eQuotes – Frequently Asked Questions
Date:November 2017
NSW eQuote – Frequently asked questions
This quickguide contains information on:
- General information
- Accessing eQuote
- Creating an RFx
- Shortlisting suppliers
- Evaluating suppliers
- Offer process
- Further information
General information
What is the difference between eQuote and eTendering?
eQuote has been developed within the eTendering system to allow authorised buyers to obtain quotes (called RFx’s within eQuote), quickly and easily from suppliers who are registered on prequalification schemes. eTendering is the overarching platform that is used for many purposes including advertising tender opportunities, receiving tender responses, and publishing contract disclosure information.
What does the term RFx mean and why is it used in eQuote?
The term RFx means a request to the market for some type of response to an expressed need. It can be a request for information (RFI), request for proposal (RFP), request for quote (RFQ) or a request for tender (RFT). In the context of eQuote, this term is generally taken to mean an RFQ, and will be referred to as such in the rest of these frequently asked questions.
How do I obtain a Public User Guide about how to use NSW eTendering from the
supplier’s perspective?
Access to the NSW eTendering Public User Guide[1] is available through the NSW Tenders site.
Are the terms and conditions of prequalification schemes only recommendations, or are they requirements?
Scheme terms and conditions are requirements that suppliers have agreed to as part of the scheme application process.
Can other buyers within my organisation see my RFx’s?
No. Only you and your organisation’s eTendering administrator/s can see your RFx. If another team member requires access to an RFx, you will need to ‘transfer ownership’ of the RFx to them. Once transferred you will no longer have visibility of the RFx.
The other team member will need to have access to eQuote as a buyer. If you cannot locate a team member’s name when ‘transferring ownership’, they may not have been given access to eQuote. Please discuss with your eTendering administrator.
Can you share the RFx so that other people can access and view comments?
You are able to ‘transfer ownership’ of the RFx to other buyers within your agency, but only one buyer at a time can be the owner of the RFx.
Does the system automatically save periodically?
No. The system saves when you move from one step to the next.You can save between steps by selecting the ‘Save Draft’ button located at the bottom of each step. This will close the RFx and return you to the draft list view.
Accessing eQuote
What is the web address for eQuote access as a buyer (NSW Government Agency)?
The URL for eQuote is
How do I obtain a username and password to access eQuote?
Access to eQuote is managed by your organisation’s eTendering/eQuote Administrator. They may require that you undertake some training prior to creating your username and password to access the live zone. The NSW Procurement Service Centre[3] can advise you if you are unsure who your administrator is.
My organisation does not have an eQuote/eTendering administrator. Who do I contact to gain access to eQuote?
Please contact the NSW Procurement Service Centre via email[4] or on 1800 679 289.
My username and password don't appear to be working - What do I do?
If there is no message advising username or password is incorrect and you are using Internet Explorer as your web browser, try deleting your browsing history.Your username and password may have been cached in the memory. You can also try closing all your browser windows and opening a new session. Alternatively, try accessing the system via Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome (if your organisation permits this).
If a message stating incorrect username or incorrect password displays, please check with your eQuote/eTendering administrator as to your correct username details and/or to reset your password.
I can't remember my password - What do I do?
Contact your organisation's eQuote/eTendering Administrator or the NSW Procurement Service Centre[5] to reset your password.
Can the administrator see my password?
No - user passwords are hidden from administrators and cannot be seen. Your administrator can reset your password, and then you can log in and change your password for security purposes.
The system keeps taking me back to the login page after I have logged in?
The eQuote system operates with the use of cookies which need to be enabled in your selected browser. If cookies are deactivated, the system will return you the login screen repeatedly.
To enable cookies in:
Internet Explorer – SelectTools →Internet Options→ Privacy and then move the slider to an appropriate level, i.e. 'Low' or 'Accept All Cookies'. Alternatively, you can select the Advanced button and tick 'Override automatic cookie handling' and then tick Accept for both 'First-party Cookies' and 'Third-party Cookies'. Also tick 'Always allow session cookies'.
Mozilla Firefox – Select Tools → Options → Privacy and then tick 'Accept cookies from sites'
Google Chrome –Select the Customise and Control button and then the Settings option. Select Privacy → Content → Cookies → Allow local data to be set
If further assistance is required to adjust these settings, please contact your organisation’s IT department.
I already have eTendering access but cannot see the ‘buying tab’ to access eQuote.
Your eQuote/eTendering administrator needs to enable your access to eQuote for you to see the buying tab.
Creating an RFx
What are the Request for Quote (RFx) status definitions in eQuote?
- Open –The RFx has been created and sent out to suppliers to respond, i.e. published.
- In Review –The RFx has closed; any supplier responses are now available for the agency (buyer) to review.
- Completed -A successful supplier has been selected. If the successful supplier has been awarded through the eQuote system, the supplier is able to log in to their account, tick the ‘Completed’ box and the system will notify the buyer that the work has been completed.
- Draft -Any RFx that has been created but not issued/published.
- Published -All RFx’s that have been published, including those Open, In Review, Completed and Archived.
- Archived -All published RFx’s that have been finalised, i.e. supplier has marked the activity as having been completed. Any RFx where the buyer decides to publish the RFx offline will be immediately archived.
- Cancelled –RFx’s that have been published then subsequently cancelled.
- Split – RFx’s that were split and awarded to multiple suppliers.
Is there a restriction on the length of the 'description' field in the RFx?
No. The field length is unlimited.
How long do RFx’s need to be open and where are these instructions?
Refer to your organisation's procurement policies/procedures. The eQuote system requires an RFx to be open for a minimum of one hour.
Is the ‘Intention to Respond’ field mandatory for either buyers or suppliers?
No. Suppliers can submit a response prior to the closing date/time regardless of whether or not they have indicated that they intend to respond. Likewise, if a supplier declines the invitation, they can still submit a response prior to the closing date/time.
The purpose of the ‘intention to respond’ and ‘decline the invitation’ options is to give the agency (buyer) an indication of whether they can expect any responses to the RFx.
Can passcodes be recovered if buyers lose or forget the passcode for their RFx?
Passcodes are system generated to allow for extra security on a quote request. If buyers or suppliers lose or forget their allocated passcodes, they will be unable to see/evaluate the RFx responses. If this happens, contact the NSWProcurement Service Centre[6] for assistance.
Is the ‘project details’ information (estimated project cost and estimated completion date) visible to suppliers?
No. This information is not visible to suppliers. It is for internal use only.
Is there a limit to the size or number of documents I can upload to the system?
There is no specific size limit for individual documents. Some areas of the RFx allow you to add multiple documents, while other fields/areas only allow the uploading of a single document. In the case of a field that only allows uploading of a single document, multiple documents can be compressed/zipped prior to uploading.
What guidance is provided to buyers regarding the formulation of 'requirements'?
Requirements are basically the selection criteria for determining which quotation offers the best value in terms of price, availability, capability, etc. Normally these would be developed as part of the procurement planning phase.Once the buyer is ready to create an RFx in eQuote, the requirements/selection criteria should have been identified.
If you have never prepared an RFx, contact your organisation’s procurement specialists or your organisation’s eQuote/eTendering administrator for guidance. The eQuote system is designed to work in parallel with yourorganisation's procurement policies, procedures and financialdelegations.
Will I receive notification when my RFx is about to close?
No. You will be notified when it has closed and is ready for review/evaluation.
Will I receive notification when the estimated completion date for the project is approaching?
No.
Are late responses able to be accepted? What ifmy organisation allows for late responses to be accepted?
eQuote does not accept late responses. Once the RFx has closed, no one can submit a response. However, the end date of an RFx can be extended before it closes via an amendment.
Shortlisting suppliers
How is the listing order of suppliers determined?
If the buyer has selected ‘no’ to the question ‘match all capabilities’, suppliers will be listed in numerical order according to how many capabilities they match (greatest number matched is listed first). Suppliers with the same number of matching capabilities will be listed in random order. If the buyer has selected only one capability, or has selected ‘yes’ to the question ‘match all capabilities’, the algorithm results in a random order of suppliers.
If you wish to place suppliers in alphabetical order, click on the heading ‘Vendor name’ on the list of matching vendors found for your RFx. This will automatically change the list into A-Z alphabetical order. If you click again on the heading, it will re-order them into reverse alphabetical order (Z-A).
Some schemes have hundreds of suppliers. Is there any guidance for buyers on how many/which ones should be shortlisted?
Each scheme provides guidelines on the number of responses that should be obtained, depending on the value and complexity of the procurement activity. Your organisation may also have additional or more stringent requirements for the number of quotations to obtain. Please refer to the NSW Procurement Board Policy Framework[7], the NSW Procurement Board Directions[8] and your organisation’s procurement policy for additional guidance.
Some schemes provide information to consider in determining which suppliers to shortlist. Check the Information for Buyers section on ProcurePoint[9] for each Scheme.
The supplier profile, which can be accessed by clicking on the name of the supplier in the Select Vendors and Capabilities section, provides information such asorganisational capacity/capability statements, company profiles/annual reports, etc. This information can assist you to determine which suppliers to include on the shortlist.
What if the scheme guidelines indicate that you should obtain a minimum of three quotes, but only one or two suppliers are displayed?
Refer to your organisation’s procurement policies and procedures for guidance.
What does the term ‘date provided’ refer to in a supplier profile?
The ‘date provided’ field is linked to a document that a supplier has uploaded during the scheme application process. That document may have a pertinent date, e.g. an expiry date for an insurance policy, a registration date for a compliance/licence document, etc.
Evaluating suppliers
Can a supplier upload multiple responses to an RFx?
Suppliers can upload multiple times whilst the RFx is open, but only the final uploaded response will be submitted to the buyer.
When evaluating responses to the RFx issued, there is a comments field.What sort of comment should be in here?
The information to be included in the comments fields is at the discretion of the buying agency. Comments are not displayed to the supplier.
What is the RFx evaluation report used for?
It is a summary document of all the responses to the RFx and can be used in the evaluation process when there are multiple quotes.If suppliers were requested to load a file, the evaluation report only displays the file name and the attached files will have to be downloaded and reviewed in conjunction with the evaluation report.
How can we provide the supplier uploaded files to the RFx evaluator/manager?
You have several options:
- Transfer the RFx ownership to the other evaluators/buyers/managers one at a time.
- Copy the supplier files to your internal system (whilst ensuring confidentiality/ probity).
- Create a 'package' of response material including evaluation report and downloaded files and provide it to each evaluator/buyer/manager to review.
Do the suppliers see the review comments?
No, review comments cannot be seen by suppliers.
Offer process
How do agencies (buyer) execute customer contracts and customer order forms when using eQuote?
Each prequalification scheme identifies the appropriatecustomer contracts and customer order forms that are to be used. The Scheme Terms and Conditions explain the process for executing the contract resulting from an eQuote sourcing process.
Most agencies have their own finance/ERP system for creating and approving purchase requisitions and purchase orders. Agencies should follow their internal policies and procedures, as well as using the customer contracts and customer order forms provided for the scheme.
If the buyer accepts a supplier quote within the eQuote system, the buyer must upload a document, (either a purchase order or a letter of offer) at the time of Award to the successful supplier. If the buyer wishes to upload multiple documents to provide to the successful supplier, these documents must be compressed/zipped prior to uploading. Alternatively, buyers/agencies/suppliers can execute contracts and orders outside the eQuote system.
How can a supplier decline an offer via the system?
If a supplier does not wish to participate in the RFx, they can simply choose not to respond, or they can select the decline the invitation option in the RFx.However, once a supplier has submitted an offer, and a buyer has accepted the offer, there would be an expectation that both parties will honour the commitment.
Can the system-generated email for unsuccessful suppliers be modified?
System-generated emails cannot be modified. However, buyers can choose not to send out the system-generated unsuccessful email if they prefer to email their own document or contact the suppliers individually.
Do the suppliers see the award comments?
No, award comments are not visible to suppliers.
If a buyer takes the RFx offline, what is the process if they need to disclose the subsequent contract?
One of the benefits of using eQuote is that a draft contract disclosure notice is automatically created by the system. If the contract requires disclosure, the draft contract notice can be easily edited and published.
If buyers take the RFx offline, the draft notice will not be created. Buyers will then need to follow their organisation’s disclosure process regarding contract disclosure. The Government Information Public Access (GIPA) Act must be adhered to regardless of whether the RFx is released within or outside the eQuote system.
Are reports available for download?
There are a few different reports available to buyers. These can be found in the eQuote/eTendering Administration menu under Reports Additional reports can be requested: by speaking to your organisation’s eTendering administrator or contacting the NSW Procurement Service Centre[10] on 1800 679 289 with your request.
Further information
Where do I get more help with using eQuote?
Buyers should contact either their organisations eTendering administrator or the NSW Procurement Service Centre[11] on 1800 679 289. Training is available for buyers and can be requested from either the eTendering administrator or the NSW Procurement Service Centre[12].
Department of Finance, Services & Innovation
P: 1800 679 289E: |
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