Supplier RFQs and Purchasing.
Ask several suppliers for prices with one request, let them quote online, and buy each item from whoever offers the best deal.
Getting prices from suppliers usually means phone calls, emailed spreadsheets and retyping numbers. In ExequtechOS you send a request for quotation (RFQ), each supplier types their prices into an online page, and the prices arrive in the app line by line. You decide who to buy each item from, raise the purchase orders, receive the goods into stock and match the supplier's invoice, all in the Billing app.
- RFQ
- Send to suppliers
- Suppliers price it online
- Review & approve
- Choose line by line
- Purchase orders
- Receive into stock
- Supplier invoice
- Pay
At a glance
- Where it happens
- Billing app › Quotations › Supplier Quotes for RFQs; Billing app › Purchases for purchase orders; a secure link for each supplier.
- Several suppliers
- Write the request once; Create RFQ Option copies it for each further supplier, so you only pick who it goes to.
- Supplier pricing
- Suppliers open an emailed link and type their unit prices into an online page. No account, no login, no spreadsheet.
- Into the app
- Prices save as the supplier types; on Submit Quote the RFQ shows as Returned, priced line by line, ready to review.
- Choosing
- Open each Returned RFQ, compare the suppliers’ prices, approve the quotes you want and tick only the lines you want from each, so different items can come from different suppliers.
- From a job
- Tick materials on a job card and click Create Purchase Order: the order opens pre-filled and linked to that job.
- Ordering
- Each approved RFQ becomes a purchase order, linked to a job or project if it is for one.
- Receiving
- Receive in full or in part into the stock location you choose, with serial numbers for serialised items.
- Paying
- Supplier invoice captured against the PO and checked against its prices and what arrived; creditors aged and payments recorded.
Create the request for quotation
Billing app › Quotations › Supplier Quotes › New RFQ
New RFQ opens a request for quote. Add the items and quantities you need; there are no prices on it, because that is what you are asking the supplier for. Choose the supplier, the Fulfillment Method (Delivery to an address you specify, or Collection at their premises) and a Valid Until date, which the supplier sees as the date a response is required by.
You can also start from your stock list: select items in the Assets app and click New RFQ to get a request with those items already on it.
Ask one supplier, or several
RFQ › Create RFQ Option
To compare prices, send the same request to more than one supplier. Create RFQ Option copies the request with all its items and asks you to pick a different supplier, so you write the list once and only choose who else should quote. Each supplier gets a separate request and link, so no one sees anyone else's prices.
Send it
RFQ › Send to Supplier
Send to Supplier emails the request to the supplier with a link to quote online. If you sent it another way, Mark as Sent records that. The RFQ now shows as Sent.
The supplier prices it online
The supplier's link, no account needed
The link opens a Quote Request page showing your request number, date and the date a response is required by. The supplier enters a Unit Price for each line, and can:
- adjust quantities and descriptions;
- remove lines they cannot supply, or Add Item to offer something extra or an equivalent;
- apply a discount, as an amount or a percentage, and set the tax rate;
- add their terms and conditions.
Everything saves as they type, so nothing is lost if they step away. When they are done they click Submit Quote. After that the link closes and only shows when the quote was submitted, so the prices can't change after you have seen them.
Review the prices in the app
Billing app › Quotations › Supplier Quotes
The submitted prices land on the RFQ in ExequtechOS straight away, line by line, and its status changes to Returned. There is nothing to retype. Under Supplier Quotes, a Returned status tells you that supplier has added their prices.
Open each returned RFQ and compare what the suppliers offered: the price per item, any discount, tax and their terms. Then decide where to buy each item, Approve the quotes you will buy from and Reject the rest.
| RFQ status | What it means |
|---|---|
| Draft | Being prepared. |
| Issued | Finalised internally and ready to go out. |
| Sent | Emailed to the supplier, waiting for prices. |
| Returned | The supplier has submitted prices. |
| Approved | You accepted the quote; a purchase order can be created from it. |
| Rejected | You declined the quote. |
| Expired | The response date passed. |
| Cancelled | The request was withdrawn. |
Choose who supplies what, line by line
Approved RFQ › Create PO
You don't have to give the whole order to one supplier. On each approved quote, Create PO lists its lines with a tick box and quantity for each. Tick only the lines you want from that supplier and leave the rest for another.
Example
You ask three suppliers to price cable, conduit and a distribution board. Supplier A is cheapest on cable, Supplier B on conduit and the board. Approve both quotes, tick the cable on A's purchase order and the conduit and board on B's. Two purchase orders go out, and every item comes from the supplier that offered the best price.
Set a Required By and Expected By date on each order. Purchase orders can also be raised without an RFQ: from scratch in the Purchases tab, from items selected in the Assets app, or straight from a job card.
Order and receive into stock
Billing app › Purchases
Send to Supplier emails them a copy of the purchase order, or Mark as Ordered if you placed it by phone. A purchase order linked to a job card or project shows on that job's or project's Purchases tab, so everyone can see what has been ordered for the work.
When the goods arrive, Receive Order books them into stock. Receive everything at once or part of it as it comes in; for each line you choose the destination, such as your warehouse or a technician's vehicle, and enter serial numbers for serialised items. If the order is for Collection and linked to a job assigned to a technician, the technician sees it on that job in Exequ-Jobs, collects it at the supplier and books it straight into their vehicle; see collecting into the vehicle. The Picking List report shows what is still waiting to be fetched, grouped by supplier.
Wrong or faulty goods? Return to Supplier takes them back out of stock, ready for the supplier's credit note.
Purchase order statuses are simple: Draft, Ordered, Received and Cancelled.
Match the supplier invoice and pay
Purchase order › Create Invoice, then Creditors
Create Invoice on the purchase order captures the supplier's invoice with their invoice number and due date. ExequtechOS checks it against the order and warns you if unit prices differ from what was agreed or if you are being invoiced for more than arrived, so overcharges are caught before you pay.
Record Credit Note captures returns and allowances, including a restocking fee. The Creditors tab shows what you owe each supplier, aged into current, 30, 60, 90 and 90+ days, and Record Payment logs each payment as you make it.
Order straight from a job
Jobs app › job card › Materials › Create Purchase Order
When a job needs materials you don't have in stock, order them from the job itself. On the job card's Materials tab, tick the materials to order and click Create Purchase Order. A new purchase order opens in the Billing app with those items and quantities already on it and the job card linked; choose the supplier and send it.
Because the order is linked, it shows on the job's Purchases tab with its number, supplier, status and total, so the office and the technician can see what has been ordered for the work and whether it has arrived. This works on jobs already under way, too: the materials list can be ordered from even after the technician has accepted the job.
Buying on the spot
Not every purchase goes through an RFQ. When a technician has to buy something on the way to a job, the purchase is recorded on the job card with the vendor, amount and a photo of the receipt. It counts toward the job's cost by default; untick Count toward job cost when the same items were also added to the job as materials, so nothing is costed twice.
Questions about purchasing
Do suppliers need an ExequtechOS account to quote?
No. Each supplier receives an email with a secure link that opens an online quote page. They type their unit prices, adjust tax and discount if needed, and click Submit Quote. There is nothing to install and no login.
Can I buy some items from one supplier and the rest from another?
Yes. Send the same request to several suppliers, approve the quotes you want to use, and on each one tick only the lines you want to order from that supplier. Each approved quote becomes its own purchase order, so the cable can come from one supplier and the fittings from another.
Can I create a purchase order from a job?
Yes. On the job card’s Materials tab, tick the materials you need and click Create Purchase Order. A purchase order opens with those items and quantities filled in and linked to the job, and it then shows on the job’s Purchases tab so everyone can see what was ordered and its status.
Can suppliers see each other’s prices?
No. Every supplier gets their own request and their own link, so each one only sees and prices their own copy.
What if a supplier cannot supply an item?
They remove that line on the quote page before submitting, and can add lines of their own, for example an equivalent product. You see exactly what they priced when the quote comes back.
Can a supplier change their prices after submitting?
No. Once a supplier submits, the link closes and shows the date it was submitted, so the prices you review are the prices they committed to.
What happens if the supplier invoice does not match the purchase order?
When you capture a supplier invoice against a purchase order, ExequtechOS flags unit prices that differ from the order and quantities beyond what was received, and asks whether to keep the order prices or continue with the invoice.
Can I return items to a supplier?
Yes. Return to Supplier moves the items out of your stock, and you record the supplier’s credit note against the order or invoice to reduce what you owe, including any restocking fee.
Keep reading
- How a job moves through ExequtechOS — where the materials you buy end up.
- ExequtechOS connected workflows — how purchasing, stock and jobs fit together.
- ExequtechOS features — everything in the platform.
See It With Your Own Suppliers
Book a walkthrough and we'll run one of your typical orders from RFQ to supplier invoice in ExequtechOS.
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