/from drawing
We build an RFQ system that collects drawings, quantities and delivery terms up front, routes each enquiry to the right estimator and produces a quote in your format. You always know which quotes are pending, won or lost.
Arvind Auto Components, Pune
↓Each loop punches a different enquiry through intake, check, costing and approval to a sent quote
Heard yourself say this?Count how many fit.
Five things owners tell us before a project like this starts. Every one you recognise adds a tally mark.
Tap the lines you have said this year.
One fits. Worth a short call to see if RFQ workflows is the right fix.
Two fit. A short call will tell you whether to do this now or later.
Three fit. This is probably worth planning soon.
Four fit. You are losing time to this already.
All five. This page was written for you.
RFQ workflows,explained without jargon.
What is an RFQ workflow?
One idea at a time. Each sheet lays over the last, so the picture builds up. Tap a number to jump.
It works like a job card on the shop floor, except it follows the enquiry through sales and estimation.
An RFQ, or request for quotation, is how a buyer asks you to price a part or job.
A workflow is the set of steps that enquiry follows inside your company: checking it is complete, assigning it, costing it, getting approval and sending the quote.
Software keeps each RFQ in one record with its files, notes and deadline, so nothing waits in someone's inbox.
It also remembers past quotes, so a repeat part can be priced from history.
Six parts,all handed over to you.
Your RFQ workflows work is made of these six parts. The comb lights each one in turn; tap a cell to read it.
Structured RFQ intake
A web form, and an email inbox the system reads, capture part details, material, quantity, annual volume, finish, delivery location and target date. Drawings in PDF, DWG, DXF or STEP attach directly to the record.
Completeness check and acknowledgement
The system flags missing fields before an estimator sees the enquiry and sends the buyer a reference number. A buyer with missing details gets one clear request listing what is needed.
Assignment and deadlines
RFQs route by product type, customer or region to the right estimator with a due date. Supervisors see a queue of what is overdue, due today and waiting on the customer.
Costing templates
Estimators fill a costing sheet for material, machine hours, tooling, finishing, packing and freight built from your own rates. Rates update in one place and old quotes keep the rates they used.
Quote document and approval
Quotes are generated as PDFs on your letterhead with validity, payment terms, Incoterms and GST treatment. Quotes above a value you set go to a manager for approval before sending.
Follow-up and win or loss tracking
Reminders go to the salesperson, and to the buyer by email or WhatsApp template, after a set number of days. Each closed quote records a reason, so you can see why you lose on price, lead time or spec.
- Structured RFQ intake
- Completeness check and acknowledgement
- Assignment and deadlines
- Costing templates
- Quote document and approval
- Follow-up and win or loss tracking
Picture a business like yours,in three frames.
A typical situation, not a client story. The line in each frame goes from tangled to straight as the work is done.
A Peenya precision machining shop quoting for aerospace and auto buyers
Four legs of one relay,about 10 weeks, start to finish.
Each leg is sized by how long it usually takes. Watch the baton go round, or tap a leg to jump there.
Four factors,four corners of your project.
Each corner grows when that factor is on the larger side. The outline is your project's footprint, and the quote follows it.
A compact project. The smallest footprint for your quote.
Mostly compact, with one area that needs more work.
A balanced build. Half the factors on each side.
A larger build. Most areas need extra work and time.
The full footprint. Every factor on the larger side.
The question we hear most:Build on your CRM or use a standalone RFQ system?
The board turns through each option. Tap one to hold it and read the trade-off.
Your sales team already lives in Zoho, HubSpot or ERPNext CRM and keeps it up to date.
CRM screens are built for leads, so costing sheets and drawing reviews can feel squeezed into them.
Estimation is a separate team with its own steps, files and approvals.
You maintain one more system, and the link between the two needs monitoring.
Four things that trip a project,and the fix we fit instead.
Each fuse is a mistake we see often. Watch it blow and get replaced, or tap a fuse to read the fix.
Making the buyer's RFQ form so long that buyers give up
Ask for essentials first and let buyers attach a drawing in place of typing every dimension.
Letting estimators keep their own costing spreadsheets after launch
Move rates into the shared template and retire personal sheets on an agreed date.
Sending quotes without stating GST, validity and Incoterms
Make these fields mandatory on the quote template so every PDF states them.
Never recording why a quote was lost
Require a short loss reason before a quote can be closed.
RFQ workflows questions,answered plainly.
Search the answers. If yours is missing, ask us on the call.
Cost & timeHow long does an RFQ system take and what affects the cost?
Most projects take 6 to 10 weeks. Cost depends mainly on how detailed your costing logic is, how many approval steps you have and whether it connects to your CRM and ERP. Share your costing sheets and a fixed quote follows within 48 hours.
Getting startedCan it read RFQs that come by email?
Yes. The system can watch a dedicated address, create an RFQ record from each email and attach the files. AI can suggest the part, material and quantity from the email text, and the estimator confirms before anything moves.
Getting startedCan buyers send RFQs on WhatsApp?
Buyers can message your WhatsApp Business number, and we can capture the chat and files into an RFQ record. Formal quotes still go as PDFs by email, since most purchase departments need them for their own records.
Getting startedHow are drawings protected?
Drawings are stored in your own cloud storage with access limited to staff who need them, and every download is logged. If buyers send you NDAs, the system can record which RFQs fall under one.
In IndiaWill it calculate GST on the quote?
The quote template applies the GST rate and HSN code you set for each item and shows whether it is intra-state or inter-state supply. For exports it can show zero-rated supply under LUT or bond. Confirm the tax treatment for your products with your accountant.
OwnershipWho owns the RFQ data and quote history?
You own all of it, including drawings, costing records and quotes. The data sits in accounts registered to your company and can be exported in standard formats at any time.
Getting startedDoes this replace our estimators?
No. Your estimators still decide the price. The system removes chasing, retyping and searching for old quotes, so their time goes on costing.
After launchWhat happens after launch?
On a care plan we update rates and templates when you ask, add new product types to routing and review the win and loss report with you each month. Fixes get a reply within one working day.
Works well alongside,from the same industry kit.
Answer every RFQ while the buyer is still waiting
Forward us two recent RFQs with names removed, and we will reply within 1 working day with how your workflow could run.