In aerospace sourcing, a single missed RFQ response can stall a production line. But most organizations track RFQs in email threads, scattered spreadsheets, and memory. There is no single view of what's been issued, what's been quoted, what's overdue, and what the savings picture looks like.
The consequences compound: sole-source justifications go undocumented, cycle times drift without anyone noticing, SLA compliance becomes unmeasurable, and supplier performance data (if it exists at all) lives in tribal knowledge.
Most tracking tools treat an RFQ as a line item: issued, done. But the sourcing value sits in what happens between issue and award. How many quotes came back. Whether the response was on time. What the price delta was against target. Whether the supplier earned the business on merit or by default.
A tracker that only records issuance solves the wrong problem. The system needs to capture the full lifecycle: issue, response, evaluation, award, and the performance metrics that fall out of each stage.
The tracker captures every RFQ from initial issue through supplier response, bid evaluation, and final award. KPIs, SLA flags, formula-driven supplier scorecard metrics, and savings calculations are all powered by the data you enter. Every calculation runs through a centralized Settings tab. No macros. No VBA. Pure Excel logic.
The RFQ Tracker sheet captures the full lifecycle in a single row per RFQ. Seven fields are user-entered. The remaining twenty are calculated, derived, or auto-flagged by formula.
Every RFQ row is automatically color-coded based on its SLA status. The system evaluates the response due date against today's date and the configurable warning window. No manual intervention required. Overdue RFQs surface immediately.
Priority classification (Critical, High, Medium, Low) is set by the user at issuance. Critical indicates a program-stopper that must be awarded immediately. The KPI banner surfaces counts by priority and status in real time.
| Capability | Description |
|---|---|
| KPI Banner | Seven real-time metrics at the top of the tracker: Open RFQs, Overdue count, At Risk count, Avg Cycle Time, Response Rate, Savings Realized, and Sole Source Award %. No scrolling required to see portfolio health. |
| Bid Comparison Matrix | Dedicated tab for side-by-side supplier evaluation. Up to 5 suppliers per RFQ. Auto-calculates variance vs target, flags lowest quote, and includes a structured sourcing recommendation section for audit documentation. |
| Supplier Scorecard | Formula-driven performance metrics per supplier, pulled directly from tracker data: RFQs sent, response rate, awards won, win rate, and performance rating. No manual data entry. The scorecard builds itself. |
| Portfolio Intelligence | Second-order analytics: stalling RFQs (open past SLA, zero quotes), over-target spend patterns, cycle time by commodity group, and critical parts currently open. Surfaces systemic issues, not just individual RFQs. |
| Pipeline Heat Map | 12-month view showing RFQs issued, responses due, and awards made by month. Conditional formatting shows workload intensity. Identifies capacity crunches before they happen. |
| Quote Sufficiency Flag | Each RFQ is evaluated against the minimum competitive bids target (configurable in Settings, default 3). RFQs that fall short are flagged to ensure competitive rigor before award. |
| AutoFilter + Data Validation | AutoFilter is enabled on all columns for instant sorting and filtering by any field. Drop-down data validation is applied to Priority, Status, Commodity, and Sole Source columns, reducing entry errors and making large portfolios navigable without scrolling through every row. |
The KPI banner gives an instant portfolio snapshot. Below it, the status breakdown shows where attention is needed. Every metric is formula-driven from the RFQ data. No pivot tables, no manual counts.
| Criteria | AeroComposites Inc | Vertex Composites |
|---|---|---|
| Quoted Price | $88,500 | $94,200 |
| vs Target ($90K) | −$1,500 (1.7% under) | +$4,200 (4.7% over) |
| Lead Time | 45 days | 60 days |
| AS9100D | Yes | Yes |
| OTD Rating | 98% | 95% |
| Technical Exceptions | None | Minor notes |
The Analytics tab goes beyond basic counts. It identifies patterns that individual RFQ tracking misses: which RFQs are stalling, where spend is running over target, and which commodity groups carry the longest cycle times.
| Metric Category | What It Surfaces |
|---|---|
| Stalling RFQs | Open past SLA target. Open with zero quotes received. Open with no supplier response. Critical parts currently sitting in open status. These are the RFQs that need a phone call, not a follow-up email. |
| Spend vs Target | Count and dollar value of closed RFQs that exceeded target price. Over-target rate. Answers the question: "Are we actually saving money, or are we just processing paper?" |
| Cycle Time by Commodity | Average days from issue to award, broken out across eight commodity groups: Machined Parts, Fasteners, Composites, Bearings, Raw Material, Actuation, Forgings, and Seals/Gaskets. |
| Volume & Breakdown | Total RFQs issued, open/closed/cancelled split, sole source vs competitive awards, priority distribution, and response rate across the entire portfolio. |
Aerospace sourcing operates under regulatory frameworks (FAR, DFARS) where traceability matters. The tracker is designed with audit readiness as a first-class concern, not an afterthought.
| Feature | Audit Function |
|---|---|
| Sole Source Flag | Every RFQ is marked Y/N for sole source. Y triggers a documentation expectation: written justification should be on file per FAR 6.302 / DFARS 206. The tracker makes sole source visibility default, not buried. |
| Bid Comparison Tab | Duplicatable per RFQ. Documents all quotes received, evaluation criteria, and sourcing recommendation in one place. This is the source selection record. |
| Cancelled RFQ Retention | Cancelled RFQs are marked, not deleted. Row history is preserved for audit trail. Status-based filtering lets users hide them without destroying data. |
| Notes Column | Free-text field for sourcing rationale, issues, or actions taken. Supports the "why" behind every award decision when auditors come asking. |
The RFQ Lifecycle Tracker is the second tool in a growing series designed to address common pain points in aerospace procurement. Each tool is standalone, solves a specific operational problem, and produces outputs defensible in a leadership setting.
Built to bring visibility to the RFQ lifecycle in environments where procurement decisions carry program-level consequences. The system captures issuance, tracks compliance, evaluates bids, scores suppliers, and surfaces portfolio-level patterns, all in a single workbook. The tracker surfaces the data. The sourcing manager makes the call.