Compare supplier quotes against the same scope

A price table is misleading when each supplier has silently quoted a different deliverable. Before comparing numbers, create a scope column for every requirement that changes cost or usefulness. The RFQ is the reference, and supplier exceptions belong visibly beside the price.

Define the requirement

List product revision, quantity, unit, packaging, destination, delivery assumption and included services. Ask suppliers to show exclusions and alternates on separate lines. Do not fill a blank with “included” merely because the original RFQ requested it.

Questions to send with the RFQ

Clarify each omission in writing. If a supplier priced only product at factory, ask for the additional logistics scope you need. If another included printing or inspection, identify that so the first price is not unfairly judged as cheaper.

Review the answer

Normalise comparable lines first, then evaluate genuine differences. A quote with a higher unit price may still be more complete. Keep an “unresolved” status where a supplier has not answered, rather than guessing its intent.

An example to adapt

Imagine two hypothetical bottle offers: one includes individual retail boxes and one assumes bulk cartons. Comparing their unit prices without the packing column could reverse the apparent winner after packaging is added.

Decision before sending

Before ranking offers, make a one-page scope matrix with suppliers as columns and key deliverables as rows. Include the product revision, packaging and delivery endpoint. A blank cell means “not confirmed,” not “included.” Send a clarification for any cell that could change the decision. Only then calculate a price comparison. This sequence may feel slower than sorting quotations by total, but it prevents a procurement team from approving a number for a deliverable it never actually requested.

Source context

The U.S. FAR RFQ example ties evaluation to criteria supplied with the request. A private buyer can borrow that discipline: write the comparison columns before offers arrive, then mark every departure from the requested scope instead of comparing headline prices alone.