After you apply to an RFQ, you can enter your bid directly in SourceDay or complete the item list using Excel.
Both methods lead to the same final step: review the complete response and click Submit to Buyer.
Important: The buyer cannot see the values in your draft bid. Your response becomes available to the buyer after you click Submit to Buyer.
Before you begin
Before entering your bid:
- Review the RFQ deadline.
- Read the request description.
- Review the requested items and quantities.
- Open any attached documents.
- Review the buyer’s FAQs and questions.
- Confirm that you understand the required response fields.
If you need clarification, ask the buyer a question before submitting your bid.
Open the bidding page
- Open the RFQ from your supplier dashboard.
- Click Apply to Request.
- Review the items and response fields on the bidding page.
The request may include two types of information:
- Buyer-provided fields contain information supplied by the buyer.
- Supplier-response fields are the fields you complete as part of your bid.
Required response fields are marked with an asterisk in the column heading.
Choose how to complete the bid
You can complete the item-level response in one of two ways.
Enter the bid directly in SourceDay
Manual entry works well for RFQs with a small number of items or when you want to review and complete each item individually.
Complete the bid using Excel
Export and import works well for RFQs with many items or when you need to gather bid information from multiple people or systems.
You can review and correct imported values in SourceDay before submitting the bid.
Option 1: Enter the bid directly in SourceDay
Click the supplier-response fields for each item and enter the requested information.
Depending on the RFQ template, the buyer may ask you to provide:
- Available or committed quantity
- Unit price
- Lead time
- Delivery information
- Minimum order quantity
- Price breaks
- Item notes
- Other information specific to the request
Complete every required field for each item you plan to quote. Those fields are highlighted blue.
Optional: Add an item note
Use an item note to provide information that applies to one item, such as:
- Alternative specifications
- Partial availability
- Delivery schedule
- Minimum order requirement
- Packaging information
- Pricing explanation
Use the overall Note to Buyer later in the form for information that applies to the entire bid.
Mark an item No Quote
You do not have to quote every item in a multi-item RFQ.
Select No Quote for an item your company does not want to bid on. The item fields are disabled so you can continue completing the remaining items.
Selecting No Quote for one item is different from declining the entire RFQ. Use Decline only when your company does not plan to bid on any of the requested items.
Clear entered values
Use Clear Form if you need to remove the item values you entered and start again.
Review the request carefully before clearing the form because this removes your current entries.
Option 2: Complete the bid using Excel
For a larger RFQ, export the item list, enter your response in the spreadsheet, and import the completed file into SourceDay.
Export the item list
- Open the Export/Import Items menu.
- Select Export CSV or Export XLSX.
- Save the file to your computer.
The exported file contains the requested items and the response columns included in the buyer’s RFQ template.
Note: The item list can be downloaded from the invitation email.
Complete the spreadsheet
Open the exported file and enter your bid information in the supplier-response columns.
As you work:
- Complete all required response fields.
- Leave buyer-provided information unchanged.
- Enter values in the correct item row.
- Mark or leave items unquoted according to the available spreadsheet fields.
- Keep the original column headings.
- Do not delete or rearrange columns.
- Do not add unrelated rows or information outside the item table.
Save the completed file in a supported format before importing it.
Import the completed file
- Return to the RFQ bidding page.
- Open the Export/Import Items menu.
- Select the import option.
- Choose the completed file from your computer.
- Review the imported values in SourceDay.
Importing the file does not submit the bid. You can review and correct the values before sending the response to the buyer.
Correct import problems
If the file does not import as expected, check that:
- You used the file exported from the RFQ.
- The file is saved as CSV or XLSX.
- The original column headings are unchanged.
- Columns have not been deleted or rearranged.
- Required fields contain values.
- Values are entered on the correct item rows.
After correcting the spreadsheet, save it and import the file again.
Complete the submission summary
After entering or importing the item responses, complete the Submission Summary.
Depending on the request, you may be able to provide:
- Bid expiration date
- Discount
- Tax
- Other bid-level information
Taxes and discounts are applied to the bid total. Review the calculated amount before submitting your response.
Add a note to the buyer
Use Note to Buyer for information that applies to the entire submission.
For example, you might include:
- General delivery conditions
- Pricing assumptions
- Payment or freight information
- Explanation of an alternative proposal
- Additional context the buyer should consider
Use item notes for information that applies only to a specific item.
Review the bid
Before submitting, confirm that:
- All required fields are complete.
- Quantities reflect what your company can provide.
- Prices are entered for the correct items.
- Lead times and delivery information are accurate.
- Items you do not want to bid on are marked No Quote.
- Imported values appear in the correct rows.
- Taxes and discounts are correct.
- Item notes and the note to the buyer are complete.
- The bid total is accurate.
- You are submitting before the RFQ deadline.
Submit the bid
When the response is complete:
- Click Submit to Buyer.
- Confirm the submission if prompted.
- Return to the supplier dashboard and verify that the bid has a Submitted status.
After submission, the buyer can review your response.
Need to make a change?
If the deadline has not passed and the RFQ has not been closed or awarded, you may be able to retract the submitted bid, make changes, and resubmit it.
See how --> Retract and resubmit an RFQ