RFX

RFX is umbrella shorthand for the family of sourcing requests: RFI (information), RFQ (quotation), RFP (proposal), RFT (tender), and their relatives. The X is the variable — the buyer's choice of instrument, which encodes how well the requirement is understood and what kind of response will win.

Reading the X correctly is half of bid strategy. An RFI means the buyer is still learning: respond with substance and you shape the requirement that follows. An RFQ means the requirement is fixed: price wins, craft does not. An RFP means the problem is defined but the solution is not: technical merit is scored against a grid and price is only part of the arithmetic. An RFT means everything is nailed down and the documents bind both directions. Misreading the instrument — writing a proposal to an RFQ, or pricing casually to an RFT — wastes the effort or the margin. Aggregators such as pubsec.pro label the instrument on every notice, which makes the first read automatic rather than assumed.

@misc{pi-2026-definitions-rfx,
  author = {{The Procurement Institution}},
  title  = {RFX — definition},
  year   = {2026},
  url    = {https://procurementinstitution.org/definitions/rfx},
  note   = {Release 2026.10}
}