A colleague asks you to raise a requisition, a supplier sends a quotation, and your manager asks whether the purchase order has been issued. These are different stages of buying, not three names for the same document. This guide explains procurement and purchasing vocabulary through practical requests, supplier comparisons and order updates.
Procurement covers the broader process of obtaining goods or services, while purchasing focuses on the buying transaction. A purchase requisition is an internal request, a quotation gives a supplier’s offered price, and a purchase order communicates an order to a supplier. Learn these words with actions such as submit a requisition, request a quotation, compare suppliers and issue a purchase order.
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People and Activities in Procurement
Procurement can include identifying requirements, finding suppliers, comparing offers and managing supplier relationships. Purchasing usually refers more narrowly to the transaction of buying. The CIPS explanation of procurement makes this broad distinction, although job titles and team responsibilities vary between organisations.
| Term | Practical meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Buyer | A person or organisation buying something | The buyer requested a revised quotation. |
| Supplier | A business providing goods or services | We are comparing three suppliers. |
| Vendor | A seller, often used similarly to supplier | Please confirm the vendor’s contact details. |
| Requester | The person asking for the purchase | The requester must explain the requirement. |
| Approver | A person authorised to approve a request | The requisition is waiting for the approver. |
| Sourcing | Finding and assessing possible sources of supply | We are sourcing replacement components. |
Use buy something from a supplier and supply something to a customer. “We buy packaging from a local supplier” describes the buyer’s perspective. “They supply packaging to our company” describes the same relationship from the seller’s side.
A requirement states what is needed. A specification gives more detailed characteristics, such as dimensions, material or required performance. For a service, scope describes the work to be covered: “Does the scope include installation and training?”
Purchase Requisitions, Quotations and Purchase Orders
A purchase requisition, often shortened to PR, is an internal request for goods or services. A purchase order, or PO, is a separate document sent to a supplier to communicate an order. SAP’s requisition and purchase order lesson illustrates a workflow in which an approved requisition leads to a PO.
Company processes differ, so learn what each status means in your system. Submitted means the request has been sent for processing; approved means the relevant approval has been given. Neither word alone proves that the supplier has received an order.
| Document or term | What it does |
|---|---|
| Purchase requisition | Requests a purchase within an organisation |
| Request for quotation (RFQ) | Asks suppliers to quote for specified goods or services |
| Quotation / quote | Sets out an offered price and associated details |
| Request for proposal (RFP) | Asks suppliers to propose how they would meet a requirement |
| Purchase order | Communicates the buyer’s order to a supplier |
| Order acknowledgement | A supplier’s response acknowledging an order |
| Invoice | Requests payment for goods or services |
A tender is a formal offer to provide goods, services or work, often submitted through a competitive process. You may hear invite tenders, submit a tender and evaluate tenders. The word can also refer to the process in everyday business speech, so ask which document or stage the speaker means.
Compare these updates: “The requisition has been approved,” “The PO has been issued,” and “The supplier has acknowledged the PO.” Each reports a different event. When reading an acknowledgement, check whether it also confirms the requested quantity and delivery date.
Language for Comparing Suppliers
A unit price is the price for one specified unit. A minimum order quantity, or MOQ, is the smallest quantity a supplier will accept for an order under the stated offer. Lead time describes the time needed for a defined process, so confirm whether it ends at dispatch or delivery.
Other useful expressions are delivery charge, payment terms, quotation validity and availability. “How long is this quotation valid?” asks about the offer’s time limit. “Is the item available?” asks whether the supplier can provide it; it does not establish an exact delivery date.
A simple comparison
Imagine two suppliers quote for the same twenty storage boxes. Supplier A quotes £10 per box plus £30 delivery. Supplier B quotes £11 per box with delivery included. Ignoring taxes and any other charges for this exercise, the totals are £230 and £220 respectively.
You could say, “Supplier A has the lower unit price, but Supplier B has the lower total for this quantity.” This is more precise than “A is cheaper.” You still need to compare the specification and delivery arrangements before saying the offers are equivalent.
| Question | What it clarifies |
|---|---|
| Is the price per item or per pack? | The pricing unit |
| Does the quoted price include delivery? | Included charges |
| What is the minimum order quantity? | The smallest order accepted |
| Does the lead time include transport? | The interval being quoted |
| Can you meet the attached specification? | Whether the offer matches the requirement |
| Could you confirm the payment terms? | The stated payment arrangements |
Evaluation criteria are the factors used to assess offers. Shortlist means select a smaller group for further consideration. “We have shortlisted two suppliers, but the final selection is pending” communicates progress without announcing a completed decision.
Procurement Emails and Conversations
Requesting a quotation
Subject: Request for quotation: 20 storage boxes
Hello Maya,
Please send a quotation for twenty storage boxes that meet the attached specification. We need delivery to our Bristol office by 5 November.
Please include the unit price, delivery charge, availability and quotation validity. Could you also confirm whether you can meet the requested delivery date?Best regards,
Alex
This message gives the supplier a quantity, specification and destination. It asks about the date instead of assuming it is possible. In real correspondence, attach the specification before referring to it as attached.
Clarifying approval
Requester: Has my purchase request been approved?
Buyer: Yes, but the purchase order has not been issued yet.
Requester: Is any information missing?
Buyer: We need the delivery address and the final item code.
Requester: I will send both today. Please let me know when the PO has been sent.
Raise a requisition means create or initiate one; submit a requisition means send it into the process. Issue a purchase order means formally produce and release it through the relevant procedure. These verbs are more informative than saying “The paperwork is done.”
Asking for a revised offer
“Could you revise the quotation to cover thirty units instead of twenty?” makes the change explicit. If you need the same specification, add “Please keep the specification unchanged.” A revised quote is an updated offer, not automatically a placed order.
For a status update, try “We have received two quotations and are waiting for the third. We will compare them once the delivery charges are confirmed.” For the supplier’s side of these conversations, see our sales vocabulary guide.
Common Mistakes and Practice
Say “We placed an order,” rather than “We did an order.” Request takes a direct object as a verb: “We requested a quotation.” As a noun, it uses for: “We sent a request for a quotation.”
Price and cost overlap, but the price on an offer may not include every cost involved. Specify unit price, delivery cost or total quoted amount when that distinction matters. Also distinguish approve from accept: internal approval and a supplier’s acceptance describe different actions.
Check your understanding
- An employee asks their organisation to buy equipment. Is this a requisition or an invoice?
- You know the exact specification and want prices. Which expression fits: request a quotation or issue an invoice?
- Does an approved requisition necessarily mean the supplier has received a PO?
- Complete: “We buy components ___ this supplier.”
- Correct: “Please request for a revised quotation.”
- One offer has a lower unit price but higher delivery charges. What amount should you compare for the stated quantity?
- A supplier’s MOQ is fifty units. What does this mean?
- Write an update saying a PO has been sent but the delivery date is not confirmed.
Answers and explanations
1. A requisition, because it is an internal purchase request. 2. Request a quotation. The buyer is asking for an offer, not requesting payment. 3. No. Approval and sending the PO are different steps. 4. From: buy something from someone.
5. “Please request a revised quotation.” Alternatively, “Please send a request for a revised quotation.” 6. The total quoted amount, with the same inclusions and quantity. 7. The stated minimum order is fifty units. 8. “The PO has been sent to the supplier. We are awaiting confirmation of the delivery date.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Are supplier and vendor the same?
They often overlap in business English. Some organisations use them differently in their systems or procedures. Follow the local convention when naming a record, and use supplier when you need a broadly understood term for a provider.
Is a quotation the same as an estimate?
A quotation sets out an offered price for a stated requirement. An estimate gives an approximate expected amount. Read the document’s assumptions and conditions rather than inferring everything from its title.
Should I use procurement or purchasing in my job description?
Choose the word that reflects your actual responsibilities. “I process purchase orders” describes a specific purchasing task, while “I source suppliers and evaluate proposals” describes broader procurement work. A concrete description is clearer than relying only on a department label.
How can I practise this vocabulary?
Choose an imaginary office purchase and write a requisition summary, a quotation request and a two-sentence status update. Keep the quantity and specification consistent across all three. Then explain which document stays inside the organisation and which message goes to the supplier.
