An RFQ, short for request for quotation, is a formal request a buyer sends to one or more suppliers asking them to price a specified list of items. In maritime procurement, an RFQ is how a vessel operator or purchasing team asks ship chandlers for prices, availability and lead time on the provisions, stores or spares a ship needs at an upcoming port. The supplier's reply, the quote, is the basis for placing an order.
What an RFQ contains
A typical maritime RFQ lists each required item with a description, a quantity and a unit of measure, ideally with an IMPA or ISSA code, along with the vessel, the delivery port and the required delivery date or window. Large RFQs can run to hundreds or even hundreds of lines, and they often arrive as email attachments in inconsistent formats, from spreadsheets and PDFs to plain text, which is what makes them time-consuming to process by hand.
How the RFQ process works
The buyer issues the RFQ, suppliers respond with quotes, the buyer compares them line by line and places an order, and the goods are delivered against a delivery note and later invoiced. Speed matters: because ships operate to tight port schedules, a chandler who responds quickly and accurately is far more likely to win the order. A slow or error-prone reply can lose the business or, worse, deliver the wrong items.
Automating RFQ processing
Turning a messy inbound RFQ into an accurate quote used to mean retyping every line and looking up every code. Modern software reads the RFQ directly from the inbox, extracts and codes each line, applies pricing and margin rules, and produces a quote in minutes rather than days, while flagging anything uncertain for review. This RFQ-to-quote automation is the core of faster maritime procurement.
RFQ versus purchase order
An RFQ and a purchase order are different steps in the same cycle. The RFQ asks a supplier what an order would cost and whether the items are available; it does not commit the buyer to anything. A purchase order, or PO, comes later: it is the buyer's commitment to buy specified items at agreed prices, usually issued once a quote has been accepted. Keeping the two distinct matters, because the RFQ and its resulting quote are what a PO, delivery note and invoice are all later checked against.
