1. Freeze the requirement
Clarify mandatory specifications, quantity, delivery location and response assumptions before comparing prices.
Buying better · PRACTICAL GUIDE
How to compare three supplier quotations fairly
Normalise scope, reject non-compliant bids visibly, compare landed cost and record the award rationale.
2. Normalise commercial scope
Bring freight, tax treatment, installation, consumables and warranty onto the same basis.
3. Separate pass/fail from scoring
Offers that miss mandatory requirements should not become L1 because of a low headline price.
4. Record the award
State why the selected supplier represents the appropriate evaluated outcome.
WORKED EXAMPLE · COMPOSITE
Supplier A is cheapest but excludes installation and misses the required delivery date. Supplier B costs 4% more, meets the specification and includes installation. The file records why B is selected.