Request for Quote Workflow

How is this workflow audited for compliance purposes?

Every status transition, from RFQ creation through supplier quote collection, buyer recommendation, approval routing, and purchasing handoff, is logged within assess.one with a timestamp and responsible party. This provides a complete, exportable audit trail suitable for internal governance reviews or external procurement audits. Approval outcomes and rejection reasons are captured at the decision point, ensuring sourcing decisions remain defensible.

Who has access to RFQ and supplier quote data within the workflow?

Access is governed by role-based permissions configured directly within assess.one, restricting visibility of supplier quotes and pricing to buyers, approvers, and purchasing staff as appropriate. Requesters typically see status updates and outcomes without exposure to competitive quote details. Permissions can be adjusted at any stage as organisational roles or approval hierarchies change.

How does this integrate with existing procurement and communication systems?

Notifications to suppliers, requesters, and approvers, including email and Slack alerts, are configured natively inside assess.one without requiring third-party development work. Supplier quote submissions are collected via external input forms linked directly into the workflow record. This keeps all sourcing activity centralised while remaining accessible to external parties who do not require platform accounts.

Can the number of suppliers or approval steps be customised?

Yes. The template ships with capacity for three suppliers and a single approval gate, but buyers can add supplier request steps, adjust conditional checks, or introduce multi-tier approval logic directly within assess.one. Notification content, status labels, and routing rules are also editable without any coding or vendor engagement.

What happens if a supplier does not submit a quote?

Conditional check steps evaluate whether each supplier has provided a quote before the workflow proceeds to comparison. If a supplier fails to respond, the buyer can proceed with the quotes received or extend the deadline, and this decision is captured within the record for audit purposes. This prevents non-responsive suppliers from stalling the sourcing timeline indefinitely.

How is the approval decision point structured?

Once the buyer submits a recommended supplier, the workflow routes the recommendation to a designated approver with full visibility of the quote comparison. The approver's outcome, whether approved or rejected, automatically directs the workflow to either the purchasing handoff or back for further buyer review. This decision point is fully logged and cannot be bypassed.

How long does implementation take?

The RFQ Sourcing template is ready to use immediately; publishing it within assess.one takes only minutes. Once published, procurement teams can begin creating RFQ records and issuing supplier requests straight away, with no implementation project or external setup required.

Who needs access to this workflow within the organisation?

Typical participants include the requester who initiates the procurement need, the buyer who manages supplier outreach and comparison, one or more approvers, and purchasing staff who execute the final handoff. Each participant is granted role-appropriate access within assess.one, and additional stakeholders such as finance reviewers can be added if governance policy requires.

What compliance considerations apply to supplier quote handling?

The workflow enforces a structured comparison step before any recommendation is routed for approval, reducing the risk of undocumented or informal sourcing decisions. Status tracking ensures no RFQ can bypass approval before reaching purchasing. Organisations with stricter sourcing policies can add mandatory fields, additional approval tiers, or supporting documentation requirements directly within the platform.