The Mission
You received an email letting you know that you are invited to bid but you're not sure what to do. In this lesson, we will walk you through getting a request all the way through bidding. The bidding process starts with an email to you that lets you know that someone would like for you to bid. From this email you will be taken to the RFQ application in order to see the details of the request and look at everything from spec docs to frequently asked questions, providing you with the information needed in order to bid on the request.
The Invitation
Once your buyer has invited you to a request through the RFQ platform, you will receive an email with an invitation to the request. This email will provide you with the name and description of the request and deadline for submitting a bid.
If you are new to the process, you will receive an invitation asking that you create a password in order to log into the RFQ application. Once you have set up your password, you will be able to see all requests that you have been invited to.
If you are already set up on the RFQ platform, click the View Request link at the bottom of the email to view and respond to the request.
Once you click View Request from your email, you will be directed to the RFQ dashboard where you will see a list of requests that you have been invited to.
Viewing the Request Details
From the RFQ request dashboard, click on the title of the request to see a summary of the request where you can either Apply to Request (bid) or Decline (not bid). You can also review the description, deadline, and buyer information.
From this screen you can:
- View a breakdown of what items and specifications the buyer is requesting
- View any documents the buyer has added or add your own
- View any FAQs the buyer has posted
- Ask questions directly to the buyer
Not ready to bid?
No problem, you can always come back to your requests by logging into RFQ and clicking on the Requests tab at the top of the page. From the left hand side of the page you can see requests that you are invited to or see all of your open bids.
Clicking on the "Title" will allow you to view the request and take the same actions we covered earlier to bid or decline to bid on the request. Keep an eye on your deadlines as once the deadline has passed, you will no longer be able to place a bid.
In This Series
- Overview
- Being Invited - What to Expect - You are here
- How to Bid on a Request
- Retracting and Resubmitting Bids
- Declining Bids
- Understanding the Request Dashboard
- Understanding Request Statuses