A Request for Quotation is how ERPNext lets you ask several suppliers for prices on the same items and compare what comes back. It's straightforward until the email doesn't send, or the link you emailed drops the supplier onto a login wall instead of a quote form. Both are known and fixable. This guide walks the RFQ flow, shows the supplier-portal setup and gives the fix for each place it breaks, plus how to run an RFQ with no email at all.
Skip the RFQ when you already know the supplier and price; use it when a few percent across vendors is worth a documented comparison. I am Manoj, an ERPNext and Frappe implementation lead at MithTech, a team of Frappe specialists in Bengaluru. We set up supplier portals and competitive-quote flows for buying teams in manufacturing, distribution and multi-warehouse businesses.
What is the RFQ flow, end to end?
Tap through creating the RFQ, sending to suppliers, the portal response, the Supplier Quotation, and converting to a Purchase Order.
Per the official documentation, when a supplier has a portal account ERPNext emails them a link to submit their quote; their submission becomes a Supplier Quotation against the RFQ. If you'd rather not involve the portal, you can enter each supplier's price manually; the comparison still works.
Where does it break, and what is the fix?
Select the RFQ problem you're hitting to get its cause, the GitHub issue, and the fix.
How do you set it up (or run it without email)?
Recipes to create and send an RFQ, enable the supplier portal, and record quotes without emailing suppliers.
Create the RFQ from a Material Request
Buying → Request for Quotation → New → Get Items From → Material Request (or add items). Add each supplier with an email in the Suppliers table.
Fill the message and send
Populate Message for Supplier (required, or submit fails: #49460), tick Send Email to Supplier, and Submit. Each supplier gets a /rfq/<name> portal link.
Enable the portal for self-service quotes
Give each Supplier contact a website user with the Supplier role so their portal submission records a Supplier Quotation (PR #24622).
Or skip email and record manually
Untick Send Email, then Create → Supplier Quotation from the RFQ and key in the prices suppliers gave you by phone or email. Everything still links back for comparison.
Should you use the portal or manual entry?
| Use the supplier portal | Email / manual entry |
|---|---|
| Many suppliers quoting regularly | A few trusted suppliers you already deal with |
| You want suppliers to self-enter prices | Suppliers who won't log into a portal |
| You can maintain supplier portal users | You'd rather key the quotes in yourself |
| An audit trail of who quoted what matters | Speed matters more than self-service |
At a glance
| Problem | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Submit fails: "Value missing … Message for Supplier" | Message for Supplier is blank, or the email template does not fill it | Fill the field or fix the template |
| Supplier link opens a login page | Email carries the /app/… desk URL | Current build plus correct host_name; link should be /rfq/<name> |
| Supplier submits, no Supplier Quotation appears | Portal user lacks the Supplier role | Give the contact's website user the Supplier role |
| Suppliers won't use a portal | Process choice | Untick Send Email and enter quotes manually |
FAQ: what do people ask most?
+How do I send a Request for Quotation to suppliers in ERPNext?
Create the RFQ (pulling items from a Purchase-type Material Request), add each supplier with an email in the Suppliers table, fill the Message for Supplier field, tick Send Email to Supplier, and submit. Each supplier receives a portal link at /rfq/ where they can enter their prices.
+Why is my ERPNext RFQ email not sending?
Most often a blank Message for Supplier field, which throws "Value missing for Request for Quotation: Message for Supplier" on submit (reported in #49460 when an email template did not fill it). Fill it, or make sure your email template populates it. Also confirm an outgoing email account is configured and the suppliers have email addresses.
+Why does the RFQ link send suppliers to a login page?
Because the email carries the internal desk URL (/app/request-for-quotation/…) instead of the public supplier-portal URL (/rfq/…). Suppliers without desk access hit a login wall. The bug behind it (#34166) was fixed in March 2023; on a current build, check the portal is enabled and the site's host name is set correctly.
+Can I create an RFQ in ERPNext without emailing suppliers?
Yes. Untick Send Email to Supplier when you submit the RFQ (the request for this is #5493). You can then record each supplier's price by creating a Supplier Quotation from the RFQ manually, and still compare them side by side.
+Why did a supplier submit on the portal but no Supplier Quotation appeared?
The supplier's portal user probably lacked permission to create a Supplier Quotation, the case fixed by PR #24622 (2021). Give the supplier's contact a website user with the Supplier role and confirm your build includes the fix, then ask them to resubmit.
+Does this apply to ERPNext v14, v15 and v16?
The RFQ flow and supplier portal work across v14, v15 and v16. The wrong-URL bug (#34166) was fixed in 2023, before v15; the Message for Supplier validation applies on every version, so fill the field or your template.
What should you do next?
The RFQ is ERPNext's competitive-quote step, and its rough edges are all in the delivery: the message field, the portal URL and the supplier's portal permission. Get those three right (or run it email-free and key quotes in yourself), and you have a clean, comparable set of supplier prices feeding the Purchase Order.
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Manoj · Published on 28 July 2026
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