Managing RFQs manually can be necessary in certain situations. Below, we’ll walk you through the steps on how to send an RFQ manually, accept an offer, and notify the supplier.
Sending an RFQ Manually
➡️ Find the RFQ
Navigate to the Purchasing tab in your system.
Locate the RFQ you want to send.
Click on the “Share” button.
Click on the “Copy Link” button.
Once you've copied the link, you can share it via email or any other method for your supplier to provide a quote.
➡️ Accepting an Offer & Notifying the Supplier
Inside the RFQ, select the quote you want to accept.
Open the accepted quote and click "Share Bid with Supplier."
3. From there, download the accepted RFQ as a PDF and send it to the supplier by clicking on Generate PDF. 🎯
🔗 Copy Link | 📄 Generate PDF |
⭐ Best for most situations | 📋 For offline or formal suppliers |
Generates a unique URL that the supplier can open to view the RFQ and submit their bid directly through a Ply-hosted portal page. | Downloads the RFQ as a formatted PDF document you can attach to your own email or print. |
The supplier doesn't need a Ply account — they just open the link and fill in their prices. | The supplier replies to you by email or phone with their prices — you then manually enter their bid into Ply. |
✅ Supplier can submit bid online | ✅ Works for any supplier |
✅ Bid appears automatically in Ply | ✅ Formal document for records |
✅ No back-and-forth by email | ⚠️ You'll need to enter bid manually |
➡️ Best practices
✅ Default to Copy Link unless there's a reason not to.
It's faster for both sides, since the supplier's bid lands directly in Ply instead of you re-typing it from an email or phone call.
✅ Use Generate PDF for suppliers who prefer working offline or who need a formal document for their own internal approval process before quoting you back.
✅ Let your supplier know which option they're getting.
If you send the Copy Link, they can submit their bid without ever needing a Ply login, which is worth mentioning so they don't assume they need to create an account.
✅ If a supplier will be uploading a quote document (rather than entering prices directly), make sure it's the actual quotation.
A scanned drawing, site plan, or unrelated image won't be picked up correctly. See the note in Common issues & fixes below.
➡️ Common issues & fixes
"I sent the Copy Link to my supplier, and their submitted offer isn't showing up in my RFQ yet."
If your supplier chose "Upload Your Offer" on their end instead of entering prices directly, there can be a short processing delay: the file needs to be reviewed and its details pulled into the RFQ, which isn't instant the way "Enter Bid Manually" is. Give it a little time and refresh. Also confirm the file they uploaded is an actual quotation document; a scanned drawing, site plan, or other non-quote file won't be processed. See How can Suppliers submit offers for an RFQ? for the full breakdown of both submission options.
"My supplier says they don't want to create a Ply account just to submit one quote."
They don't need one. The Copy Link option opens a Ply-hosted page where they can view the RFQ and submit pricing directly; no account or login is required.
"I want a record of the accepted offer for my own files, not just in Ply."
Use Generate PDF after accepting the bid; it produces a formatted document you can save, print, or attach to your own records outside of Ply.
➡️ FAQs
Do I have to choose one method for the whole RFQ, or can I mix them?
You can share the same RFQ with different suppliers using whichever method fits each one. Copy the link with suppliers who are comfortable submitting online, Generate PDF/email for suppliers who prefer to quote you offline.
What happens if I share an RFQ with a supplier who's already in Ply's portal? This manual sharing flow (Copy Link / Generate PDF) is meant for suppliers who aren't in Ply's portal yet. If the supplier already has a portal account, they'll typically receive and respond to RFQs directly through their normal Ply supplier flow.
Can I resend the accepted PDF to a different contact at the supplier?
Yes, you can generate the PDF again and send it to whichever contact you need. This is the same approach used for resending POs to another email.
Still need help? Contact Support!
Questions about sharing RFQs or sending offer confirmations? We're happy to help.