RFQ vs RFP vs RFI: Which One Should You Use?

Quick answer: Use a request for information (RFI) when you do not yet know what solutions or suppliers exist, a request for quotation (RFQ) when you know exactly what you want and need a price for it, and a request for proposal (RFP) when you know the problem but want suppliers to propose how to solve it. The test: if you can write the specification today, send an RFQ; if you can describe only the outcome, send an RFP.

Why picking the wrong request costs money

The three documents look alike: each asks several suppliers to respond by a deadline. So teams often reach for whichever one they used last.

Two common mistakes go in opposite directions. A team sends an RFQ for something complex, such as a security service, gets back prices for quite different things, and the cheapest wins even though it is the wrong solution. Or a team runs a full RFP for 40 printer cartridges and spends weeks scoring proposals that a price comparison would have settled in a day.

For an owner, the wrong choice means delay or a poor purchase. For a finance officer, it shows up in the file: when an auditor asks why that supplier won, the answer depends on whether the request was built to be compared on price, on quality and price, or not at all.

What each request is for

RFI: learn what exists

An RFI is market research. You describe your situation and ask suppliers what they offer, roughly what it costs and how long it takes. Nobody makes a binding offer, and nobody wins.

World Bank procurement rules list "a request in writing for information" as one way to engage the market early, and say such engagement must not be the basis for shortlisting or selecting suppliers. The point carries over to private businesses: use RFI answers to write a better specification, not to award a contract.

RFQ: a price for a known specification

An RFQ asks suppliers to price exactly what you describe: item, specification, quantity, delivery place and date. Everyone quotes for the same thing, so price usually decides. The World Bank describes an RFQ as a method based on comparing price quotations, suited to limited quantities of readily available, off-the-shelf goods, standard commodities or simple, small works.

RFP: proposals for a problem

An RFP describes the need or outcome and invites suppliers to propose how they would meet it: approach, plan, team, timeline and price. Proposals differ, so you score them against criteria and weights set in advance, with price as one factor. The World Bank says an RFP fits when, because of the nature and complexity of the requirement, the buyer is better served by letting suppliers offer customised solutions, and that RFPs are evaluated using rated criteria and weightings.

What Nigerian public procurement law says

The Public Procurement Act 2007 covers procurement by the Federal Government and its procurement entities, and by other entities that get at least 35% of the relevant funds from the Federation share of the Consolidated Revenue Fund (section 15). Private businesses are not bound by it, but it is a sound reference for a purchasing policy.

• Request for quotations (section 41): allowed only below a value threshold set in the procurement regulations. Quotations should generally come from at least 3 unrelated suppliers, each told what the price must include (such as transport, insurance, customs duties and taxes). Each gives one quotation and cannot change it, there is no negotiation, and the award goes to the qualified supplier with the lowest priced responsive quotation.
• Request for proposals (sections 45, 46 and 49): used for consultant services. The request must state whether the buyer wants proposals on various possible ways of meeting its needs, and whether the winner is chosen on lowest cost, on quality and cost, or on other stated criteria. The buyer sets weighted criteria covering the consultant's qualifications, how well the proposal meets the need, and price.
• Expressions of interest (sections 44 and 45): public notices inviting consultants to express interest. This leads towards pre-qualifying or shortlisting, so it is not quite the same as an RFI, which only gathers information.

The value thresholds are set in regulations and by the Bureau of Public Procurement, and they change. The revised federal thresholds (as announced by the Bureau on 15 May 2025), for example, allow requests for quotations for goods and non-consultant services below ₦30 million and for works below ₦50 million, and the Bureau said they will be reviewed periodically, so check the current figures with the Bureau before relying on a number.

Decision table: which request to send

Copy the table into your purchasing policy and add your own value limits beside each row.

A worked example (illustrative)

A logistics company in Ibadan runs 20 delivery vans. The company and all figures here are illustrative.

1. RFI. Fuel costs are rising and deliveries arrive late. Management is unsure whether the fix is GPS tracking, fleet software or something else, so procurement sends an RFI to six providers asking what they offer and what it typically costs for 20 vehicles. Nobody is chosen.
2. RFP. The answers show two very different approaches. The company knows the outcome it wants (lower fuel use and on-time deliveries, within about ₦15 million for the first year) but not the best approach. It sends an RFP asking for approach, plan, support and price, scored on weights agreed before it went out: approach 40, experience and support 30, price 30.
3. RFQ. Separately, the fleet manager needs 40 tyres of a stated size and load rating, delivered to the depot within two weeks, estimated at ₦4.8 million. There is nothing to propose, so procurement sends an RFQ to four suppliers.

One company, three documents, three kinds of need. For how to judge the quotes that come back from the tyre RFQ above, see how to compare supplier quotes.

Common mistakes

• An RFQ for a complex requirement. If suppliers guess the scope, prices are not comparable and the cheapest quote is often the least complete.
• An RFP for a simple, standard buy. It slows the purchase and adds scoring that price would have settled.
• Awarding from an RFI. RFI answers are not offers. Go back to the market with an RFQ or RFP before you commit.
• A vague RFQ. "Good office chairs" invites different products. State the specification, quantity, delivery place and what the price must include.
• Setting RFP criteria after proposals arrive. Agree criteria and weights first, or scoring can be shaped to suit a favourite.
• Letting one supplier revise after seeing the others. It is unfair and hard to defend in an audit.

How RequisitionPro helps

You can run all three requests by email and a shared sheet. The RFQ is the everyday one for routine purchases, and the one where quotes end up scattered across inboxes.

To be plain about the scope: RequisitionPro supports RFQ only. It has no RFP or RFI feature. RFQ is available on paid plans; on the Free plan the RFQ page shows an upgrade message instead.

A clear, complete request. The New RFQ form (shown below) asks for a title, a description, a closing date, the department, the delivery location, the date delivery is required by, payment terms, and terms and conditions. The currency is your company's base currency; quotes in other currencies are converted to it for comparison, using exchange rates that can change. The requisition created from the RFQ goes to the chosen department's approval workflow.

Suppliers in one place. You list the items with quantity and unit, then invite up to 25 vendors. Each vendor is emailed a private link and submits a quote without creating an account or logging in. The RFQ page then shows every vendor's invitation and quote status, total, lead time and submission date together.

Approval stays in place. When you award a vendor, RequisitionPro does not create a purchase order. It creates a draft requisition from the winning quote, which then goes through your normal approval workflow. If you award a vendor that is not the lowest bidder, a reason is required.

RFPs and RFIs outside the platform. Run them by email or document as usual. Once an RFI has helped you fix a specification, send it as an RFQ. Once an RFP has picked a supplier, raise a requisition for the agreed scope so it goes through approval like any other purchase; purchase requisition vs purchase order shows where that fits.

Where to see it: the section "Not sure who to buy from? Request quotes first" in the onboarding guide.

Related questions

Is an RFQ the same as an invitation to tender or bid? Close relatives. Both price a fixed specification, but formal bidding adds stricter rules on advertising, submission and opening, and is used for larger values. Under Nigeria's Public Procurement Act, public procurement is conducted by open competitive bidding unless the Act allows an exception (section 16).

How many suppliers should I ask? Your policy should say. The Act's general rule of at least 3 quotations from unrelated suppliers is a sensible minimum for a private policy too.

Do I always need an RFI first? No. Skip it when you already know the market well enough to write the specification or the problem statement.

Next step

Watch the "Request for Quotation" video (3:57) on our tutorials page to see an RFQ created, sent to vendors and awarded in RequisitionPro.