This project focused on designing a Request for Quotation module for the procurement team. What started as a simple requirement to send RFQs evolved into a comprehensive procurement decision-making workflow.
Problem Statement
Procurement teams lacked a centralized way to manage RFQs, compare vendor quotations, and explain vendor selection decisions. The existing process was spread across spreadsheets, emails, and calls, creating manual effort, hidden costs, poor traceability, and limited visibility for leadership.
Research
User Personas
Based on stakeholder interviews, I identified two primary user types with distinct needs and goals.
- Quickly compare multiple vendor quotations
- Find the best total value, not just lowest price
- Reduce manual data entry and spreadsheet work
- Make confident vendor recommendations
- Spends 3-4 hours per RFQ on manual comparison
- Difficult to track vendor response status
- Hard to justify vendor selections to leadership
- Misses hidden costs like shipping and lead time
Send RFQs
Create and send RFQs to multiple vendors
Collect Responses
Track responses and follow up with vendors
Compare
Compare price, shipping, lead time and quality
Make Decision
Recommend best option and justify to leadership
- Quickly understand vendor recommendation rationale
- See all evaluated options, not just shortlisted ones
- Ensure decisions consider total value
- Maintain audit trail for compliance
- Lacks visibility into full vendor comparison
- Can’t see why certain vendors were excluded
- Difficult to validate procurement decisions
- No clear audit trail for vendor selection
Review
Review vendor recommendations and summaries
View Options
See all evaluated vendors and comparison details
Approve
Validate rationale and approve vendor selection
Audit
Track decisions and maintain compliance records
The Challenge
The procurement team was using spreadsheets, emails, messaging apps, and calls to collect prices, negotiate terms, track responses, and prepare vendor comparisons. The system had no clear record of procurement decisions, making it difficult to explain vendor selections confidently.
- Why was a vendor shortlisted?
- Which vendors were compared?
- What tradeoffs were considered?
- How did shipping costs affect final decisions?
- Was leadership seeing the full picture?
Design Goals
Based on research findings, I defined clear UX goals that would transform the procurement workflow.
Centralize RFQ Lifecycle
Move from scattered spreadsheets and messages into one unified ERP-based workflow
Standardize Collection
Enable vendors to submit details through structured forms for consistent data
Improve Comparison Quality
Support comparison of total procurement value, not just product price
Support All Users
Provide depth for procurement users and clarity for leadership
Reduce Manual Effort
Minimize repeated work and improve process traceability
Enable Transparency
Make procurement decisions visible, explainable, and defensible
Process & System Architecture
Structured the RFQ module hierarchy to support the complete procurement workflow from creation to PO generation.
User Flow
Defined key user flows to ensure seamless navigation and task completion for both procurement users and vendors.
Flow 1: Create & Send RFQ
Key Decision Points:
- Are all product requirements complete?
- Have enough vendors been selected? (minimum 3 recommended)
- Is the email template appropriate?
Flow 2: Vendor Quotation Submission
Design Consideration:
- No login required – frictionless submission via email link
- Clear validation for required fields
- Ability to save and return later
Flow 3: Vendor Comparison & Selection
Key Features:
- System suggests preferred vendor based on multiple criteria
- Users can override recommendation with justification
- Leadership can view full comparison before approval
Design Evolution
Iterated through multiple design versions, from low-fidelity wireframes to high-fidelity mockups.
Iteration 1
Feedback:
- Too much information displayed at once, causing cognitive overload.
- Side-by-side vendor comparison is difficult due to excessive horizontal scanning.
- Important insights like best vendor or recommended option are not visually highlighted.
- Dense layout with small text and tight spacing reduces readability.
- System presents raw data but lacks clear decision-support guidance for users.
Final Design
RFQ Creation Wizard
Step-by-step guided flow with clear progress indication. Users complete RFQ details, add products, specify requirements, and select vendors.
Key Features:
- Progress indicator
- Save as draft
- Field validation
- Review before send
Vendor Comparison Dashboard
Side-by-side vendor comparison with primary cost metrics visible at a glance. Expandable sections for detailed specs and history.
Key Features:
- Sortable columns
- Total cost calculation
- Preferred vendor indicator
- Quality scoring
Vendor Submission Form
Clean, minimal form for vendors to submit quotations via email link. No login required, mobile-responsive design.
Key Features:
- Auto-save
- Required field validation
- File upload
- Submission confirmation
RFQ Status Dashboard
Overview of all RFQs with status tracking. Quick filters for pending, responded, and closed RFQs.
Key Features:
- Status filters
- Quick actions
- Search functionality
- Response rate indicators
Impact & Results
The new RFQ module delivered measurable business impact and transformed procurement decision-making.
50%
Effort Reduction
Reduced RFQ processing and vendor comparison effort by half
(Based on Task analysis comparison)
70%
Centralized
All RFQ workflows moved from spreadsheets into unified ERP system
Eliminated Manual Data Entry
No more copying vendor quotes into spreadsheets
Improved Comparison Quality
Total procurement value beyond just product price
Enhanced Visibility
Leadership gained clear insight into vendor decisions
Faster Approvals
Structured data enabled quicker decision-making
Standardized Responses
Consistent vendor quotation format
Better Traceability
Complete audit trail of procurement decisions
Reduced Follow-ups
Clear status tracking eliminated manual checks
Decision Transparency
Explainable and defensible vendor selections