"Inquiry" is a necessary stage in the workflow of purchasing personnel. After receiving the purchase requisition, knowing the current inventory situation and purchase budget, the most direct reflection is usually to contact the supplier immediately. When making an inquiry, it is necessary to pay special attention to whether the supplier has provided enough information to facilitate its quotation operation. In order to avoid the difference in quality perception between buyers and suppliers in the future, we should not be careless in the preparation of information to be provided when making an inquiry. Because complete and correct inquiry documents can help suppliers make correct and effective quotations in the shortest time. A complete inquiry document should at least include the following main parts. First, the name and specific requirements of the inquiry item First of all, the name and basic requirements of the inquiry item are the most basic information that should be available on the inquiry form. The required goods are counted and sorted in advance by the purchaser, and then delivered to the supplier. Since all the goods purchased by catering enterprises may not be provided by one supplier, it is very important not to confuse the names of goods with suppliers. Second, the "quantity" of inquiry items usually requires suppliers to know the buyer's demand when quoting, because the purchase quantity will affect the price calculation. The provision of quantitative information usually includes "annual demand", "seasonal demand" and even "monthly demand" and "daily demand". This depends on the demand of catering units for purchasing materials and close cooperation with suppliers. When making an inquiry, buyers usually have a common problem, that is, "exaggerating" the demand or the purchase quantity, for fear that they will not get a good price because of the small quantity. At this time, although the procurement can obtain short-term benefits, even if the price of mass production is obtained, if the expected quotation quantity cannot be achieved after the real procurement, the supplier will either increase the price, reduce other services to customers, or stop supplying, and finally it will not be worth the candle. Therefore, the information on demand should be truly communicated with suppliers, and at the same time, procurement can also convince suppliers with market forecast to achieve the purpose of long-term cooperation and continuous supply. Three. The quotation basis of inquiry items usually includes the currency value and terms of trade of the quotation. Domestic transactions are relatively simple, and the terms of trade are usually calculated at ex-factory price or ex-factory price (whether freight is included or not is another matter). International trade is more complicated. As far as the quoted currency is concerned, most suppliers are based on US dollars. As for whether to price in local currency, it depends on the stability of exchange rate. Considering that there are not many parts of the general catering industry involving international trade, I will only briefly introduce them here. The usual terms in international trade are factory delivery, ship delivery, ship delivery or freight insurance. Under different conditions, the liability risks borne by buyers and sellers are different. Under ex-works conditions, the seller's responsibility is until the goods are shipped. Therefore, the seller must bear the risk of shipment, but the buyer is responsible for transportation, marine insurance and other expenses. Under FOB conditions, the seller should not only bear the loading risk, but also bear the freight and insurance fees required to transport the goods to the designated destination port. Therefore, under the same commodity transaction, the quotation under FOB condition is naturally higher than that under factory condition, and the buyer must indicate clearly when making an inquiry. Fourth, the buyer's "payment terms" are related to the payment terms. Although both buyers and sellers have their own company policies, the buyer hopes that the payment time will be as late as possible. On the contrary, the seller certainly thinks that the sooner the better. The buyer has the obligation to let the seller know its internal standard terms of payment, and the seller can also make different demands when quoting. The final terms of payment need to be determined after negotiation between the buyer and the seller. 5. "Delivery" requirements of inquiry items The delivery requirements include the time required by the buyer for the purchased products, etc. Although the supplier can cooperate according to the buyer's requirements, the delivery time is related to the price of the purchased products, and the buyer should make requirements according to actual needs. In the catering industry, there is no need to blindly pursue timely delivery for some items that are not urgently needed, taking into account the cost change factors. 6. The "delivery place" and "delivery method" must clearly inform the supplier of the city, address, contact telephone number and fax number of the delivery place. The modes of delivery in domestic sales are often mainly railways and highways, while the location and mode of delivery in international procurement determine the price calculation. If the seller is required to quote on FOB basis, whether by sea or air, the transportation fee and insurance premium will of course be borne by the seller. With the distance of delivery, there will be different charging methods. Unless the buyer specifies air transportation, the supplier usually quotes on the basis of sea transportation, because sea transportation is the most economical delivery method. 7. Names and contact numbers of "purchasing personnel" and "technicians" Tell the supplier the names and contact numbers of "purchasing personnel" and "technicians" so as to make clear the specific requirements of the goods at any time. The contact number should be the phone number of the company. Try to avoid giving home or private telephone numbers to purchasers or technicians to prevent suppliers from giving and receiving each other privately, which is suspected by Gua Tian Li Xia.