RFI vs RFP vs RFQ: when to use each in the sourcing process

Last updated: January 2026

Sourcing is one of procurement’s core capabilities, and it directly influences how organizations allocate spend and choose suppliers. But the terminology around sourcing (especially abbreviations) can be confusing for stakeholders, internal teams, and suppliers.

Even within procurement, there’s often debate about when to use each document type. This guide breaks it down clearly and shows how RFIs, RFPs, and RFQs fit together in a modern eSourcing process. ‍

The simplest way to remember it

• RFI: “I know I have a problem, but I’m not sure who can solve it.”

• RFP: “I know who might solve it, but I need to understand how they’d do it.”

• RFQ: “I know what I want and who can deliver it. Now I need pricing and commercial terms.”

The distinct stages of the sourcing process

Most sourcing projects follow a predictable structure—from early discovery to commercial award and negotiation. The steps below reflect a typical workflow that procurement teams use for both tactical projects and strategic events.

At a glance: where each step fits

Request for Information (RFI): Discovery + qualification

Request for Proposal (RFP): Solution + evaluation

Request for Quotation (RFQ): Commercial + pricing

Negotiation: Final alignment + award decision

Step 1: Request for Information (RFI)

An RFI is used early in the sourcing process, when the goal is to understand the market and clarify available options before narrowing the supplier set. It helps teams learn how suppliers operate, what capabilities exist, and which vendors are worth taking into a competitive process.

In practice, teams use an RFI to explore potential suppliers or approaches, qualify vendors before running a competitive event, gather baseline capability and compliance information, and reduce risk before investing time in an RFP or RFQ.

An RFI typically includes:

• company background and core capabilities
• high-level requirements or scope
• certifications, compliance, and constraints
• initial timelines and process expectations
  

By clarifying the landscape upfront, RFIs set the foundation for more focused and efficient downstream evaluation.

Step 2: Request for Proposal (RFP)

An RFP is used once requirements are clearer and teams are ready to evaluate how suppliers would meet them—beyond price alone. This stage focuses on solution quality, delivery approach, and overall fit.

RFPs are most effective when the scope is defined but solutions may differ, and when technical approach, service model, sustainability, or risk considerations matter alongside cost.

An RFP typically includes:

• detailed requirements and evaluation criteria
• technical and operational questions
• sustainability or compliance questions (if relevant)
• requested implementation plans, timelines, and assumptions
  

Tip: Modern eSourcing tools can speed up RFx setup by generating questionnaires, delivering smart recommendations, and delivering instant RFP summaries so teams spend less time on admin and more time on strategy and supplier relationships.  

Step 3: Request for Quotation (RFQ)

An RFQ is used when the solution is clearly defined and the primary goal is to compare commercial offers. This stage emphasizes pricing, terms, and clean comparability across suppliers.

RFQs work best when specifications are standardized, the main variable is price or commercial structure, and teams want a clear, side-by-side view of offers.

An RFQ typically includes:

• item or service specifications
• pricing structure requests (unit pricing, tiers, volumes)
• logistics or service terms, lead times, and Incoterms (if applicable)
• contract and payment requirements
  

For more complex events, teams often go beyond simple comparisons and evaluate multiple award scenarios across cost, constraints, and service levels.

Step 4: Negotiations

Negotiation begins once suppliers have been evaluated and the most competitive options are clear. At this stage, teams refine offers and align on final terms before award.

Negotiations typically focus on final pricing improvements, term refinement (such as payment, lead times, or service levels), risk and compliance clarification, and trade-offs between different award scenarios.

For many teams, this is where time gets lost—especially when evaluation outputs aren’t easy to explain or defend. Structured bid evaluation keeps negotiations moving, supports clearer trade-offs, and makes final decisions easier to justify internally.

Common challenges in the sourcing process

Even well-run sourcing projects can slow down when teams face the same friction points:

• Too much manual work: building documents, consolidating responses, managing versions

• Limited visibility: hard to compare suppliers consistently across criteria

• Slow stakeholder alignment: approvals and governance happen late or off-platform

• Difficult award decisions: tradeoffs aren’t transparent, and decisions are hard to justify

• Negotiations drag on: multiple rounds become repetitive and unstructured

Bringing the process together

RFI, RFP, and RFQ are not interchangeable. Each serves a distinct purpose at a specific point in the sourcing workflow, and using the right document at the right time creates momentum rather than friction.

When the process is clear, procurement teams can move faster with less rework, suppliers know what’s expected of them, and evaluations become easier to explain and defend. Instead of stretching negotiations or revisiting earlier steps, teams can progress confidently from discovery to award with fewer delays and clearer decisions.

A structured approach improve efficiency and creates consistency, transparency, and better outcomes across sourcing events.

Turning sourcing into a competitive advantage

There is a different path forward. By simplifying and automating sourcing analytics and scenario optimization, Procurement can increase the efficiency and impact of the sourcing process. Rather than cutting suppliers at each stage of the process, advanced sourcing analytics enable Procurement to use all collected information and perform scenario-based analysis.

Leveraging RFI inputs this way increases the competition across suppliers and ensures Procurement generates valuable insights for their internal and external negotiations.

Archlet provides intuitive and flexible capabilities to manage and execute the end-to-end sourcing process from RFI to supplier negotiations.