Following up on our previous introduction to ERPNext features where we explored the Workflow feature, this time I would like to highlight the Supplier Portal feature for RFQs.
In ERPNext, a Request for Quotation (RFQ) can be created manually or via the Supplier Portal. The Supplier Portal for RFQs enables companies to electronically generate and send quotation requests to their suppliers. Once logged into the system, suppliers can then submit their quotations directly through the portal. Consequently, the procurement process becomes highly efficient as it is directly accessible and fully manageable within the ERPNext platform. This minimizes communication delays and enhances transparency throughout the entire procurement cycle.
Before proceeding, you must first ensure the following prerequisites are met:
The supplier’s user account contact must be linked to the supplier document.
The supplier must be a registered Website User assigned the “Supplier” role.
The Supplier’s user account contact must be linked to the supplier document.
After that, you can open the “Request for Quotation” menu from the homepage and then click ‘Buying’.
Then, click “Request for Quotation”.
Click “Create a new Request for Quotation”.
Here you can fill in your request for the supplier. First, select a supplier whose email contact has been filled in, then select the items you want to request an RFQ for from the supplier.
After that, scroll down the page, and you will find the “Email Details” section. Here you are required to select an “Email Template”. If you don’t have one yet, you can create it by clicking “Create a new Email Template”.
Then, click “Create a new Email Template” again.
Here, you can name the template as you desire, and you can fill in the email Subject and its content. For the email content, you can use the {{ portal_link }} format to generate a direct link for the supplier. Once done, you can save it.
Returning to the RFQ being created, you can directly select the Email Template you have just created.
Then you can save and submit it. A notification will appear, informing you that the email has been sent to the supplier’s email address.
The email will look exactly as you created it from the email template. You can click ‘Set password’ if the supplier’s account doesn’t have a password yet, and you can click “Submit your Quotation” to enter the RFQ.
After logging in with the supplier account, the supplier’s portal homepage will look like this. Then, click “Request for Quotation” to view the RFQ created for the supplier.
Next, select the latest RFQ.
Here, you can provide pricing for the items listed in the RFQ.
Once you have provided the price that corresponds to the quantity, you can click “Make Quotation” to complete the RFQ.
Afterward, switch back to using the system user account. You can check the Request for Quotation, and in the connection section, you will see the “Supplier Quotation” count increase to 1. You can click on that “Supplier Quotation”.
You can click on the Quotation itself.
Then you can review the quotation prices, and if you are satisfied with the prices provided by the supplier, you can click submit.
After that, you can click “Create” to proceed with converting the supplier quotation into a standard quotation or a purchase order.
That is how a Request for Quotation works, whether created manually or through the Supplier Portal. Hopefully, what has been highlighted this time is useful.