AI Features Overview
A tour of every AI-powered feature in Buyer24 — quote extraction, comparison, drafting helpers, autopilot, the assistant and agents, and the digest email.
Overview
Buyer24 uses AI throughout the platform to automate time-consuming tasks and help you make better procurement decisions. The in-context helpers on this page assist you — you review their results before anything is sent or saved. How much the agents do on their own is up to your organization: see Auto and Ask and your automation level.
This page covers the in-context AI helpers built into everyday screens. The bigger automation surfaces have their own guides:
| Feature | What it does | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| AI Assistant | Chat to look things up and queue procurement tasks | Your AI Assistant |
| Agents | The named agents that do the work, install the optional ones, and tune each one's vibe, skills, knowledge, and memory | Agents |
| Plugins | Tool packages your agents carry, including custom packages your organization builds (Pro, Organization and Enterprise on per-seat plans) | Agents |
| Knowledge Base | Guidelines, compliance rules, and research your agents read when a task calls for it | Knowledge Base |
| Connections | Outside systems you connect so an agent's plugin can use them | Connections |
| RFQ Autopilot | Automatic supplier reminders and routine answers on live RFQs | RFQ Autopilot & Reminders |
| Digest | Morning email brief, sent when something needs you, that you can reply to with instructions | Digest Email |
| Quote workflow | Receiving, extracting, and comparing quotes end to end | Working with Quotes |
What it costs: sending RFQs (within your plan's RFQ allowance), collecting quotes, and chatting with the B24 Assistant are free. A task run by an agent uses credits at a fixed price per agent, including each supplier discovery; the Onboarding Guide is free. See Pricing.
AI Quote Extraction
What it does: Automatically reads supplier reply emails and PDFs and extracts structured quote data.
When it runs: Every time a supplier reply arrives in your RFQ (for both built-in email and connected Gmail/Outlook).
What gets extracted:
- Line items (product name, quantity, unit price, line total)
- Delivery date or lead time
- Payment terms (e.g., Net 30, payment in advance)
- Warranty and after-sales terms
- Quote validity period
- Shipping costs
- Minimum order quantities
What you need to do: Review the extracted data in the Quotes tab. If anything is missing or incorrect, click Edit Quote to manually correct it.
Why review? AI extraction is very accurate, but occasionally a supplier's email format is unusual or information is ambiguous. A 2-minute review ensures the data you're comparing is correct.
AI Quote Comparison
What it does: Analyzes all received quotes for an RFQ and generates a structured comparison report with a recommendation.
When to use it: After you've received at least 2 quotes from different suppliers.
How to generate:
- Open your RFQ's Quotes tab
- Click Generate Comparison
- Wait 10–30 seconds for the report to appear
What the report includes:
- Side-by-side table of all suppliers' line items and prices
- Delivery date comparison
- Payment terms comparison
- AI-written recommendation (which supplier offers best overall value)
- Trade-off analysis (e.g., "Supplier A is 12% cheaper but has a 3-week longer lead time")
- Risk flags (e.g., very short quote validity, non-standard payment terms)
Can I export it? Yes — click Export on the comparison report to download as PDF or Excel.
AI RFQ Description
What it does: Generates a professional, structured RFQ description from your rough notes.
When to use it: When creating a new RFQ and you want help writing a clear, complete description.
How to use:
- In the RFQ creation form, type a rough description in the Description field (even just bullet points)
- Click AI Describe
- The AI generates a polished description based on your notes and your organization's procurement context
- Review, edit if needed, then save
The AI considers your rough notes, your organization's procurement context (set by your admin), and standard procurement best practices (specifications, quantities, delivery, terms).
AI Message Composer
What it does: Suggests improvements to your outgoing supplier messages or drafts messages from scratch.
When to use it: When writing supplier messages — initial RFQ contact, follow-ups, negotiation, or clarification requests.
How to use:
- In the message compose area, type a draft (or leave it empty)
- Click AI Improve or AI Suggest
- The AI generates an improved or new message
- Review and edit, then click Accept to use it
- Send as normal
The AI considers your RFQ description and requirements, the current conversation history with this supplier, and your organization's procurement context and tone.
Examples of what the AI can help with:
- Writing a professional initial RFQ email to a new supplier
- Requesting a revised quote after the first one exceeded your budget
- Following up politely after no response for 5 days
- Asking for clarification on an ambiguous quote
RFQ Summary
What it does: Generates a brief summary of your RFQ, including key requirements and any attached document content.
When it runs: Automatically when you activate an RFQ and when attachments are processed.
Where to see it: In the RFQ header area — click View Summary to expand it.
The summary is useful for quickly reminding yourself of the key requirements without reading the full description, or for sharing with a manager as a quick briefing.
AI Accuracy and Limitations
Buyer24's AI is trained for procurement tasks and is highly accurate, but it's not perfect:
- Quote extraction — Works best with structured emails and PDFs. Very informal or image-only emails may extract less data.
- Comparisons — The recommendation is based on extracted data. If extracted data was incorrect, regenerate the comparison after correcting the quotes.
- Message composer — The AI drafts messages in a professional tone. Always review before sending — you know your supplier relationship best.
- RFQ descriptions — The AI uses the procurement context set by your admin. If the context is outdated, descriptions may be generic.
Always review AI output before acting on it. The AI is a tool to help you work faster — your judgment and domain knowledge are irreplaceable.