Award Optimiser
Manually awarding a large RFQ or Tender with hundreds of line items across dozens of suppliers is slow and error-prone, especially when your award strategy keeps changing. The Award Optimiser calculates the best possible award allocation for you, instantly.
Define your strategy, set your constraints, and let the optimiser evaluate every combination to find the optimal supplier split.
How It Works
Select a Strategy
When you open the Award Optimiser, ProcureFlow creates two default strategies to get you started:
- Cheapest: Assigns every line item to the lowest-cost supplier
- Cheapest (Max 3 Suppliers): Finds the lowest cost while limiting the award to no more than three suppliers
You can also create custom strategies to model different award scenarios, such as reserving a percentage for incumbent suppliers or capping any single supplier at a maximum share of the total value.
You can save up to 10 strategies per RFQ or Tender. Archive old strategies to free up slots.
Configure Constraints
Fine-tune each strategy with constraints that reflect your procurement policies:
| Constraint | What It Controls |
|---|---|
| Supplier Count | Minimum and maximum number of suppliers in the award |
| Budget Limit | Maximum total award value |
| Lead Time | Maximum acceptable lead time in days |
| Payment Terms | Minimum payment term days required |
| Allowed Currencies | Restrict awards to specific currencies |
| Excluded Suppliers | Remove specific suppliers from consideration |
| Supplier Cap | Maximum percentage of total value any single supplier can receive |
| Reserved Allocations | Reserve a minimum or maximum share for specific suppliers (e.g., incumbents) |
The optimiser respects all constraints simultaneously. If a constraint cannot be satisfied, the affected line items are flagged as unassigned so you can adjust.
Preview the Award Breakdown
Before committing to any strategy, preview the full award breakdown:
- Total award value across all suppliers
- Supplier split showing each supplier's share by value and line item count
- Every line item assignment with the selected supplier and price
- Unassigned items that couldn't be allocated under your constraints
If the result doesn't look right, adjust your constraints. The optimiser recalculates instantly.
Compare Strategies
Compare strategies side by side to evaluate trade-offs. The comparison view shows key metrics for each strategy:
- Total award value
- Number of suppliers
- Average lead time
- Supplier concentration
This makes it easy to see, for example, that consolidating to fewer suppliers saves on cost but adds days to average lead time, so you can make an informed decision.
Apply Your Chosen Strategy
Once you've found the right balance, apply the strategy with a single click. ProcureFlow updates all line item awards to match the optimiser's recommendation.
You can still override individual line items after applying. The optimiser gives you a strong starting point, and you retain full control over the final award.