The quick answer
Log in to the Vendor Center. On Home, in the Transaction Search portlet, set Transaction Type to Vendor Request For Quote and click Search, then click the date of the request to open it. Click Edit. On the Response subtab, open each item's Additional Pricing and enter a Rate or Lot Price on every tier the buyer set. On Terms, propose Payment Terms and any Discount line. Click Save. The buyer sees your Response Date on the request, and you can edit and save again until the bid closes.
The screenshots show sample data. The company, people, vendors and item names are fictional. Use your own request when following the steps.
Before you start
Cobalt Ridge Irrigation has asked three suppliers to bid on two valves for next season's contract. The request is RFQ14, open for bids from 10/05/2026 to 10/16/2026. Luis Ferreira at Pinecrest Supply is one of the invited contacts, and he answers it on 10/07/2026. The buyer side of the same request, from creating it to emailing the vendors, is in How to Create a Request for Quote in NetSuite.
NetSuite creates one Vendor Request for Quote for each vendor the buyer invites. Here, Pinecrest Supply's copy is VRFQ41. In the Vendor Center it's titled Request for Quote Response.
Most of the setup is on the buyer's side. The buyer's account needs the Request for Quote feature, and the buyer has to save the request with your contact on its Vendors subtab and Email checked. The email can't go out before the Bid Open Date. You, the invited contact, need to be a contact on your vendor record in the buyer's account with an active Vendor Center login. If you can't log in, the email alone doesn't let you bid. Ask the buyer for access.
You can respond only between the Bid Open Date and the Bid Close Date. The Vendor Center layout, the fields you can edit and the email wording depend on the buyer's account: its role permissions, enabled features and forms.
01. Read the request email
NetSuite sends the invited contact an email on the Bid Open Date. This one is from Cobalt Ridge Irrigation for RFQ14. It gives the bid close date, 10/16/26 12:00 AM, says you can respond between 10/5/26 and 10/16/26 in the Vendor Center, and asks you to enter your rates and any terms, then save. You can change the response and save it as often as you like before it closes. Watch the close time. 12:00 AM on 10/16 is the start of that day, so don't leave the bid for the 16th.
02. Find the request in the Vendor Center
Log in to the Vendor Center. Home says "You are logged in as a Vendor of Cobalt Ridge Irrigation." In the Transaction Search portlet, set Transaction Type to Vendor Request For Quote and click Search. You can leave Name, Date and Number blank.
Quick Search: Transaction Results lists every request for quote this vendor has received from Cobalt Ridge Irrigation. There are three. VRFQ41, dated 10/05/2026, has the memo Q4 valve restock bids. Click its date to open it.
03. Review what the buyer is asking for
The Request for Quote Response for VRFQ41 Pinecrest Supply shows the status Bid Open. The header carries what the buyer set: Bid Open Date 10/05/2026 and Bid Close Date 10/16/2026 for bidding, and Start Date 11/01/2026 to End Date 04/30/2027, the period your prices would cover if you win. You can't change these dates, the items or the quantity breaks.
The Response subtab lists the two items, Brass Gate Valve 2 in and PVC Ball Valve 1.5 in. Click the Additional Pricing icon on the gate valve. The buyer's tiers start at From Quantity 0 and 200, and every Rate or Lot Price is still 0.00. Click Close.
04. Price each quantity break
Click Edit. On the Response subtab, click the Brass Gate Valve 2 in line, then its Additional Pricing icon. Leave Input Using at Rate or Lot. Price Using is Rate, set by the buyer.
Click the From Quantity 0 row, enter Rate or Lot Price 39.80 and click OK. Click the 200 row, enter 37.81 and click OK. Percent Discount on the 200 row now reads -5.0%. That's the tier's rate against the first tier's rate: 37.81 ÷ 39.80 − 1 is -5.0%. A lower price reads negative. Click OK to close the dialog, then OK on the item line.
If you'd rather quote a percentage off the first tier, set Input Using to Percent and enter the percentage. NetSuite then works out the rate.
Do the same for PVC Ball Valve 1.5 in. Enter 16.40 on the From Quantity 0 row and 15.17 on the 500 row, clicking OK after each. The 500 row reads -7.5%. Click OK to close the dialog, then OK on the line.
05. Propose terms and a volume discount
Click the Terms subtab. Payment Terms shows the buyer's Net 30. Select Net 45. You can only pick terms that exist in the buyer's account. Incoterm and Carrier are there too if you want to propose them.
In the Discount sublist, click the existing line. If there isn't one, add a line. Enter From Amount 10000 and Percent Discount 1.5, then click OK. The line reads 10,000.00 and 1.5%. This is a purchase-volume discount for the contract that could come out of the bid. Once purchases under that contract reach the From Amount, the percentage comes off qualifying orders on top of your tier prices. It isn't an early-payment discount like 2% 10 Net 30.
The header's Minimum Amount field is where you'd enter the minimum purchase amount you need for these prices to apply. The example leaves it blank.
06. Save the response
Click Save. The confirmation reads "Transaction successfully Saved," and VRFQ41 still shows Bid Open. Saving sends your response to the buyer, but it isn't final. You can click Edit, change your rates or terms and save again until the bid closes on 10/16/2026. After that the response is locked. Saving doesn't award you anything or create a purchase contract. The buyer compares the responses and decides on awards after bidding closes.
07. Check the response from the buyer's side
The buyer, Marisol Okafor, opens RFQ14 and clicks the Vendors subtab. Pinecrest Supply shows Response Date 10/07/2026. Harrow Metals and Duval Flow Products are still blank, so neither has saved a response yet. The date is the vendor's latest save. If Pinecrest Supply saves again later, the date moves.
Check the result
- VRFQ41 saved with the confirmation and still shows Bid Open.
- The gate valve reads 39.80 from 0 and 37.81 from 200 (-5.0%). The ball valve reads 16.40 from 0 and 15.17 from 500 (-7.5%).
- Terms show Payment Terms Net 45 and a Discount line of 1.5% from 10,000.00.
- On the buyer's RFQ14, Pinecrest Supply has Response Date 10/07/2026 and the other vendors are blank.
Click 10/07/2026. The vendor's response opens. On the Response subtab, click the Additional Pricing icon on Brass Gate Valve 2 in. The buyer sees the same rates the vendor entered: 39.80 from 0 and 37.81 from 200, at -5.0%.
Common questions
Why does Percent Discount show a negative number?
It compares each tier's rate with the first tier's rate. A lower price reads negative. The gate valve's 37.81 against 39.80 is -5.0%, and the ball valve's 15.17 against 16.40 is -7.5%.
What's the difference between Input Using Rate or Lot and Percent?
With Rate or Lot, you type the price for each tier and NetSuite works out the percentage. With Percent, you type the percentage off the first tier and NetSuite works out the price. The example uses Rate or Lot.
Can a vendor change the payment terms on its response?
Yes, if the field is on the vendor's form. Pinecrest Supply changes the buyer's Net 30 to Net 45. You can only pick terms that exist in the buyer's account, and the buyer sees your proposed terms when comparing responses.
What is the Discount sublist on a request for quote response?
It's a volume discount on the contract that could come out of the bid. Pinecrest Supply offers 1.5% once purchases reach 10,000.00. It's separate from the tier prices and isn't an early-payment discount.
Why can't the vendor change the dates, items or quantity breaks?
The buyer sets them, and every invited vendor bids on the same request. You enter rates, terms and discounts. The bid dates, contract dates, items and From Quantity breaks stay as the buyer saved them.
Can a vendor change its response after saving it?
Yes. The saved response still shows Bid Open, and you can edit and save it again until the bid closes, here 10/16/2026. After that it's locked.
How does the buyer see which vendors have responded?
On the request's Vendors subtab. A vendor that has saved a response shows a Response Date, linked to the response. Pinecrest Supply shows 10/07/2026, and the other two vendors are blank. The date is the latest save, so a later save moves it. It doesn't mean anything has been awarded.
What if the vendor can't find the request or log in?
Check that you're logged in to the Vendor Center as the contact the request was sent to, and search with Transaction Type set to Vendor Request For Quote. If it's still missing, or you have no login, ask the buyer to confirm your Vendor Center access, that your contact is on the request with Email checked, and that the bid window is open.