Rate Comparison
Compare what your vendors charge for the same material, side by side, so every purchase order starts from an informed price.
Use this when: You are about to buy a material and want to see, side by side, what every vendor charges for it before committing.
Rate comparison puts every vendor's current price for a material on one screen. Use it before raising a purchase order, before approving a vendor's rate proposal, and whenever a price looks off — cheapest is not always best, but you should always know who is cheapest.
How Rate Comparison Works
The comparison reads the vendor rates you maintain in Materials, Vendors, and Rates. Pick a material and you see each vendor's current rate for it side by side — no spreadsheets, no calling around for quotes you already have.
Prices only stay useful if they stay current. The easiest way to keep them current is vendor rate proposals, where vendors submit price changes themselves and your team approves them.
Maintained rates feed the comparison; the comparison informs the vendor choice on each purchase order.
Reading the Comparison Well
Check the unit before the price — a lower rate in a different unit is not a lower price.
Weigh reliability alongside price: a vendor who delivers late or short costs more than their rate suggests.
Watch for a rate that is far below the others — confirm it is current and the quality is equivalent before switching.
Use the comparison when reviewing rate proposals, so you know how a proposed price ranks before approving it.
Where These Rates Are Used
The same vendor rates power material estimates and prefill pricing on purchase orders — so keeping the rate book honest improves your forecasts and your buying in one move.