RFI extraction
A request for information isn't asking for a price; it's asking who you are. ProcureMind reads incoming RFIs and structures what matters: who's asking, the reference number, the deadline, and every question they want answered.
Start freeRFI vs RFQ: why the distinction matters
Treat an RFI like a quote request and you'll send a price list to a buyer who asked for your certifications. They're different documents at different stages:
| RFI | RFQ / Quote | |
|---|---|---|
| Buyer wants | Information: capability, certifications, capacity | A price for a defined scope |
| Stage | Early: shortlisting suppliers | Late: ready to buy |
| Contains | Questions, requirements, deadlines | Line items, quantities, terms |
| ProcureMind extracts | Buyer, reference, deadline, question content | Vendor, prices, terms, line items |
| Financial fields | Blank: nothing to price | Fully populated |
ProcureMind makes the call automatically: every extraction is classified in the same pass that reads it, and RFIs are tagged document_type: "rfi" , so information requests never contaminate your quote pipeline.
Never miss an RFI deadline again
RFIs arrive quietly. A formal PDF from a procurement team, an Excel questionnaire, a long email with twelve numbered questions. They don't look urgent. Then the response deadline you didn't write down passes and the shortlist closes without you.
Extraction makes them visible. One click in Gmail (or one upload in the dashboard) and the RFI becomes structured data: buyer name and email, the reference number you'll need for every follow-up, and the response deadline, captured from the document itself.
Deadlines land where you'll see them. The extracted row appends to your Google Sheet or Excel Online workbook (buyer, reference, due date), turning a pile of RFIs into a response schedule. Review the extraction before it saves; the AI reads, you confirm.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between an RFI and an RFQ?
An RFQ asks for a price; an RFI asks for information: capability, certifications, capacity, experience, lead times. RFIs come earlier in the buying process and usually contain questions rather than line items to price. ProcureMind classifies each document automatically and extracts accordingly: pricing fields for quotes, question content for RFIs.
What fields does RFI extraction capture?
The buyer's name and email, the RFI reference number, the response deadline (captured in the quote_validity field), and the substance of the request in line-level notes. Financial fields come back blank by design. There's nothing to price in an RFI.
How does it know a document is an RFI and not a quote?
The AI classifies the document as part of extraction, in the same pass that reads the fields. RFIs are tagged document_type: "rfi", so they filter separately from quotes and POs in your dashboard instead of polluting your pricing pipeline.
Where does an extracted RFI go?
A row appends to your Google Sheet or Excel Online workbook with the buyer, reference and deadline, so response dates stop living in someone's memory. The full extraction stays in your ProcureMind dashboard history.
Can I extract RFIs from PDF and Excel files?
Yes. RFIs often arrive as formal PDF letters or Excel questionnaires. Upload them in the dashboard (up to 10 MB), or extract attachments directly in Gmail with the extension. Scanned PDFs fall back to OCR and vision extraction automatically.
More extraction workflows
Supplier quote extraction
23 fields per quote: vendor, terms, line items.
Purchase order extraction
PO numbers, delivery addresses and terms.
BOM extraction
Bills of materials with MPNs and hierarchy levels.
Gmail integration
Extract RFIs without leaving your inbox.
Extraction guide
The complete how-to: from copy-paste to automatic.
Developer API
Classify and extract documents over a REST API.
The next RFI deadline will be in your spreadsheet, not your memory.
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