1. Write down the requirement before comparing offers
Keep a buyer-owned list of required items, quantities, units, part identifiers and technical requirements. Give the list a revision and date. A comparison assembled only from supplier offers cannot reveal an item that every supplier forgot. For a pump overhaul, for example, a sleeve absent from all three offers will not appear simply because you lined up their quotations.
Separate requirements from preferences. A documented part specification is a different kind of decision from accepting a longer delivery time. Record who can approve a deviation and what evidence they will need. Do not let the comparison spreadsheet make that decision implicitly.
2. Keep the quotation and its source references
Record the supplier, quotation number or filename, revision, date and validity. For each line, retain the original wording and page or CSV record. If a revised quotation arrives, identify what it replaces; avoid silently mixing its price with the previous version’s delivery promise.
Check extracted fields against the actual source. QuoteLens uses deterministic extraction rules, not AI interpretation. Its PDF extraction is limited, and scanned pages are unsupported. A blank field means the information needs checking; it does not authorize filling in a customary value.
3. Align candidates, then verify compatibility
An exact part-number match gives you a candidate comparison row. It does not prove that the offered parts have the same material, configuration or included accessories. Keep leading zeros, suffixes and punctuation visible. If a supplier proposes an alternative, request its technical data and an explicit statement of deviation for qualified review.
In our fictional MP-420 example, two suppliers use the same seal part identifier but describe different face materials. The identifier aligns the rows; the conflicting descriptions keep the specification unresolved. A reviewer should not approve the row merely because the identifiers match.
4. Build a known-cost view
Calculate the quoted quantity multiplied by its stated unit price. Add explicit quotation-level charges once, not once per row. Keep unknown tax, freight or excluded scope outside the known total and list it beside that total. Never label an incomplete figure “total delivered cost.”
QuoteLens currently accepts USD only and does not convert quantities, packs or currencies. If suppliers offered unequal quantities, retain their native totals and explain the mismatch. Ask for a revised quotation on the required basis before treating totals as directly comparable.
5. Close the questions with evidence
Assign each open question a supplier, source reference, required answer and status. When an answer arrives, record the date and evidence used for a correction. A verbal assurance without a reference should remain distinguishable from a revised commercial offer.
Export a report with the assumptions, unknown costs and unresolved specifications intact. The report can support a clarification meeting before it supports an award decision. QuoteLens does not automatically recommend a supplier. This report supports but does not replace professional procurement judgement.
Could another buyer trace each number and approval back to a quotation or recorded clarification? If not, the comparison needs another review.