Supplier RFQ & Offer Comparison Portal

PROJECT: SUPPLIER RFQ & OFFER COMPARISON PORTAL We are looking for an experienced software development company or team to build a web-based procurement tool for construction and project purchasing. Today, supplier enquiries, quotations and price comparisons are handled partly manually using Excel, PDF files, GAEB files and e-mail. The goal is to automate the process from importing a bill of quantities, Leistungsverzeichnis or LV, through supplier quotations and price comparison, to supplier selection and transfer of the purchasing result into Microsoft Dynamics NAV. A particularly important requirement is the ability to process supplier quotations returned as PDFs, scans or images, including handwritten prices and comments. The project should be divided into the following deliverables. --- DELIVERABLE 1 – OFFER RECOGNITION AND PRICE COMPARISON PROOF OF CONCEPT --- This is the most important first deliverable. It should prove that supplier quotations can be read and matched reliably. INPUTS: * GAEB files containing the original LV or bill of quantities * Excel and CSV where applicable * Supplier quotations returned as: * PDF * scanned PDF * image * partially handwritten PDF Real examples will be provided. REQUIRED FUNCTIONALITY: The system should: * import the original LV structure * identify: * LV position number * description * quantity * unit * read supplier quotations using OCR and AI * recognise: * unit prices * total prices * handwritten prices * supplier comments * product and system references where available * automatically match recognised supplier prices to the correct LV position * identify missing or unpriced positions * flag uncertain recognition results for manual review * allow users to correct recognised values * validate values where possible, for example: Quantity x Unit Price = Total Price * combine multiple supplier quotations into one price comparison * identify: * cheapest price per LV position * total quotation value per supplier * cheapest supplier overall OUTPUT: * Excel * CSV IMPORTANT: The software must not blindly trust OCR or AI results. Each recognised value should ideally retain a reference to the original document and page and have a confidence status so users can review uncertain results. Preferred logic: AI and OCR extract, software validates, user confirms uncertain results. --- DELIVERABLE 2 – PRODUCTION-READY INTERNAL APPLICATION --- Turn Deliverable 1 into a proper multi-user web application for internal employees. PROJECT MANAGEMENT: Users should be able to: * create projects * edit projects * view all projects * manage project status * store multiple LVs per project * retain project and quotation history LV MANAGEMENT: The system should support: * GAEB import * Excel and CSV import * positions and subpositions * quantities * units * descriptions * optional additional information * LV versioning The exact GAEB versions supported should be agreed before development. SUPPLIER MANAGEMENT: Maintain a central supplier database containing at least: * company name * address * contact person * e-mail Supplier master data should be capable of being imported or synchronised from Microsoft Dynamics NAV. USERS AND ROLES: Minimum roles: * Administrator * full access * user and permission management * system configuration * system logs * Project Manager or Calculation * create and manage tender projects * create supplier enquiries * evaluate quotations * Purchasing * access projects * create supplier enquiries * evaluate quotations * make purchasing decisions DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT: Users should be able to: * upload documents * assign documents to projects * assign documents to supplier enquiries * download authorised documents * retain quotation versions SECURITY: Minimum requirements: * HTTPS * secure authentication * secure password storage * role-based access control * audit logging * GDPR-compliant storage and processing --- DELIVERABLE 3 – WEB-BASED PRICE COMPARISON AND PURCHASING DECISION --- Replace the current Excel-based price comparison with an easy-to-use web interface. PRICE COMPARISON: Show each LV position together with the prices submitted by all suppliers. The system should support: * supplier comparison by position * cheapest unit price * cheapest total price * cheapest supplier overall * supplier total * missing quotations * unrecognised or uncertain positions * manual corrections DISCOUNTS AND NEGOTIATION: For each supplier, users should be able to enter negotiated discounts and automatically recalculate: * individual prices * supplier total * ranking INTERNAL TARGET PRICES: Import K+B target or order prices from NAV. The system should: * compare supplier prices against the internal target price * visually highlight prices above the internal target PRODUCT AND SPECIFICATION COMPARISON: Where supplier quotations include alternative products or systems, the tool should support comparing the offered product against the original LV specification. The first version may use AI to: * extract relevant product and specification information * highlight differences * flag potentially non-compliant products for human review The final definition of how far the system should automatically determine technical compliance must be agreed before this feature is fixed-priced. PURCHASING DECISION: Users should be able to select the preferred supplier. The system should support either: * one supplier for the complete package * different suppliers for individual positions The exact award logic should be confirmed during specification. NAV OUTPUT: The selected purchasing result should be transferable to the existing Microsoft Dynamics NAV purchasing process. The current Excel solution already creates NAV purchasing import data. The new system should therefore support either: * NAV API or web service integration OR * compatible CSV or import files The final integration method depends on the available NAV interface. --- DELIVERABLE 4 – RFQ AND SUPPLIER ENQUIRY MANAGEMENT --- Allow users to send quotation requests directly from the application. Users should be able to: * select a project or LV * select individual LV positions if required * select suppliers * define a quotation deadline * generate enquiry documents * send the enquiry by e-mail * track: * sent date * deadline * supplier * response status AUTOMATED E-MAILS: The system should support: * new RFQ notification * reminder before quotation deadline * notification when a quotation is received E-mail integration should preferably support Microsoft 365 or standard SMTP. --- DELIVERABLE 5 – SUPPLIER PORTAL --- Create a secure external portal for suppliers. Suppliers should be able to: * access RFQs sent to them * view the relevant LV positions * download enquiry documents * upload quotations * upload: * GAEB * Excel * CSV * PDF * images * supporting documents and datasheets * submit prices manually where appropriate * see open enquiries and deadlines The portal should be simple and require as little effort from suppliers as possible. Possible login approaches include: * supplier account and password * secure invitation or one-time link We are open to recommendations. --- DELIVERABLE 6 – HOSTING, DEPLOYMENT AND HANDOVER --- The final solution must be deployable either: * in a cloud environment OR * internally or on-premises The preferred solution should be proposed by the development company. The proposal should consider: * hosting * database * document storage * backups * monitoring * security * OCR and AI operating costs * scalability * GDPR and EU data processing HANDOVER: The project must include: * complete source code * database schema * deployment documentation * technical documentation * user documentation * installation documentation * testing * user acceptance support All code and project-specific intellectual property must be transferred to us upon payment. --- PREFERRED TECHNICAL APPROACH --- We are open to recommendations, but our preferred architecture is a modern web application. A suitable technology stack could be: * Backend: C# and .NET * Frontend: React and TypeScript * Database: SQL Server or PostgreSQL * Architecture: modular monolith rather than unnecessary microservices * asynchronous or background processing for OCR and large document processing * separate abstraction layer for OCR and AI providers so providers can be changed later We are open to alternative technologies if the applicant can explain why they are better for this project. The system should be designed for long-term maintainability rather than as a short-term prototype. --- IMPORTANT TECHNICAL CHALLENGE --- The largest technical challenge is automatic recognition and interpretation of supplier quotations. Real supplier quotations can contain: * printed prices * handwritten prices * handwritten comments * missing positions * alternative products * scanned documents * supplier-specific layouts Applicants should briefly explain: * which OCR or document AI technology they propose * how handwritten values will be processed * how LV positions will be matched * how uncertain results will be handled * whether users will have a review and correction interface --- INFORMATION WE CAN PROVIDE --- We can provide: * existing functional requirements * existing Excel and VBA price-comparison solution * real GAEB and LV examples * multiple real supplier quotations * handwritten quotation examples * existing NAV purchasing import examples * access to business users for clarification and testing Before final development starts, detailed acceptance criteria should be agreed for each deliverable. --- WHAT EVERY APPLICANT MUST INCLUDE IN THE PROPOSAL --- Please do not submit only a generic company introduction. Every proposal must clearly include the following: 1. QUOTE EACH DELIVERABLE SEPARATELY Please provide a cost quote OR estimated development hours plus hourly rate for each deliverable individually: * Deliverable 1 * Deliverable 2 * Deliverable 3 * Deliverable 4 * Deliverable 5 * Deliverable 6 For every deliverable, please state: * estimated hours * hourly rate * estimated cost * estimated duration * important assumptions * important exclusions 2. CONFIRM FIXED-COST AVAILABILITY Please explicitly confirm: "Yes, we are willing to execute the agreed development scope on a fixed-cost basis." The final fixed price can be agreed after clarification of requirements and acceptance criteria, but willingness to work on a fixed-cost basis is mandatory. 3. CONFIRM AVAILABILITY TO START Please explicitly confirm whether your team has sufficient capacity to start development around MID-SEPTEMBER 2026. Also provide: * expected team size * expected project duration * which roles and team members would work on the project Applications that do not clearly answer these three points may not be considered.