When supplier quotations are not comparable
Three quotations are on the table, and no two of them describe the same thing.
The short answer
Do not pick the cheapest or the most familiar. First put every quotation on the same footing: same scope, same quantities, same exclusions listed, same dates.
Where something is missing, mark it unknown and ask the supplier. Never treat a missing line as free.
What is known and what is not
List what each quotation says, in its own words, then what it does not say. Gaps are information.
| Known | Not yet known | Who can answer |
|---|---|---|
| What each quotation includes, line by line | Items one supplier includes and another leaves out | Each supplier, asked in writing |
| The brief or specification each supplier was given | Whether all three received the same brief | Secretariat head; sent emails |
| Taxes, service charges and validity dates stated | Whether stated prices include or exclude tax and service charges | Each supplier |
| The budget line the quotation must fit | Whether the budget includes tax | Treasurer |
Who has authority to decide
The committee or the procurement owner decides who is appointed, within the organisation's procurement rules. Finance confirms the budget. The programme owner confirms the requirement.
Any question about whether a quotation is binding, or what a term means, goes to the person who signs or to a legal adviser. A project lead can compare and prepare questions, but the choice and any contract remain yours.
- Requirement and specification: programme owner.
- Budget: treasurer or finance committee.
- Appointment: committee or procurement owner, following your own rules.
- Contract terms: signatory or legal adviser.
The realistic options, including stopping or scaling down
A delay to re-quote is not a failure. Choose the option that gives you comparable information at a pace the programme allows.
| Option | What it involves | Consequence to weigh |
|---|---|---|
| Normalise and compare | Enter all lines into one grid, mark unknowns, and compare like for like. | Quick; unknown items remain until suppliers answer. |
| Ask all suppliers to re-quote on one specification | Issue a single written brief and a common template. | Slower; fairest comparison. |
| Shortlist two and clarify | Drop the least suitable and ask the remaining two to clarify exclusions. | Faster; risk of losing a good option too early. |
| Pause the appointment | Set a decision date and hold until the answers arrive. | Calmer; check that dates and venue holds can wait. |
Communications: who says what to whom
Send the same clarification questions to every supplier, in the same words, with the same reply date. Keep replies in writing. Tell suppliers that no decision has been made and what the decision date is.
Tell the committee which items are unknown and what they would change. Do not present a ranking until the grid is complete.
- To each supplier: to compare quotations on the same basis, please confirm in writing: (1) what is included for [items]; (2) what is excluded; (3) whether prices include tax and service charges; (4) how long the quotation is valid. Please reply by [date].
- To the committee: three quotations received. The comparison grid shows [number] items still unknown. We expect to complete the comparison by [date] and recommend [process].
- To the supplier not selected, after decision: thank you for your quotation. We have chosen [another approach / another supplier] for this event.
Follow-up and preventing a repeat
- Enter every quotation into the supplier quote normaliser so missing inclusions are flagged rather than priced at zero.
- Record the chosen option and reasons in the decision log.
- If the specification changes while comparing, raise it through a change request.
- Keep one standard request template for future quotations.
Worked example · Fictional example
A fictional audio-visual quotation comparison
Fictional organisation and figures, for illustration only.
The Fictional Association of Medical Administrators receives three AV quotations for a one-day conference. One includes two projectors and a technician for the full day. One lists equipment only. One lists a lower price but states catering power and rigging as extras.
The secretariat head builds a grid with every line and marks the unknowns: technician hours, rigging, tax. She sends identical questions to all three. Two reply within the week and one asks for a call. The committee compares like for like and decides to ask the equipment-only supplier to re-quote with a technician before choosing.
Use this yourself
Quotation comparison grid
Copy into a spreadsheet. Fill a row per item and a column per supplier. Write Unknown, never zero, where a quotation is silent.
- Item or service required (one per row):
- Supplier A: included (yes/no/unknown), quantity, price:
- Supplier B: included (yes/no/unknown), quantity, price:
- Supplier C: included (yes/no/unknown), quantity, price:
- Tax and service charges stated (included/excluded/unknown):
- Validity date of each quotation:
- Exclusions listed by each supplier:
- Questions sent, date, reply received:
- Total after unknowns are resolved:
- Decision, by whom, date; log entry made (yes/no):
Handle it in-house, or bring in help?
Your team can usually handle this when
- The scope is simple and the quotations differ in a few clear lines.
- One person can run the questions and keep a grid.
- The decision date allows time for clarification.
Outside planning help earns its fee when
- Quotations differ in scope, tax treatment and exclusions, and the committee wants a recommendation.
- The specification itself is unclear.
- You need an independent grid and clarification questions in a short time.
Want a comparison your committee can rely on?
A planning diagnostic can review the specification, set up a like-for-like grid, list clarification questions for each supplier and show which decisions remain. Choosing a supplier and signing a contract stay with your committee and signatory. The review does not recommend a supplier on price alone, and no saving is promised.
Questions organisers ask
Should we choose the lowest quotation?
Only after the scope is comparable. A low price may leave out items that another supplier includes.
What if a supplier will not clarify?
Record that the item is unknown and treat it as a risk. Consider whether to continue with that supplier.
Can we show one supplier another's price?
Avoid it. Share the specification and questions, not other suppliers' prices.
How many quotations do we need?
Follow your own procurement rules. If none exist, agree one before collecting quotations.
Related resources
- Professional association conference: the brief changes after suppliers are appointed
- Professional association conference: the budget is cut after commitments are made
- Professional association conference: the venue changes close to the event
- Event change request builder
- Event decision log builder
- Professional-event planning diagnostic
Content record: Draft. Written from the cited sources and checked by automated rules; not yet independently reviewed.