RFQ or Purchase Order? Use an RFQ when you don’t yet know the price or terms and need the supplier to quote before you commit. Use a Purchase Order once you have agreed pricing and are formally placing an order. An RFQ is the step before a Purchase Order, not a replacement for one.
Statuses
RFQs have a straightforward two-status lifecycle:Creating an RFQ
1
Go to RFQs
In the left-hand navigation, select Purchasing → RFQs.
2
Start a new RFQ
Select New Request for Quotation to open the creation form.
3
Choose a supplier and set the RFQ date
Select the Supplier you are approaching and set the RFQ Date — the date the request is being made.
4
Set an expiry date (optional)
Optionally set an Expiry Date — the deadline by which you need the supplier to respond. The expiry date must be on or after the RFQ date.
5
Save and enter the editor
Select Save. Grow CRM takes you into the RFQ document editor, where you can add the items you need quoted.
The Document Editor
The RFQ editor is intentionally simpler than the Purchase Order editor — there are no prices, tax, or discount fields, because those are what you’re asking the supplier to provide.- Line items — each row represents one item you need a quote for. Fill in:
- Description — what the item is.
- Quantity — how many you need.
- Unit — the unit of measurement (for example, “boxes”, “hours”, “kg”, “metres”). This helps the supplier understand exactly what you’re asking for.
- Add as many rows as you need, and remove any rows that don’t apply.
- Special Instructions & Requirements — a free-text area at the bottom of the document where you can provide anything the supplier needs to know before quoting: delivery deadlines, technical specifications, packaging requirements, or any other constraints relevant to this request.
Sending an RFQ
When your RFQ is ready, send it to the supplier directly from Grow CRM. While the RFQ is in Draft status, select Send RFQ from the document page. This:- Emails the RFQ to the supplier’s email address on file, with a PDF of the request attached.
- Sets the RFQ’s status to Sent.
Managing an RFQ
Once an RFQ has been created, the following actions are available from the document page to help you manage it.Download PDF
Download PDF
Download a PDF copy of the RFQ to your device. Use this to file it externally, attach it to a different email, or print it for your records.
Edit (Supplier and Dates)
Edit (Supplier and Dates)
Use Edit to change the Supplier, RFQ Date, or Expiry Date for this request. To update the line items or the Special Instructions text, make your changes directly in the document editor on the RFQ page.
Change Status
Change Status
Use Change Status to move the RFQ between Draft and Sent manually. This is useful if, for example, you need to revert an RFQ back to Draft to make changes before resending it.
Delete
Delete
Deleting an RFQ permanently removes it along with all of its line items. This action cannot be undone, so confirm before proceeding.
