Identify each version
Record quotation number, revision, date, stated validity and supplier identity. Keep the original file. If a newer offer arrives, create a new record linked to the previous one rather than replacing its price. This preserves the basis of decisions already made.
List the applicable conditions
Connect item, specification, quantity, colour allocation, term, named place and schedule conditions. Validity is not only a calendar question: a material or quantity change can make the old offer inapplicable. Request clarification when the document does not state its scope clearly.
Compare revisions precisely
Write what changed in specification, price, included services, minimums or timing. Keep currency and unit beside each original amount. Do not silently convert or update a historical price. A new offer may respond to a different requirement and should be labelled accordingly.
Ask about expiry
When the stated validity ends, request current confirmation before relying on the old conditions. If no expiry is supplied, ask rather than inventing one. Keep the supplier's actual reply with the relevant version and note which fields it confirms.
Reconfirm changed projects
A revised colour split, quantity, finish or requested date may need a fresh offer. Explain the change and ask which conditions remain applicable. An unchanged product name does not prove an unchanged commercial basis, especially when another dependency has moved.
Record the buyer decision
Identify which quotation version the buyer reviewed and the scope of any acceptance. Keep additional clarifications alongside it. A purchasing worksheet is not a signed agreement. The final order documents should identify the commercial version actually used.
Your quote-version ledger
Illustration: quote A has expired and quote B includes a changed colour allocation. The buyer retains A as history and reviews B's actual basis rather than comparing prices alone. Use the ledger below to keep version, condition and decision aligned.
Quote ID/revision/date/validity: [entry] Brief/item/specification revision: [references] Quantity and colour basis: [details] Currency/unit/original price: [entry] Trade scope/inclusions: [source] Changes from earlier quote: [list] Reconfirmation requested and reply/date: [record] Buyer reviewed version and scope: [entry] Final order association: [reference] Superseded versions: [list]