What to put in your request
A supplier can only price what they can see. Answer these and the quotes come back for the same job, which is the only way they can be compared.
- A list of what you buy regularly, with the brand or specification and roughly how many a month. Your invoices from the last few months are the quickest way to build it.
- For paper: the size, the weight (such as 80 g/m²), whether it must be recycled or certified, and how many reams a month.
- For toner and ink: the make and model of every printer, and whether you will accept compatible or remanufactured cartridges or want the original brand only.
- Delivery: how many sites, how often, and whether orders go to one address or to each department.
- How you want to order and pay: an online ordering account, who may order and up to what amount, cost centres on the invoice, and a monthly statement.
- How long prices must hold: a fixed price list for six or twelve months, or prices that may change, and with how much notice.
- Other things you want on the same account, such as breakroom supplies or cleaning products.
- Empty toner and ink cartridges to be collected.
What to compare when the quotes come back
The lowest total is where comparing starts, not where it ends.
- The cost of the whole list, not of one item: total every quote against the same items and quantities.
- For toner: the cost per page, from the cartridge price and the number of pages it is rated for, and for compatibles, whether the warranty covers damage to the printer.
- The brand and product code on each line, so a lower price is not a lighter paper or a cartridge that prints fewer pages.
- Delivery charges, the order value for free delivery, and how long delivery takes.
- What happens when an item is out of stock: a substitute at the same price, a back order, or your approval first.
- Returns and credit for wrong or damaged items, and how quickly credit notes are issued.
On SupScope every quote arrives with the same three figures: the total, the lead time and the deposit. The first comparison is done before you open anything. The rest of this list is what to read in each supplier's notes and documents.
Paperwork worth asking for
- An agreed price list, with the date it holds until
- Product codes, descriptions, pack sizes and prices, and how price changes will be notified. It turns checking every later invoice into a quick comparison.
- A delivery note with every delivery
- Signed by whoever receives it, after checking the quantities against the order. Short deliveries and back orders are easiest to sort out on the day.
- Invoices that carry your order number
- With the cost centre and the agreed prices, so each invoice can be matched to its order and approved without chasing.
- Where collected cartridges end up
- If the supplier takes away empty toner and ink cartridges, ask whether they are refilled, recycled or sent to a licensed waste facility.
And from any supplier
- A SARS Tax Compliance Status PIN
- It replaced the old tax clearance certificate. Checking it on eFiling shows the supplier's status on the day you check, not the day it was issued.
- A B-BBEE certificate or sworn affidavit
- Only if your own scorecard counts it. Small suppliers (turnover up to R10 million) may use an affidavit instead of a verified certificate.
- Company registration and a bank confirmation letter
- Worth having before the first payment, so the account you pay is the company you chose.
General guidance, not legal advice. Regulations change, and some depend on your municipality or the job, so confirm anything you rely on with the authority concerned.
How this works on SupScope
- Step 1
Post it once
Describe the job and choose Stationery & Office Supplies and your province.
- Step 2
It reaches the right suppliers
Only suppliers who work in this trade and cover your province see it.
- Step 3
Compare and award
Quotes arrive side by side. Accept one and the others are told.