Communicating with Suppliers

How Supplier Communication Works

Each RFQ in Buyer24 has a dedicated messaging interface — similar to an email inbox. Every supplier you contact gets their own private thread within the RFQ, so you can track each conversation separately.

Messages you send go out via email (either the built-in system or your connected personal email). Supplier replies are automatically captured and appear in the correct thread. To open a thread, click a supplier's name in the RFQ sidebar.

Adding a Supplier to an RFQ

Before you can send a message, add a supplier to your RFQ:

1. Open an active RFQ
2. Click Add Supplier or Contact Supplier
3. Type the supplier's company name or contact email in the search bar
4. If the supplier is in your directory, select them from the results
5. If they're new, type their name and press Enter, then enter their email address

A new message thread is created for that supplier. You can add multiple suppliers to the same RFQ to collect competing quotes.

Sending a Message

With a supplier thread open:

1. Click in the message compose area at the bottom
2. Type your message
3. To include a file, click the paperclip icon and select from your RFQ's attachments
4. Click Send

The message goes out immediately via email, and you'll see it appear in the thread.

Message Delivery Status

Each outgoing message shows a delivery status:

Using the AI Message Composer

Not sure how to phrase a follow-up, a negotiation request, or an initial RFQ email? Let the AI draft it.

1. Type a rough note in the compose area (or leave it blank)
2. Click AI Improve or AI Suggest
3. The AI reviews your draft (or writes one from scratch based on the RFQ context) and suggests a professional version
4. Review the suggestion, make any edits, and click Accept to replace your draft
5. Send as normal

Common use cases:

• Initial outreach — "Hi, I'd like a quote for the following…"
• Follow-up — politely chasing a supplier who hasn't responded in 5 days
• Counter-proposal — asking for a revised price after a quote came in over budget
• Clarification — requesting more detail on delivery dates or warranty terms

The AI considers your RFQ description, your organization's procurement context, and the full conversation history when generating suggestions.

Don't want to answer every routine supplier question yourself? The Autopilot can handle routine supplier questions on your behalf — answering from the RFQ details and flagging anything that needs your input. See AI Autopilot.

Internal Notes

Internal notes are messages that appear in the thread but are never sent to suppliers. They're only visible to you and your teammates inside Buyer24.

To add one:

1. In the compose area, click Internal Note (or toggle the message type)
2. Write your note
3. Click Save

Notes appear with a distinct background color so they're always easy to distinguish from real messages.

What to use them for:

• Reminders to yourself ("Follow up if no reply by Thursday")
• Asking a manager to review a quote before you respond
• Recording a verbal conversation or phone negotiation
• Flagging an issue for a colleague

Sending Attachments with Messages

To include an attachment in a message:

1. Make sure the file is already uploaded to the RFQ (under Attachments)
2. In the message composer, click the paperclip icon
3. Select the attachment(s) to include
4. Send — the supplier receives them as regular email attachments

Managing Multiple Supplier Threads

If you've contacted several suppliers on one RFQ:

• Each supplier has their own tab or row in the supplier list on the left side of the RFQ
• Switch between threads by clicking the supplier's name or tab
• An unread indicator appears when a thread has new replies

You can't see one supplier's messages from another supplier's thread — each conversation is completely private. Suppliers can't see each other's conversations either.

Message Locking

Once a message has been sent to a supplier, it is locked — you cannot edit or delete it. This is intentional: it gives you and your team a reliable, unedited audit trail of all supplier communications.

If you made an error in a sent message, send a follow-up message with the correction.

Receiving Replies

When a supplier replies to your email, their reply is automatically matched to the correct RFQ thread. You'll see:

• A notification (if enabled) indicating a new reply
• The reply appearing in the supplier's thread within the RFQ
• If the reply contains pricing, a quote card also appears in the Quotes tab — you don't need to copy any data manually

You don't need to check your personal email — everything is captured in Buyer24 automatically.

Tip: If you've connected your Gmail or Outlook account, replies will also arrive in your personal inbox. Either way, they appear in Buyer24 too.