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AccountManager Requests for Quotation (RFQs)
AccountManager provides the ability to create and manage Requests for Quotation (RFQs) from the time they are requested through the formal quotation in response. While RFQs can be shared by all the users of an AccountManager database, your AccountManager Administrator may have set certain restrictions in place, such as allowing field sales people to only see their own RFQs.
RFQs are part of a group of documents in AccountManager referred to as Business Documents, or “BizDocs.” Other BizDocs include Opportunities, Sample Requests, Quotes, Registrations, and Design Wins. BizDocs can be used to “Copy Into” other BizDocs to save time, and link documents from one program or project together.
Creating RFQs
1. Open the AccountManager database and go to any of the “RFQ” views. Click the “New RFQ” button on the action bar.
2. An RFQ form will be displayed pre-populated in the Header area with a system-generated RFQ Number, your name as the Owner (can be manually changed), and the current date as the Request Date. Also pre-populated, will be the “Quote Recipient” field with the choice specified in your company’s configuration. If needed, change the Quote Recipient by clicking the hyperlink to select another account type. This should be done prior to completing other fields on the RFQ.
3. Also in the Header area, select the Principal and End Customer this RFQ is associated with. (You may also select a Distributor and/or CEM if appropriate).
4. Select an “RFQ Status” by clicking the hyperlink (choices populated by your AccountManager administrator).
5. On the “Main” tab / “Program” sub-tab, fill in the basic information such as Program, Application, Annual Units, and Competition.
6. Add part numbers to this RFQ by clicking the “Line Item” button and the “Add Line Item” choice under that. Fill in the pertinent information for that line item, click OK, and repeat as needed.
7. You may now “Save” and “Close” the RFQ at this point, or continue adding additional information on the Detail Tabs defined below.
8. To email the RFQ to your Principal, make sure there is a contact listed in the “Contact 1” field of the “Principal” detail tab. Clicking the “Email” action button will generate a new email pre-addressed to that contact with an attached copy of the RFQ in Microsoft Excel format.
“Copying Into” RFQs from Other BizDocs
Another method for creating RFQs, is to use an existing BizDoc (such as an Opportunity, Quote or Sample) pertaining to this sales project, to “copy into” a RFQ. This saves time, and if an Opportunity is used, links the two documents together.
9. Open one of the existing BizDocs you already have for this sales project.
10. Click the “Copy Into” button, and then on the “RFQ” choice underneath.
11. When prompted, select the Quote Recipient (i.e. Customer, Distributor, CEM)
12. An RFQ form will open pre-populated with the common information from the original BizDoc.
13. Fill in any additional details on the RFQ as desired.
14. “Save” and “Close” or Email the RFQ to your principal.
RFQ Field Descriptions
(Note: The content and/or arrangement of fields on your RFQs may vary depending upon the “Channel Type” of the RFQ and/or your company’s configuration. See your AccountManager administrator with questions).
[Requests Screenshot 1]
Action Buttons:
(Note: The dropdown choices on your Action Buttons may vary depending upon your company’s configuration. See your AccountManager administrator with any questions).
|
Button Name |
Usage |
|
Close |
Closes the RFQ. |
|
Edit / Save (toggles between) |
Edit – Enables the ability to edit RFQ. No changes can be made until the Edit button is clicked. Save – Saves the RFQ. |
|
Print Preview |
Prepares a Microsoft Excel version of the RFQ. |
|
|
Generates the Microsoft Excel version of this RFQ, saves it and attaches it to the body of an email address to the person listed as “Contact 1” on the Principal detail tab. |
|
Line item |
Add Line Item – Opens a new Line Item. Repeat as needed for each additional part number. Insert Line Item – Opens a new Line Item after prompting the user for the point of insertion into the list of previously generated line items. Delete Line Item – Deletes a Line Item after prompting the user to select the corresponding line item number. Qty Break > Add Qty Break – Adds another quantity break after prompting for the Line Item number. Insert Qty Break – Inserts another quantity break after prompting for the Line Item number and Qty Break number. Delete Qty Break – Deletes an existing quantity break after prompting for the Line Item number and Qty Break number. |
|
New |
Account – Opens a new, blank Account profile. Contact – Opens a new, blank Contact profile. Opportunity – Opens a new, blank Opportunity profile. Sample – Opens a new, blank Sample request. Quote > Quote – Opens a new, blank Quotation. > Quick Quote – Opens a new, blank Quick Quote. RFQ – Opens a new, blank Request For Quotation. Registration – Opens a new, blank Registration. Design Win / Split Request – Opens a new, blank Design Win. |
|
Copy Into |
Your AccountManager administrator can set a configuration option to copy Line Item “Notes” into other BizDocs along with the default information noted below. Opportunity – Opens a new Opportunity pre-populated with common fields and information from the RFQ. Sample – Opens a new Sample request pre-populated with common fields and information from the RFQ. Quote – Opens a new Quote pre-populated with common fields/information from the RFQ. Quick Quote – Opens a new Quick Quote pre-populated with common fields/information from the RFQ. RFQ – Opens a new Request for Quote pre-populated with common fields/information from the RFQ. Design Win / Split Request – Opens a new Design Win pre-populated with common fields/information from the RFQ. Registration – Opens a new Registration pre-populated with common fields/information from the RFQ. RFQ (New Principal) – Opens a new RFQ pre-populated with common fields/information from the original RFQ. The “Principal” and Line Items are left blank so new ones may be added. |
|
Link to Opportunity |
Allows you to link this RFQ to an existing opportunity. (Click the hyperlink to select from a list). |
|
View |
Emailed Items – In the embedded view, displays the emails created and sent by using the “Email” button described above. Line Items – Returns the embedded view to displaying the line items. |
Header Section:
(Note: The Account (company) links displayed in the header section may vary depending upon your company’s configuration. See your AccountManager administrator with any questions)
|
Field Name |
Description |
|
RFQ Number |
System-generated RFQ number. (This cannot be modified). |
|
Status |
Status of RFQ (Open, Closed, On Hold). |
|
Principal |
Principal associated with this RFQ. (Click the hyperlink to select. Choices are a list of your Principal account profiles). |
|
Distributor |
Distributor associated with this RFQ. (Click the hyperlink to select. Choices are a list of your Distributor account profiles). |
|
Program |
End Customer’s program name. (This field is automatically populated after entering the program information on the Main/Program tab) |
|
Channel Type |
Displays “Direct” or “Indirect” depending on selection for “Quote Recipient” |
|
Request Date |
Date the RFQ was entered. (Defaults to current date when creating the RFQ. This can be modified). |
|
RFQ Status |
Status of this RFQ. (Click the hyperlink to select. Choices populated by your AccountManager administrator). |
|
Quote Recipient |
Intended recipient of this pricing. This choice governs other fields on the header, as well as on the line items. |
|
End Customer |
End Customer associated with this RFQ. (Click the hyperlink to select. Choices are a list of your End Customer account profiles). |
|
CEM |
CEM associated with this sample. (Click the hyperlink to select. Choices are a list of your CEM account profiles). |
|
Owner |
Person currently responsible for updating this RFQ. (This field can be disabled if your organization does not routinely pass responsibility between users and/or departments). |
|
Opportunity Profile (hyperlink) |
If displayed, this hyperlink will open the linked opportunity profile when clicked on. |
“Main” Detail Tab / “Program” Sub-Tab:
(Note: The content and/or arrangement of fields on this tab may vary depending upon your company’s configuration. See your AccountManager administrator with questions).
|
Field Name |
Description |
|
Program |
End Customer’s program name. |
|
Application |
Brief description of the application. |
|
Competition |
Competitors that are also trying to win this opportunity. |
|
Annual Units |
The annual number of units (of the end product) to be produced by the customer. (Note: This is not necessarily the Estimated Annual Usage (EAU) of any one component). |
|
RFQ Total |
Computed total of sum of first “Qty” x “Price” of each line item. (May not be exact if “Qty” is entered as a range such as “1 – 99 pcs”) |
|
Meet Comp (Yes or No) |
“Yes” indicates this is a direct attempt at meeting/beating competitor’s pricing. |
|
Date Required By |
Date the approved pricing must be returned by. |
|
Customer RFQ # |
End customer’s reference number. |
|
Principal Quote # |
Principal’s quotation number in response. |
|
Customer Ref # |
Other reference number from the customer. |
|
Approximate Value |
User-entered approximate value of the RFQ (helpful if the RFQ Total is unable to be computed automatically due to non-numeric Qty’s) |
|
Bid/Buy |
Click the hyperlink to select whether this is Bid, Bid/Bid, Bid/Buy, or Distribution. |
“Main” Detail Tab / “Follow Up” Sub-Tab:
|
Field Name |
Description |
|
Enable Follow Up |
Checking this box includes the RFQ in the appropriate Activities views, as well as on the daily follow up emails if you have enabled that feature on your AccountManager user profile. |
|
Follow up Date |
Date follow up is required on this RFQ. Displays in the appropriate Activities views, and includes the RFQ on the daily follow up emails on and after this date, until the document is updated, and the follow-up date is moved forward. (This field auto-populates to the number of days forward specified on your AccountManager user profile when creating the RFQ. Once the date has passed, and upon editing the RFQ, you will be asked if you’d like to move the date forward that default number of days again. This date can be modified at any time). |
|
Scheduled For |
Users responsible for following up on the RFQ (defaults to the creator of the document). This field can be modified to include other users as well. The people listed here will see the RFQ in the appropriate Activities views, as well as receive daily follow up emails including this RFQ as indicated above. |
“Main” Tab / “Misc” Sub-Tab:
|
Field Name |
Description |
|
Internal Comments |
Additional comments for internal use only. Will not display on any RFQ reports. |
|
Attachments |
Files attached to this RFQ. Can also be used to store “live” web site addresses relative to the RFQ (make sure to include “http://”). |
Account Detail Tabs (i.e. “End Customer”, “Principal”, “Distributor”, and “CEM”):
(Note: The existence, content, and arrangement of these tabs may vary depending upon your company’s configuration. See your AccountManager administrator with questions).
The account detail tabs allow you to store additional details about each company involved in this RFQ. Each tab auto-populates with the company name when those companies are selected in the Header area. The field names and structure of each tab is identical as described below:
|
Field Name |
Description |
|
Company (labeled by Account Type) |
Auto-populates with selection made on Header (i.e. End Customer company name is populated on “End Customer” tab, Distributor company name is populated on “Distributor” tab, etc). Account’s address and phone information is displayed to the right. |
|
Account Manager |
Field/Outside salesperson/people assigned to this account. |
|
Contact 1 |
Primary contact at this account associated with the sample. Click the hyperlink to select. Contact’s phone and email information displays to the right. |
|
Contact 2 |
Secondary contact at this account associated with the sample. Click the hyperlink to select. Contact’s phone and email information displays to the right. |
|
Territory |
Auto-populates with the Territory specified on this company’s Account profile. |
|
Category |
Auto-populates with the Category specified on this company’s Account profile. |
“Representative” Detail Tab
|
Field Name |
Description |
|
Representative |
Auto-populates with your company’s information. Phone and address information displays to the right. |
|
Prepared By |
Auto-populates to the user creating the RFQ. Phone and email information displays to the right. (This field can be changed to another user, if desired). |
Embedded View:
The embedded view displays either the line items for this RFQ or the emails that have been sent from the RFQ (using the “Email” action button). Use the “View” action button to switch between Emailed Items and Line Items.
RFQ “Line Items”:
(Note: The Line Item fields and field names may vary depending upon the “Channel Type” of the particular RFQ and/or your company’s configuration. See your AccountManager administrator with questions).
[Requests Screenshot 2]
Next Line Item – visible when adding a Line Item, the Next Line Item Button will close and save the current Line Item and open a new Line Item.
Next Qty Break – visible when adding a Line Item, the Next Qty Break Button will close and save the current Line Item and open a new Quantity Break.
Direct RFQs:
|
Field Name |
Description |
|
Mfr Part Number |
Manufacturer’s part number. (If your company uses the Part Number Lookup database, this could be a clickable hyperlink, allowing you to select the part number from a list, and populate the Product Line and Description fields. See your AccountManager administrator with questions). |
|
Product Line |
Product Line or category. |
|
Customer Part Number |
End customer’s internal part number for this component. |
|
Competitor |
Competing company’s name. |
|
Competitor Part Number |
Competitor’s part number. |
|
Description |
Description (often technical) of this part number. |
|
EAU |
Estimated Annual Usage for this component. |
|
Qty |
Number of pieces to quote. |
|
Price |
Manufacturer’s quoted/approved price for this part number and quantity. |
|
Lead Time |
Minimum timeframe for availability/delivery for this quantity of parts. |
|
Target Price |
Price that you are requesting the manufacturer meet. |
|
Comp Price |
Competitor’s pricing (if known). |
|
BCN |
Bid Control Number generated by the manufacturer to authorize pricing |
|
BCN Expiry |
Expiration date for the bid control number. |
|
Notes |
Additional notes pertaining to this line item. These do display on the RFQ when printed or emailed. (Your AccountManager administrator can enable a configuration option to also copy these notes into other BizDocs using the “Copy Into” button). |
Distribution RFQs:
|
Field Name |
Description |
|
Mfr Part Number |
Manufacturer’s part number. (If your company uses the Part Number Lookup database, this could be a clickable hyperlink, allowing you to select the part number from a list, and populate the Product Line and Description fields. See your AccountManager administrator with questions). |
|
Product Line |
Product Line or category. |
|
Customer Part Number |
End customer’s internal part number for this component. |
|
Competitor |
Competing company’s name |
|
Competitor Part Number |
Competitor’s part number |
|
Description |
Description (often technical) of this part number. |
|
EAU |
Estimated Annual Usage for this part number. |
|
Qty |
Number of pieces to quote. |
|
Approved Cost |
Distributor’s cost approved by the manufacturer. |
|
Approved Resale |
Distributor’s resale price approved by the manufacturer. |
|
Lead Time |
Minimum timeframe for availability/delivery for this quantity of parts. |
|
Target Cost |
Distributor’s requested cost. |
|
Target Resale |
Distributor’s requested resale price. |
|
Comp Cost |
Competitor’s distributor cost (if known). |
|
Comp Resale |
Competitor’s suggested resale price (if known). |
|
Reg # |
Distributor’s Registration number. |
|
S/D # |
Ship and Debit number for this line item. |
|
BCN |
Bid Control Number generated by the manufacturer to authorize pricing. |
|
Reg Exp |
Expiration date for the Registration. |
|
S/D Exp |
Expiration date for the Ship and Debit number. |
|
BCN Exp |
Expiration date for Bid Control Number. |
|
Notes |
Additional notes pertaining to this line item. These do display on the RFQ when printed or emailed. (Your AccountManager administrator can enable a configuration option to copy these notes into other BizDocs using the “Copy Into” button). |