The Quote Commerce Access Broker (QCAB) is a Web-based Electronic Commerce tool for posting Requests for Quotes (RFQs) for services and supplies, preparing and returning bid responses, and making awards, all on the Internet and all without the need for paper. QCAB’s use of the Internet makes it a natural link between buyers and sellers, particularly when time and cost are a concern.

With QCAB, buyers can create or modify RFQs and issue them for bid to either a select group or all of QCAB’s subscribing suppliers. Each RFQ identifies the part or service being procured, and it might also include attachments containing technical data, special forms, statements of work, and specifications which help sellers prepare accurate and rapid responses. Using QCAB, buyers can review bids as they are received, even side-by-side if desired, conduct educated evaluations, and make awards to the most responsive offerors.

QCAB allows sellers to search for and review RFQs which may have been received either directly or posted in QCAB’s general listings. Links to technical data sources, such as that maintained in RAMP’s on-line Product Data Access Retrieval Internet Server (PARIS), permit a seller to observe a mechanical part’s complexity and overall dimensions without having to go through the time-consuming exercise of downloading data for subsequent off-line analysis.

Finally, once bids have been submitted they can be archived by the seller for future use in preparing responses for repeat solicitations.