Request for Information (RFI)
An RFI is used by manufacturers to gather initial information about potential suppliers and vendors for a particular product or service. It is acquired by manufacturers in the early stages of supplier selection when they want to gauge the options available in the market and after the initial evaluation through an RFI, choose the best one.
RFIs enable manufacturers to get key information about a supplier’s product portfolio, technical capabilities, production capacity, quality management and certifications, delivery performance, financial health and creditworthiness, compliance, supply chain readiness, R&D efforts etc.
RFIs are the first point of contact between manufacturers and suppliers and they help establish a process-based communication channel between the two entities.
Prospective customers also raise RFIs with manufacturers in cases of procure-to-pay manufacturing.
Request for Quotation (RFQ)
An RFQ is a document that is used to obtain cost quotations and pricing estimates from suppliers or vendors for relevant products and services.
Manufacturers obtain RFQs from several suppliers and compare quotes to get high-quality products at less cost and on time as per their delivery requirements. RFQs include details such as product specifications, scope of work, pricing, quality information, delivery terms, supplier info etc.
When it comes to manufacturers’ prospective customers, they also request quotations from the manufacturer to place an order for their products. The manufacturer has to create a detailed RFQ that highlights product info, pricing, job costing, quality, and delivery timelines and dispatch it to the prospect at the earliest.
RFQ is a crucial piece of document that helps manufacturers negotiate profitable terms and structure formal agreements with their suppliers and vendors.
Request for Proposal (RFP)
A Request for Proposal (RFP) is a comprehensive proposal document that outlines the manufacturer’s requirements, business objectives, scope of work, and job criteria in detail.
An RFP is an invitation to suppliers and vendors to submit their proposals that include prospective product solutions, implementation plans, pricing, delivery timelines, quality data and more.
An RFP has to be clear, concise and comprehensive to the manufacturer’s requirement. This helps the manufacturer to compare proposals and arrive at the best-fit supplier for their needs.
Manufacturer’s prospective customers also raise an RFP to get customized products and solutions based on their requirements.
How does an ERP enable manufacturers to create accurate RFQ, RFI and RFP for their prospective customers?
Quick data access with centralized data management
An ERP’s centralized database allows manufacturers to store data about inventory, production schedule, material movement & consumption, procurement, resource availability and utilization etc. This enables them to swiftly collate critical data required to create accurate RFQ, RFI or RFP and dispatch it to customers at the earliest.
Quoting & Estimation module
An ERP has an in-built quoting and estimation module that allows manufacturers to build accurate quotations based on real-time visibility of Bill of Materials (BOM), material costs, supplier costs, inventory levels, and resources (labour, machines, materials) availability. They can also build detailed cost estimates that include operational, material and outside services costs to support the quotations.
Supply Chain Visibility
Manufacturers get real-time visibility into their supply chains from within the ERP, allowing them to analyze and identify the right suppliers based on vicinity, product quality, costs, lead times and historical performance. Manufacturers can also provide suppliers, access to self-service portals where they can upload relevant data such as quality certificates, invoices, compliance documents, product manuals, contractual agreements etc.
Cost Estimates
Manufacturers can quickly arrive at estimated costs by analyzing material and procurement costs, labour costs, overheads, operational costs etc. using the ERP and provide accurate job costing numbers to their customers.
Document Management & Tracking
Manufacturers can securely store RFQs, RFIs and RFPs with relevant timestamps and version control management within the ERP and access them anytime from anywhere.
Conclusion
RFQs, RFIs and RFPs are crucial for manufacturers to clinch a sale and acquire customers at the earliest. Manual methods of creating these documents disable their capability to manufacture and deliver high-quality products to prospective customers and leave them behind their competitors.
With an ERP, all of these processes are automated, thereby enabling to saving of immense time, manpower and costs to create and dispatch accurate quotations, estimates and proposals to their prospects.
It also enables manufacturers to receive these documents from prospective suppliers so that they get high quality materials and parts leading them to design and manufacture high quality products.
Contact us for a detailed demo on Quotation & Estimates module in OmegaCube ERP
