How to manage a freight RFQ from request to accepted quote

Direct answer

A freight RFQ needs one record that follows the request from the client's first message to the accepted quote. That record holds the shipment details, every supplier it was sent to, every quote that came back in a comparable format, the client-facing quote built from the chosen one, and the current status. When those things live in different inboxes and spreadsheet tabs, quotes get lost, comparisons are apples to oranges and follow-up depends on memory.

This guide walks the workflow step by step and points out where it usually breaks. It describes a process, not a product feature list; how it is digitised for your operation is scoped per project.

Step 1: Capture the required RFQ fields

Most back-and-forth with suppliers comes from a request that was incomplete. Decide the minimum fields and do not send an RFQ until they exist. Missing fields are the single biggest source of revised quotes.

• Client and contact, and who internally owns this RFQ
• Origin and destination, with the precise pickup and delivery points, not only cities
• Cargo: what it is, packaging, quantity, weight and dimensions (or container type and count)
• Requested mode and any preferred timing or ready date
• Incoterms or an explicit statement of who handles what at each end
• Special handling: temperature, hazardous goods, oversize, insurance needs
• Documents the client can supply and any known customs or paperwork constraints
• Deadline by which the client needs your quote

Step 2: Send to the right suppliers, once

Send the same structured request to each supplier so their answers can be compared. Record who you sent it to and when. Decide the shortlist by lane and cargo type rather than by whoever answered last time; a supplier who does not handle the cargo will waste both sides' time.

Set a reply-by time in the request itself, and log it on the record so follow-up becomes a rule ("no reply by X, nudge once") rather than a mood.

Step 3: Collect and normalise the quotes

Quotes arrive as email text, PDF attachments, screenshots and spreadsheet rows, each with different structure. Normalisation means entering each into the same fields so they line up.

• Supplier name and quote reference, date received and validity period
• Currency, and whether each charge is per shipment, per container, per kilo or per pallet
• Every line item separately: main freight, origin charges, destination charges, surcharges, fees
• Transit time and any stated service level, with the departure or cut-off information given
• What the quote explicitly excludes, and the conditions it depends on
• Free text notes exactly as stated, kept alongside the structured fields

Step 4: Compare all-in cost, not headline rate

The cheapest headline is often not the cheapest shipment. Compare on total landed cost for the same scope. A quote that leaves out destination charges or customs handling looks lower until the extras arrive.

A simple discipline: for each quote, write down what is included and excluded, convert to one currency using a rate and date you record, and then add the known extras to bring every option to the same scope. Only then rank. Also weigh transit time, reliability, validity window and how clear the supplier's terms are; the lowest number is not automatically the best choice.

Step 5: Assemble the client quote

The client quote is a separate document built from the chosen supplier quote, not a forwarded copy. Keep the link between the two on the record so you can always see which supplier line item supports which client line item. State the validity period, the assumptions and the exclusions clearly, so the client knows exactly what the price covers.

How you price your own service on top of supplier cost is your business decision and is outside this guide.

Step 6: Follow-up and status

An RFQ should always be in exactly one state, for example: draft, sent to suppliers, quotes in, quoted to client, accepted, declined, expired. Each state has a next action and an owner. That single habit removes most of the "where is this one?" questions.

• Supplier follow-up when no reply arrives by the reply-by time
• Client follow-up before the client quote's validity expires
• A clear reason recorded when an RFQ is declined or lost, so patterns show up later
• Expired quotes flagged rather than silently reused

What breaks in spreadsheets

Spreadsheets handle the first ten RFQs well. They break when the volume rises or several people touch the same request.

• Quotes live in email, so the sheet is always slightly behind reality
• Two people edit different versions of the same request
• There is no automatic reminder, so follow-up is only as reliable as memory
• Comparison columns differ per row because each supplier quoted in its own way
• History is lost: you cannot easily see which suppliers usually answer, or how long they take

Where software helps, and where it does not

A purpose-built RFQ workflow enforces the required fields, keeps every quote against one record, supports side-by-side comparison, and drives reminders. It does not replace commercial judgement about which supplier to trust. Whether any external system, carrier feed or rate source is connected depends on whether an API exists and is scoped per project; we do not assume such connections.

This is the kind of workflow logistics software development is built around.