Ritual
Quote week ritual
Tumi and the team at Welkom Print Start use this quote ritual to avoid chasing missing PDFs and missed courier cut-offs.
When to run a quote week
Start this ritual at the first sign your supplier list is out of date, or when those Lichtenburg-nowhere PDFs block your spend decisions. Common triggers: you can't find three matching prices for a printer before month-end, or the last few quote requests went unanswered. If Beaufort West Brick & Block suddenly goes dark, or a supplier's courier adds R700 just for wet weather, it's time. Schedule your quote week before a big order, budget refresh, or when a grant application needs recent comparable quotes (not last April’s numbers).
Roles for a sharp quote hunt
In a team of two, the admin (like Simphiwe) keeps the Supplier Radar tidy and tracks comms, while the owner or buyer (say, Tumi) decides on the shortlist. With a bigger crew, add a check by a second pair of eyes before anything lands in Invoice Charm. Always assign one person to nudge slow suppliers (it can get awkward when you double-mail someone from two sides, we've done it). Use your usual supplier list, but update it with Supplier Radar before starting.
Five-day quote week ritual steps
Move fast, or you’ll still be waiting for a reply by the next pay run. Time box each stage, block an hour, never a whole morning. Here’s the ritual sequence for Welkom Print Start:
- Day 1: Review and update your active supplier list in Supplier Radar (30 minutes). Flag any out-of-date contacts or bounced emails.
- Day 1: Pick exactly three to five suppliers per item or service you need to quote (15 minutes). Use supplier shortlists that respect your time.
- Day 2: Send out identical RFQ emails before 10am, with a 48-hour deadline and a clear purchase description. Mention your VAT201 or municipal permit if needed (20 minutes).
- Day 3: Log all incoming quotes immediately in Invoice Charm (30 minutes). Mark any missing or late quotes to chase up after lunch.
- Day 4: Check the quote details for red flags: missing VAT, delivery not included, or expiry dates that clash with your pay run. Use the Invoice Charm kit for this.
- Day 5: Summarise the quotes side-by-side for the buyer, highlight the best fit beyond just rand value (20 minutes). Agree on the winner during a short stand-up.
- After: Update Supplier Radar for any non-responders and rate each supplier (10 minutes). Archive PDFs in one shared folder.
- If anything fell through, review your Supplier Radar checklist.
Traps to dodge in South Africa
Watch out for reply delays after Eskom load-shedding, especially on a Thursday when everyone in Welkom seems to be offline. Courier quotes from Cape Town’s Woodstock hub may expire early due to Friday cut-offs and month-end rush. Never accept WhatsApp photos as an official quote, SARS will just bounce it. Don’t let a supplier’s mate nudge you off your shortlist. Oh, and it's easy to misplace a quote in your spam folder, Tumi once lost a R40,000 deal that way. Always check spam.
How to close and when to repeat
End your quote week by confirming the purchase with your winning supplier, cc the whole team, and save the updated shortlist for the next one. If most quotes were late or missing, plan to run the ritual every quarter. Otherwise, add it to your regular ops cadence for big spends or contract renewals. For more repeatable rituals, browse here.
