A request for quotation software should not stop at sending the request: it should help you choose. DoliPlus, the enhanced cloud edition of Dolibarr, therefore gives you:

  • a multi-supplier consultation — one move, and a copy of the request reaches every supplier you selected;
  • a comparison table of the replies, line by line, with totals and terms side by side;
  • the import of the supplier reply: drop the PDF or the photo, and the prices read are offered against the prices you asked for;
  • a commented analysis from the assistant, which puts words on the figures of the table;
  • a month-by-month follow-up of your requests, compared over three years.

In other words, you no longer compare offers on a spreadsheet corner. Instead, you decide inside the very tool that will place the order.

💡 Good to know: the screenshots in this guide currently show the French interface. However, buttons and screens keep exactly the same layout whatever the display language.

Where the request for quotation software fits in your purchasing cycle

The supplier request for quotation, also called consultation, opens the purchasing cycle of your ERP:

request for quotation → purchase order → supplier invoice

Therefore, you compare several offers before committing, while keeping a clear trace of every step.

Creating and sending a request

First, enter the request quickly, either from the multi-supplier product catalogue or in free text. DoliPlus displays the lowest purchase prices already known for each item, which builds a reference basis. The printed document, however, shows the items and quantities without any price: at this stage the goal remains to collect the expected prices, not to announce them.

Then, validate the request and send it by the channel of your choice. DoliPlus records both the sending status and the transmission mode, and the status moves from « validated » to « sent — awaiting reply ».

You may also clone the request towards another third party. The clone includes the lines, the supplier and internal references, and the custom fields. On the other hand, it includes neither the project nor the contacts.

Comparing the replies you receive

Asking a single supplier tells you little. That is why DoliPlus groups your requests into a consultation, then shows the replies side by side in a dedicated Comparison tab.

Moreover, you can import the reply — a PDF, a scan, a photo of the quote — instead of typing it again. The prices read are proposed against the prices you asked for, and nothing is saved until you confirm.

Both features have their own chapter, which details the line-by-line table, the best offer detection, the incomplete quote unmasked and the commented analysis: Comparing supplier quotes.

Turning an accepted request into a purchase order

Once you have decided, you either accept or refuse the request. Accepted, it becomes a purchase order; refused, it stays recorded with the « refused » status.

During the transformation, DoliPlus also updates the purchase prices automatically, according to what you entered. Furthermore, depending on the option you set, a free item carrying a label becomes a real product or service at that very moment. Finally, a link to the related document appears at the bottom of the page.

Following your requests month after month

How many consultations did you launch this year? For which amount? The statistics page answers at a glance.

Request for quotation software: yearly and monthly follow-up in DoliPlus

You will find the number, the total amount and the average amount per year, together with two monthly charts compared over three years. In addition, three filters refine the reading: the supplier, the author of the request and the account manager.

Clicking on a year opens the month-by-month detail. This page remains available from the « Statistics » entry of the Purchasing menu, as well as from the « Supplier price request » label of the home dashboard.

Custom fields, lists and projects

Custom fields apply to requests as they do elsewhere, and the dynamic tables display them too. Requests linked to a project also appear among the project referents.
Used this way, a request for quotation software stops being a mailbox and becomes a purchasing decision tool.

Further reading

Related Entrées