Supplier Quotation
Go to: Purchase → Supplier Quotation
A Supplier Quotation records what a supplier offered you: their prices, their terms, and how long the offer stands. Raise one per supplier for the same requirement, then compare them before committing.
Like a purchase request, a quotation commits you to nothing. It is evidence — which matters when someone later asks why you chose this supplier.
Where it fits
Header fields
| Field | What it means |
|---|---|
| Number | Auto-generated document number |
| Supplier | Whose quotation this is |
| Quotation Date | Date the supplier quoted |
| Valid Till | Date the offer expires — after this, prices are no longer committed |
| Priority | Low / Medium / High |
| Currency / Exchange Rate | Currency the supplier quoted in |
| Payment Term / Price Term | Commercial terms offered |
| Deliver To / Bill To | Addresses |
| Contact Person / Supplier Info | Who quoted |
| Terms and Conditions | Free text or a saved template |
| Status | See below |
Totals
| Field | What it means |
|---|---|
| Total Amount | Sum of item lines before tax |
| Discount Type / Percentage / Amount | Discount offered |
| Apply Discount After Tax | Whether discount applies before or after tax |
| Taxes Total / Total Charges | Tax and charge lines |
| Total Taxes and Charges | Combined |
| Grand Total | What the supplier is asking overall |
Item rows
| Field | What it means |
|---|---|
| Item | What is being quoted |
| Quantity | Quantity quoted for — price often depends on it |
| UOM / Conversion Factor | Unit quoted in |
| Price | The supplier’s unit rate |
| Tax Rate / Discount | Per-line tax and discount |
Creating a supplier quotation
Open the screen
Navigate to Purchase → Supplier Quotation and click New.
Select the supplier
Currency and terms default from the supplier record.
Set the dates
Quotation Date is when they quoted; Valid Till is when the offer lapses. Both matter when you compare later.
Enter the items and prices
Item, quantity, unit, and the supplier’s rate. Enter quantity exactly as quoted — a rate for 1,000 units is not the rate for 100.
Record terms
Payment term, price term, and any conditions the supplier attached.
Save, then approve
Approve the quotation once you have confirmed it reflects the supplier’s actual offer.
Statuses
A supplier quotation moves through three statuses:
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Draft | Being entered |
| Approved | Confirmed as a genuine offer, ready to compare |
| Linked | A purchase order has been created from this quotation |
A partial order still marks the whole quotation Linked. Creating a purchase order from a quotation moves it to Linked — regardless of how much of the quoted quantity was actually ordered. Order 100 of the 500 quoted and the quotation is still Linked.
The status therefore means “an order was raised from this offer”, not “this offer has been fully taken up”. Cancelling the order returns the quotation to Approved so it can be used again.
Comparing quotations
There is no scoring engine — comparison is a judgement, and the document gives you the facts to make it:
| Compare | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Grand Total | The headline number, but rarely the whole story |
| Price per unit | The comparable figure when quantities differ |
| Valid Till | A cheaper price that expires next week may be unusable |
| Payment Term | 90 days at a higher price can beat cash on delivery |
| Price Term | Whether freight and duty are included changes everything |
| Currency | An overseas quote carries exchange risk |
Compare landed cost, not quoted cost. A quote excluding freight and duty looks cheaper than it is — those costs land on the item through a Landed Cost Voucher after receipt.
Converting to a purchase order
From the Purchase Order screen, use Get Items and select the winning quotation. Its items, quantities, prices, and terms carry across, and the quotation is marked Linked — including when you order only part of what was quoted.
The quotations you did not choose simply stay Approved — only the one you ordered from becomes Linked. So the quotation that is Linked is the record of which offer you actually took, and the Approved ones alongside it are the alternatives you compared against.
Tips
- Always fill Valid Till. A quotation without an expiry silently becomes a stale price.
- Quote the same quantity to every supplier, or the prices are not comparable.
- Record the quotation even when you already know you will use that supplier — it is the price evidence behind the order.
- Attach the supplier’s original document to the record so the entered figures can be checked against the source.