Keep quotation revisions comparable

Sourcing conversations often involve revised drawings, different quantities and changed delivery dates. The latest email attachment is not automatically the correct commercial version. A revision trail helps buyers compare quotes on the same basis and avoid approving an obsolete price.

Define the requirement

Give each RFQ version a date or revision code and list changed fields. Ask suppliers to quote against that version in the document header. Save earlier responses rather than overwriting them, so price changes can be linked to scope changes.

Questions to send with the RFQ

When requesting a revision, say whether the new response replaces the full quote or only one line. Ask the supplier to restate unchanged terms where ambiguity would matter. If it reuses the original quote number, require a visible revision suffix or issue date.

Review the answer

Review quote comparisons by RFQ version. A cheaper original quote may have been for an older material or quantity. Do not present two different revisions as competing offers in the same row without explaining the change.

An example to adapt

Imagine a hypothetical order where packaging changes from bulk to individual boxes. Supplier A sends a new total while Supplier B sends only an added box charge. The comparison should show the same final scope for both, with the amendment trace preserved.

Decision before sending

Make a change log with just four columns: RFQ revision, supplier quote revision, changed scope and changed price or timing. If an offer arrives without a revision marker, ask which brief it answers. When a late change affects only one supplier's quote, send the same amended requirement to the others before final comparison. The aim is not bureaucracy; it is to make the commercial decision reproducible when someone asks why a price changed after the first round.

Source context

The FAR solicitation-amendment rule records the change and any revised closing date. Private buyers can use a lighter version: number each RFQ and quote revision, circulate changes to all active bidders, and compare offers against the same issue.