# RFQ and quoting software for B2B sellers > The markdown twin of , served when a client sends > `Accept: text/markdown`. Keep it in step with the page. An RFQ is a buyer asking what something will cost. Here the request becomes a quote your team prices in one editor — versioned, with a validity date — and when the buyer accepts it, that quote becomes the order. Nothing is re-keyed and nothing lives in an inbox. ## What it means in practice - **Every send is a version** — Sending bumps the version and freezes that revision, so both sides can see exactly what was offered and when. Edit a sent quote and it withdraws to draft for the next version. - **Buyers counter, not just accept** — A buyer can propose changes line by line. The quote moves to countered and your editor shows what you quoted against what they propose, with their note. - **Nothing ships at zero** — A line you cannot price is marked not applicable rather than left at zero, and a quote with an unpriced line cannot be sent or accepted. - **Acceptance creates the order** — The accepted quote becomes an order carrying the same lines, the same VAT treatment and the same thread — no re-entry, no second source of truth. ## Answered in minutes when it can be, by a person when it should be Most requests are for things you already sell to people you already know. An automation can price those from the buyer’s own list and send them back immediately, which leaves your team the ones that need judgement: the off-catalogue part, the big order, the tight margin. ## How a request becomes an order 1. **The buyer asks** — From a product, from the cart, or for something off-catalogue — with quantities and a note. 2. **Your team prices it** — One editor for lines, discounts, fulfilment and configured products; or the automation prices it instantly. 3. **You send it** — Version bumped, validity set, and the buyer sees it in their portal and their inbox. 4. **They accept or counter** — Acceptance creates the order. A counter-offer comes back line by line for you to answer. ## Questions **What is the difference between an RFQ and a quote?** The request for quote is what the buyer sends: the parts and quantities they want priced. The quote is your answer, with prices, validity and terms. One request can produce several quote versions. **Can buyers negotiate online?** Yes. Buyers accept, decline, or counter-offer line by line with a note. A counter puts the quote back in your editor showing your price against theirs. **Does an accepted quote become an order automatically?** Yes — acceptance creates the order with the same lines and the same tax treatment, so nobody re-keys it. **Can we quote parts that are not in our catalogue?** Yes. A request can include off-catalogue lines, and you price them in the same editor as everything else. **Do quotes expire?** They can. Set a validity date and the quote expires on its own; once accepted, declined or expired it is final and can no longer be edited. --- [Contract pricing](https://sokisoko.com/contract-pricing) · [Credit and terms](https://sokisoko.com/credit-and-terms) · [Quotes and approvals](https://sokisoko.com/platform#quotes) · [Request a demo](https://sokisoko.com/demo) ·