Comparing Vendor Quotes
Receive quotes from multiple AV vendors, compare them side by side on price and scope, and select the best supplier for your event.
What you'll learn
- ✓Loading vendor quotes into the comparison view
- ✓Reading the vendor summary cards and value scores
- ✓Comparing line items across vendors with cheapest/most expensive flags
- ✓Reviewing payment terms and cancellation policies side by side
- ✓Using the AI insight panel to get a ranked recommendation
- ✓Selecting a vendor and moving an event forward
Open the Quote Comparison view
From your event dashboard, open the event you're sourcing for and click the "Quote Comparison" tab. If you've already sent quote requests and vendors have responded with CueQuote proposals, their submissions appear automatically. If vendors sent proposals by email or as files, click "Add Quote" and paste the CueQuote share URL or upload the document manually.
Pro tip: You can add up to 4 vendor proposals to a single comparison. This is enough for most sourcing decisions — beyond 4 the comparison becomes unwieldy.
Read the vendor summary cards
Each vendor gets a summary card at the top of the comparison showing: company name, total price in your event currency, quote validity date, and a value score (1-10). The value score is a composite of price competitiveness, scope completeness, and payment terms flexibility. The vendor with the lowest total is highlighted in green — a quick visual anchor for budget-conscious decisions.
Compare line items in detail
Scroll down to the line item comparison table. Items are grouped by category (Audio, Video, Lighting, Labor, Transport) and matched across all vendors. The cheapest price for each item gets a green "Cheapest" badge; the most expensive gets an amber badge. Items a vendor hasn't included appear as a dash — these gaps are often where the real pricing differences lie. A vendor quoting 10% less but missing 5 line items may actually be more expensive once those items are sourced separately.
Pro tip: Pay special attention to Labor and Transport line items — these are frequently omitted from initial quotes to make the headline price look competitive.
Review payment terms and cancellation policies
The Terms section shows each vendor's payment schedule side by side: deposit percentage, balance due date, and cancellation policy. A vendor asking for 100% upfront represents a cash flow risk compared to one asking for 30% on acceptance and 70% two weeks before the event. Factor payment terms into your overall vendor evaluation — a slightly higher price with better terms can be a better deal for your client.
Generate the AI insight
Click "Generate AI Insight" in the comparison toolbar. The AI analyzes all loaded quotes across price, scope, terms, and completeness, then produces a ranked recommendation with explanatory text. It highlights which vendor offers the best overall value for your specific event context, where each vendor falls short, and what to ask them to revise before you award the contract.
Pro tip: Use the AI insight as a starting point for your decision — it's a fast way to synthesize complex data. Always apply your own judgement based on the vendor relationship and event stakes.
Select a vendor and update the event
Once you've made your decision, click "Select Vendor" on the winning card. The event status updates to "Vendor Confirmed" and the selected vendor's proposal is linked as the primary quote for the event. CueQuote sends an automatic notification to the chosen vendor and an optional decline notification to the others. The accepted quote total flows into your event budget tracker automatically.