Skip to main content

Manually Reconcile and Review an Automatic RFQ Extraction

Learn how SubBase extracts pricing from vendor quote PDFs and how to manually review, match, or correct that data before RFQ leveling.

Written by Andrew Rapinchuk
Updated over 3 months ago

This article explains how to review AI/OCR-extracted vendor quote data, fix mismatches, and confirm pricing so your RFQs are ready for leveling.

Overview

When a vendor uploads a PDF quote in response to an RFQ, SubBase automatically runs AI/OCR (Optical Character Recognition) to extract pricing details from the document.

The extraction process pulls in:

  • Material descriptions

  • Quantities

  • Units of measure (UOM)

  • Unit pricing

  • Extended Cost

Once extraction is complete, the extracted data should be manually reviewed and confirmed before moving into RFQ leveling. This step helps ensure pricing accuracy and prevents errors when issuing orders.

Extraction usually begins shortly after upload, but timing may vary depending on file complexity and system volume. A notification banner on the RFQ page will indicate when extraction is ready for review.

Who Can Do This

  • Admin – Full access to review, reconcile, and confirm extraction results

  • Purchaser – Can review, match, save, and update extracted quote data

Before You Start

Before reviewing extracted data, confirm that:

  • The RFQ is in Quote Provided status

  • The vendor uploaded a PDF quote under Vendor Attachments

  • You have permission to edit or reconcile extracted data

Note: If a vendor sends a quote by email instead of uploading it directly, you can upload the PDF on their behalf under Vendor Attachments.

SubBase will automatically process the file as long as the RFQ is still in its first Quote Provided stage. If a vendor submits an updated or revised quote after that point, the new PDF will not be re-extracted automatically.

In those cases:

  • You must manually update any changed line items

  • Pricing entered directly by the vendor in their quote table will appear in your view

  • Most revisions are provided as a newly uploaded PDF, which you should review carefully before saving

Steps to Review and Reconcile an RFQ Extraction

Step 1: Open the RFQ

From Orders → apply the Quote Provided filter → open the RFQ with an uploaded vendor quote.

Once extraction is complete, a notification banner appears at the top of the RFQ indicating that extracted data is ready for review.

Click Open in the banner to launch the Extraction Drawer.

Step 2: Understand the Extraction Drawer Layout

The Extraction Drawer displays two sets of information side by side:

  • Your original RFQ materials, including the originally requested quantity and unit of measure

  • Extracted vendor quote data, including the PDF preview and any unmatched materials

    • Extracted data may include material descriptions, quantities, units of measure, unit cost, and extended cost

You can switch which side displays the RFQ versus the extracted data if needed.

This screen is where all reconciliation happens before RFQ leveling and placing an order from within the RFQ or the leveling screen.

Step 3: Use Match Filters to Review Accuracy

At the top of the drawer, use match filters to review extracted lines by status:

  • Matches – Exact matches between the RFQ and vendor quote

  • Partial Matches – Minor differences such as description or UOM mismatches

  • No Matches – Items found on the vendor quote that do not align with the RFQ

Hover over any status to see why it was assigned. Reviewing these reasons helps improve future matching and makes it easier to understand how RFQ items mapped to the vendor’s quote, including cases where a line failed to match due to spelling differences, missing fields, the item not being quoted by the vendor, or situations where the system could not confidently match the item.

Step 4: Compare Against the Vendor PDF

Use the PDF preview to visually confirm accuracy.

Verify that the following match the vendor’s document:

  • Quantity

  • Unit of measure

  • Unit cost

Note: SubBase automatically calculates Extended Cost using Quantity × Unit Cost.

Best Practice: It is not recommended to change the Unit of Measure in the Extraction Drawer to force a match. Always confirm that the unit shown matches or displays the unit that was requested, not on the Vendor's PDF. If the unit differs, review the line carefully and adjust quantities or unit cost as needed rather than changing the unit to make it fit.

Step 5: Review and Resolve Unmatched Materials

Above the PDF preview, review Unmatched Materials extracted from the vendor’s quote.

For each unmatched item, choose one action:

  • Import Extracted Material – Add the item to your RFQ to create a new line item

  • Match Item – Manually link the extracted line to an existing material in your RFQ

  • Delete – Remove the extracted line if it is not needed

This ensures all quoted items are either accounted for or intentionally excluded before leveling.

Step 6: Review Totals

At the bottom of the drawer, review the following totals:

  • Tax

  • Shipping

  • Discounts

Confirm or adjust these values so the total matches the vendor’s quote.

Step 7: Request Human Review if Needed

If extraction results are incorrect or incomplete:

Click Something went wrong? in the top-right corner of the Extraction Drawer.

This sends the quote file and extracted data to SubBase’s Human-in-the-Loop review team for manual correction.

Step 8: Save or Update the Vendor

After all materials and totals are confirmed:

  • Click Save to store the verified data internally

  • Click Update Vendor to save and notify the vendor of changes if needed

Best Practice: Include a short message explaining what was reviewed or corrected to keep vendor communication clear and documented.

End State

After reconciliation is complete:

  • The RFQ remains in Quote Provided status

  • Extracted pricing is accurate and confirmed

  • The RFQ is ready for leveling

Next Steps: Move to RFQ Leveling

You can access the RFQ Leveling Tool in two ways:

  • From Orders, locate the RFQ and click the page icon with a dollar sign

  • From inside the RFQ, click the same dollar sign icon near the top of the page

In the Leveling Tool, you can:

  • Compare vendor quotes side by side

  • Review attachments and reference numbers

  • Select the best-priced items from each vendor

Troubleshooting

Extraction did not start

  • Confirm a PDF was uploaded under Vendor Attachments

  • Only text-based PDFs can be processed automatically

  • Wait briefly and refresh the RFQ page

Extraction results look incorrect

  • Hover over mismatched items to review error reasons

  • Use Something went wrong? to request human review

Did this answer your question?