RFI, RFP, RFQ — three acronyms that get mixed up in purchasing offices every day. Choosing the wrong one costs time, confuses suppliers and produces offers you cannot compare. Here is when to use each, and the mistakes to avoid.
RFI: Request for Information
An RFI is a scouting tool. You use it when you do not yet know the supply market well enough to run a tender: who the players are, what technologies exist, what is feasible. An RFI contains open questions and no pricing request. Expect to use it to build a shortlist — nothing more. Asking for prices in an RFI is the most common mistake: suppliers either refuse or give numbers so padded they are meaningless.
RFP: Request for Proposal
An RFP is for problems where you know the outcome you need but not the best way to achieve it. You describe requirements and constraints; suppliers propose their solution, approach and commercial terms. RFPs fit services, software, logistics contracts and anything where supplier creativity adds value. The price is important but not directly comparable line by line — which is why an RFP needs a weighted evaluation matrix agreed before offers arrive, not after.
RFQ: Request for Quotation
An RFQ is for fully specified purchases: you know exactly what you need — drawing, part number, service level — and the main open question is price. Quotes are directly comparable, evaluation is largely arithmetic, and the process can be fast or even run as an electronic auction. Using an RFQ on a poorly specified scope is the second classic mistake: you will receive cheap offers for the wrong thing.
A simple decision rule
- Do you need to learn the market? RFI
- Do you know the goal but not the solution? RFP
- Do you know exactly what you are buying? RFQ
Sequences are legitimate: an RFI to shortlist, an RFP to select the solution, an RFQ to sharpen the final price. What matters is telling suppliers where they are in the process and evaluating consistently.
We cover tender design, evaluation matrices and award communication step by step in RFP, RFQ and Tender Management.
