Creating and sending a request for quote

Written By Timothy Murenzi

Step 1 — Select products in the Library

Open the Library. Tick the checkbox on one or more products (the bulk action bar appears at the top as soon as one item is selected). You can also start an RFQ for a single selected item. Click RFQ in the bulk bar.

The RFQ is built from exactly the items you selected — nothing else — so select the full basket you want priced before you open the window.

Step 2 — The RFQ window

The window has two sides. The left is what you're asking; the right is who it goes to.

Left — what to ask:

  • Title (optional). A label for your own reference (e.g. "Living room seating — spring order"). It appears on the vendor's page and in your quote list.

    • What do you need from the vendor? Toggle the fields you want each vendor to fill. Tap a chip to turn it on (green) or off. Built-in fields:

      Field

      Type

      Notes

      Unit price

      Currency

      Always on and required (marked *). This is the core of the quote.

      Availability

      Text

      e.g. "In stock", "Backordered to March".

      Lead time

      Text

      e.g. "6–8 weeks".

      Minimum order qty

      Number

      The vendor's MOQ for the item.

      Freight cost

      Currency

      Shipping/freight the vendor quotes.

      Import fee

      Currency

      Any duty/import charge.

      Delivery Type

      Dropdown

      Vendor picks one: Standard drop-off, Commercial dock delivery, or White-glove delivery.

  • Add a custom field. Type a label (e.g. "COM yardage", "Warranty") and press Add or Enter to ask for anything not covered above. Custom fields you add can be removed with the trash icon; the built-in fields can't be removed (Unit price is also non-removable because it's required).

  • Respond by (optional). A date. It shows on the vendor's page and drives automatic reminders (see Article 6).

  • Email message (optional). Free text that becomes the intro paragraph of the request email. Leave it blank for a standard message, or press Draft with Walter to generate a friendly, professional intro tailored to the items and fields. You can edit whatever Walter produces before sending.

Right — vendors & items:

Items are automatically grouped by their vendor. For each vendor you'll see:

  • Vendor name.

  • Email field — auto-filled from your vendor directory by matching the vendor name. Edit it if needed.

  • Also send to — if the vendor record has additional contacts (reps) with emails, each appears as a chip. Tick the ones who should also receive the request; they're CC'd on that vendor's email. (Reps are ticked on by default when they have an email.)

  • Item chips — a quick list of the items going to that vendor, with quantities.

Step 3 — Send

Press Send RFQ. Before sending, every vendor group must have at least one recipient — the primary email or a ticked rep. If any group is missing one, you'll be told which vendor to fix.

What happens on send:

  • One quote is created and split by vendor — each vendor becomes its own recipient with its own private link.

  • Each vendor is emailed their link (plus any CC'd reps), containing only their items.

  • The quote's status becomes Sent, and you're taken to the quote's detail page.

One quote, many vendors. If your selected items span several vendors, that's fine — Workroom sends each vendor only their own items and gathers all responses back into the single quote.