Hintakyselyin

Hintakyselyin is a procurement practice in which a buyer requests price quotations from multiple suppliers for clearly defined goods or services. The goal is to obtain competitive prices and favorable terms and to inform the purchasing decision or to support a later formal tender.

The typical process starts with defining needs and specifications, identifying potential suppliers, and issuing a price inquiry that outlines requirements, quantities, delivery times, payment terms, and the deadline for responses. Suppliers submit quotes, which are then evaluated primarily on price but also on delivery, warranties, and compliance with the specifications. Depending on the outcome, the buyer may choose a supplier directly or invite the best offers to a formal tender.

Advantages include increased price transparency, market benchmarking, and potential cost savings through competition. Risks involve insufficiently precise specifications that make quotes incomparable, the neglect of non-price factors such as quality or service, and the need to ensure equal treatment of all suppliers and adherence to procurement rules.

In Finland, hintakyselyin is a common step in both private procurement and public sector processes and may precede more formal tendering under applicable procurement legislation. See also price inquiry, competitive bidding, procurement, and tendering.