other windows using the Contextual Panel. When multiple items are selected, the contextual buttons will be disabled. The Contextual Panel consists of the following:

DETAILS

You can view and edit the details of a line from the DETAILS section.

To edit the details of a line:

  1. Select the line, and click DETAILS from the right contextual pane.

  2. The detail of the line appears. Click EDIT.

  3. Edit and update the required details.

  4. Click SAVE.

DOCUMENTS

You can attach documents to the Lines form the DOCUMENTS section.

Attach New Document

To attach a document:

  1. Select the line, and click DOCUMENTS from the right contextual pane.
    The documents attached to the line appears.

  2. Click the NEW button. The Add a New Document dialog box appears.

  3. You can upload a document from: APTEAN ADP, APTEAN DMS, EXTERNAL URL, and LOCAL.

  4. Search and select the required document from your preferred location.

  5. Click ADD. The document will be attached to the line.

You can view, edit, and delete the attached documents.
After attaching a document, you can upload the document to Tab Source, to make it available to view in Tab Source. To upload this document to Tab Source, select the Upload To Tab Source column check box for the respective line. Only the ADP and External docs can be checked, which will be visible in TabSource.

COPY REQ DOCS

When a line is copied from requisition, all the documents associated with the line can be copied using the COPY REQ DOCS button. If there are no documents associated with the selected line, then the COPY REQ DOCS button will be disabled.

To copy REQ DOC:

  1. Select the line, and click DOCUMENTS from the right contextual pane.
    The documents attached to the line appears.

  2. Click the COPY REQ DOCS button. A confirmation dialog box appears.

  3. Click Yes to copy the requisition docs.

ACTIVITY LOG

You can navigate to the right pane and click ACTIVITY LOG to view the complete activity of each RFQ line item.

To add an activity for a line:

  1. Select the line and click the ACTIVITY LOG icon.

  2. In the Activity Log section, click the NEW button.
    The Add Activity section appears.

  3. Select the Activity.

  4. Enter/Select the RFQ Line.

  5. Enter the comments and click ADD. The activity will be recorded in the Activity Log.

Line 0 is referred to as activity entered at RFQ level.

Contextual Panel for SUPPLIER Tab

In the RFQ > SUPPLIER tab, you can select a record to enable the Contextual Panel located at the right of the window. The RFQ > LINES remains open when you jump to other windows using the Contextual Panel. When multiple items are selected, the contextual buttons will be disabled. The Contextual Panel consists of the following:

BID EVALUATION

To evaluate the bid:

  1. Navigate to the SUPPLIER tab of the RFQ.

  2. From the right contextual pane, click BID EVALUATION.

  3. The Bid Evaluation page appears, which contains the following sections:

RESPONSE SUMMARY

This section displays the details of the response and the supplier who have responded will be selected automatically.

ITEM EVALUATION

This section displays the item information. You can select an item for which you want to see the supplier bid summary. The awarded item line will be highlighted in green.

UNAWARD ITEM

To unaward an already awarded item:

  1. From the ITEM EVALUATION section, select the item and click UNAWARD ITEM.

  2. A confirmation pop-up appears. Click Yes to confirm.

The item will be unawarded.

The unawarded item will also be removed from the Ready for Purchase page.

DO NOT AWARD ITEM

You can use this option for an item that you do not want it to be awarded to any supplier.

To mark an item to do not award items:

  1. From the ITEM EVALUATION section, select the item and click DO NOT AWARD ITEM.

  2. A confirmation pop-up appears. Click OK to confirm.

The item will be marked to DO NOT AWARD ITEM.

RE-OPEN ITEM LINE

To re-open an item line that has been marked as DO NOT AWARD ITEM , perform the following:

  1. From the ITEM EVALUATION section, select the item that you want to reopen and click RE-OPEN ITEM LINE.

  2. A confirmation pop-up appears. Click OK to unmark the item from DO NOT AWARD ITEM.

SUPPLIER RESPONSES

The Supplier Responses section displays the supplier bid information of the item.

AWARD ITEM

To award an item:

  1. From the Supplier Responses section, select the supplier and click AWARD ITEM.

  2. The item will be awarded and the item line will be highlighted in green, in the ITEM EVALUATION section.

The awarded item will also be added to the Ready for Purchase page, which enables the user to transfer that item to purchase order.
If the RFQ line is copied from requisition, and if the item is awarded, then the awarded bid values will be copied to the unapproved requisition lines, to sync both the RFQ and Requisition. This sync will be processed based on the Setup configuration (Copy Awarded Bid Values to Unapproved Requisition Lines).
From the Supplier Responses section, you can reaward an item that is already awarded to another supplier. If you reaward an item to another supplier, the award will be removed from the previous supplier and awarded to the new supplier.

AWARD ALL ITEMS TO THIS SUPPLIER

To award all items to a selected supplier:

  1. From the Supplier Responses section, select the supplier and click the AWARD ALL ITEMS TO THIS SUPPLIER.

  2. A confirmation pop up appears.

  3. Click Yes to award all the proper items to the selected supplier.

The proper items will be awarded and a result report will be generated to view the details of the awarded items.

UPDATE CURRENT PRICE

To update the current price of the item to the inventory:

  1. From the Supplier Responses section, select the supplier and click UPDATE CURRENT PRICE.

  2. The current price of the item will be updated to the inventory.

SUPPLIER BID SUMMARY

This section displays the supplier bid summary that summaries the supplier bid information based on each supplier. The summary highlights all suppliers who have changed the original field value when entering their bid for FOB, Freight, and Payment Terms.

BID EVALUATION ACTIONS

This section describes how to forward a line item for approval and how to approved a forwarded item for purchase.

FORWARD FOR APPROVAL

Once an item is ready for purchase, you can send the RFQ line item for another buyer for review. To forward the approval:

  1. In the ITEM EVALUATION section, select the awarded line item.

  2. Click the ACTION at the top right of the page and click FORWARD FOR APPROVAL.
    The Forward for Approval popup appears.

  3. From the Buyer drop-down list select the Buyer and click SAVE. The awarded line item will be moved to the Buyer’s Backlog > Ready for Approval page.

APPROVE FOR PURCHASE

If you have received any item for approval, then you can approve it using the following procedure:

  1. In the ITEM EVALUATION section, select the line item forwarded for approval.

  2. Click the ACTION at the top right of the page and click APPROVE FOR PURCHASE.

The line item will be moved to the Buyer’s Backlog > Ready for Purchase page.

Contextual Panel for BID EVALUATION

In the BID EVALUATION page, you can select a record to enable the Contextual Panel located at the right of the window. The BID EVALUATION remains open when you jump to other windows using the Contextual Panel. When multiple items are selected, the contextual buttons will be disabled. The Contextual Panel consists of the following:

RFQ Actions

From the top right of the screen, you can see the ACTIONS button, using which you can perform the following RFQ actions: