The work and the outcome
Offer formats conceal exclusions and lead-time assumptions; cheapest headline price may not be comparable.
Sourcing record contains comparison matrix, unresolved deviations and human award decision; no PO issued automatically.
- Business function
- Strategic sourcing support
- Typical sponsor
- Procurement director
- Working role
- Buyer
- Unit of work
- RFQ comparison with up to five offers
How this work typically happens today
- Read supplier quotes
- Normalize price, quantities and terms
- Identify deviations from RFQ
- Prepare recommendation for buyer decision
How the workflow could run
AI helps prepare and coordinate the work. The review rules define what can proceed and where an accountable person decides.
- 01
Receive the trigger
Quotes arrive for an approved RFQ.
- 02
Bring the right context together
Retain supplier offer provenance and approved currency/UOM conversion policy.
- 03
Prepare the work with AI
Extract quoted lines, minimum quantities and delivery terms; normalize approved conversions; flag exclusions; build evidence-backed comparison.
- 04
Review and authorize
Validate technical compliance, negotiate terms, assess supplier risk and approve award.
- 05
Confirm the outcome
Sourcing record contains comparison matrix, unresolved deviations and human award decision; no PO issued automatically.
The review experience
Side-by-side offer grid with missing costs and noncompliant terms highlighted.
Information and systems
Systems to connect
- RFQ portal
- document store
- ERP vendor/item master
Context the workflow needs
RFQ line/specification, supplier, currency, unit price, MOQ, freight, taxes, lead time, exclusions, quote expiry.
What needs to be in place
Representative offers, approved conversion rates, technical acceptance criteria and sourcing decision owner.
Human decisions and exceptions
Where people decide
Validate technical compliance, negotiate terms, assess supplier risk and approve award.
The approval boundary
Buyer and technical owner approve evaluation and award; no autonomous supplier exclusion.
If something is missing or fails
Unpriced freight or unclear specifications remain explicitly unknown for buyer clarification.
What to measure
- Material deviations found / labeled deviations
- comparison minutes / RFQ
- unsupported cost assumptions count
What to check during evaluation
Test hidden exclusions and unmatched lines; measure buyer corrections by field.
Establish today’s baseline and agree acceptance criteria for representative cases, including exceptions. Count review, rework and operating costs alongside the benefit. Time released creates capacity; a financial saving needs a separate mechanism.
Explore it in your business
What makes bids noncomparable? Request completed RFQs, original offers, awarded terms and buyer time diaries.
Bring the people who own the process, permitted examples and a clear finish line. Together, we can establish the scope, connections and evidence needed for a useful first deployment.