> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://kb.theloops.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://kb.theloops.io/digitalworkers/ifs-loops-digital-workers/digital-worker-guides/sourcing-manager/core-concepts/real-world-scenarios.md).

# Real-world scenarios

## Overview&#x20;

This article walks through a single purchase requisition from intake to purchase order, showing how the Sourcing Manager shortlists suppliers, runs the RFQ, evaluates the responses, and documents the reasoning behind the award.&#x20;

### Scenario: From Requisition to Purchase Order&#x20;

One purchase requisition is submitted in IFS Cloud: 100 units, flagged as a quotation request. The Sourcing Manager immediately gets to work.&#x20;

#### Step 1: Suppliers Ranked and Shortlisted&#x20;

The subagent pulls every candidate supplier for the part, ranks them on performance rating, and weighs quality certification, environmental compliance, and credit standing. It shortlists four suppliers and documents the reasoning behind each selection.&#x20;

#### Step 2: RFQ Created and Distributed&#x20;

The RFQ is created, released, and distributed: published directly to the portal for B2B suppliers, and emailed as a PDF to everyone else, using the contact addresses already held in the system.&#x20;

#### Step 3: A Supplier Responds&#x20;

A supplier replies to the RFQ with a quotation as a PDF. No portal to learn, no form to fill in. The email trigger fires, and the Sourcing Manager reads the attachment.&#x20;

#### Step 4: The Quote Is Extracted and Matched&#x20;

It extracts price, discount, and promised delivery date, and matches them back to the correct quotation line using the inquiry number.&#x20;

#### Step 5: The Deadline Passes and Quotes Are Compared&#x20;

The deadline passes, and the approval flow runs. The Sourcing Manager compares the answered lines on total cost, unit price times quantity net of discount, alongside delivery.&#x20;

#### Step 6: The Winning Supplier Is Determined&#x20;

The winning supplier is determined, and layered reasoning is provided: why this supplier was selected, why the alternative wasn’t. That becomes the audit trail.&#x20;

#### Step 7: The Purchase Order Is Generated&#x20;

The awarded quote is used to generate a purchase order.&#x20;

**Result:** No spreadsheet quote comparisons, no follow-up emails chasing supplier responses. A single requisition moves from intake through a ranked shortlist, a distributed RFQ, parsed responses, and a documented award, to a purchase order, with the reasoning behind every step captured along the way.&#x20;

## What This Scenario Illustrates&#x20;

Supplier ranking weighs more than price. The initial shortlist is built on performance rating, quality certification, environmental compliance, and credit standing, not simply who responds first or cheapest.&#x20;

Distribution adapts to how each supplier operates. B2B suppliers on the portal receive the RFQ there; everyone else gets it by email as a PDF, using contact information already on file, so no supplier has to learn a new system to participate.&#x20;

Suppliers respond the way they already work. A quotation submitted as a PDF attachment is read automatically, with no portal to learn and no form to fill in on the supplier’s side.&#x20;

Matching happens on the inquiry number, not guesswork. Extracted price, discount, and delivery data are tied back to the correct quotation line precisely, even across multiple suppliers responding to the same RFQ.&#x20;

The comparison is total cost, not sticker price. Unit price times quantity, net of discount, alongside delivery, is what determines the winning quote, not the lowest listed unit price alone.&#x20;

Every award carries its own defense. The reasoning behind why a supplier was selected, and why the alternative wasn’t, is documented as part of the decision itself, becoming the audit trail rather than something reconstructed after the fact.&#x20;