Supplier RFQs
managed at scale.
RFQs are simple in theory: send specs to suppliers, compare bids, pick the winner. In practice they're a dozen email threads, two weeks of waiting, and a comparison spreadsheet that nobody trusts. A Loomal agent runs the full RFQ cycle from a real procurement inbox, with structured comparison and full audit.
API Primitives used
mail_sendSend RFQs
Agent sends parallel RFQs to approved suppliers from the procurement identity with consistent specs.
mail_list_messagesRead replies
Bids thread back into the agent inbox where extractedText feeds clean numbers into the comparison.
vault_getPull supplier baseline data
Approved supplier list, historic pricing, and award rules live encrypted in the vault.
RFQs collapse under scale.
A growing supply chain runs dozens of RFQs simultaneously. Each one needs send, follow-up, comparison, decision, award. Done manually it eats procurement headcount and produces inconsistent comparisons because every RFQ uses a slightly different format.
An agent runs them all consistently. Same template, same comparison logic, same audit per cycle. Procurement spends time on strategy instead of inbox triage.
How to build it.
mail_sendSend the RFQ
Agent reads the approved supplier list from the vault and sends parallel RFQs with identical specs.
mail_list_messagesCollect and compare
Replies come back into the agent inbox. extractedText extracts price, lead time, and terms for structured comparison.
vault_getAward and notify
Agent applies award rules from the vault, picks the winner, and emails both winners and runners-up from the procurement identity.
Example prompt
“Send an RFQ for our quarterly steel order to the 8 approved mills. Compare bids on price, lead time, and quality cert. Pick the lowest qualified bid and notify all suppliers of the decision.”
What procurement teams build.
Manufacturing materials
Agent runs RFQs for raw materials with consistent specs and structured awards.
Service contracts
Agent handles RFQs for ongoing service work — cleaning, maintenance, IT support.
Capital equipment
Larger purchases run on the same RFQ flow with longer cycles and more rigorous comparison.
Supplier qualification
New supplier inquiries get qualified through a defined questionnaire before being added to the approved list.
Multi-round negotiation
Agent runs second-round RFQs to top bidders for refined pricing and terms.
Why RFQs need an agent identity.
RFQs are high-volume, structured conversations that span weeks and dozens of suppliers. Spreadsheets can hold the data but can't run the conversation. Email runs the conversation but can't structure the data. Only an agent identity can do both.
Loomal gives procurement an inbox, a structured comparison engine, and a vault for the supplier rules — all in one delegation chain. Procurement teams run more RFQs with less overhead and a complete audit trail.
Supplier rules encrypted
Award logic and approved supplier data live in the vault under AES-256-GCM.
Per-RFQ audit
Every send, reply, comparison, and award decision is logged with timestamp and identity.
Compliance-grade trail
RFQ audit logs satisfy procurement governance requirements.