sent an rfq to six vendors.
one replied late. two sent something vague. three said nothing.
and honestly? that's not their fault.
good suppliers are busy. they already have clients they like working with. when a new request lands in their inbox, they make a quick call — is this worth my time?
a vague requirement, a two-day deadline, no context about who you are — that's a no from most of them. not because they're difficult. because their time has value too.
the silence is feedback. it's just feedback most people don't know how to read.
what actually fixes it isn't sending to more vendors or chasing replies. it's making the request worth responding to. clear scope. realistic timeline. a little context about your business. that's it.
a well-written rfq tells suppliers that someone competent is on the other side. that the project is real. that their effort won't be wasted.
that's what brings the good ones in.
if the process around all of this is a mess — no vendor list, no standard template, no one really in charge — the rfq problem is just a symptom. worth sorting the foundation first. zopa is one place to start with that.