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Direct Request Inbox

Requests addressed to your organization land here, already carrying the port, port call details, vessel, and attachments. Every one needs an answer, whether that is a quote or a decline.

FOR SERVICE PROVIDERS

Anyone in your organization can read the inbox. Responding to a request, whether by quoting or declining, needs company verification and the Admin, Manager, or Finance role.

Key takeaways

  • Direct requests are addressed to you specifically, unlike open RFQs, which are published to a market.
  • Tabs separate what needs an answer from what you have already handled.
  • Declining with a reason is a real answer, and better than silence.
  • You get one response per request. Changes after that go through a quote revision.

Where to find it

Select Requests, then Inbox. The count beside it is how many requests are waiting on you.

PortzApp request inbox showing tabs for all, needs response, quoted, accepted and closed, with a list of incoming requests
The inbox, with tabs separating what needs an answer from what you have handled.

 What arrives with a request

Every direct request carries the context a buyer filled in, so you rarely need to ask before pricing:

  • The services they need, including anything they typed in themselves.
  • The country and port, and their ETA and ETD where given.
  • The vessel, if the work is tied to a port call.
  • Operational remarks and any attachments, such as port call info sheets.
  • The deadline, after which the request stops accepting quotes.

Responding

Open a request and you have two answers.

Quote it. Line items prefill from your tariffs for that port, so most of the work is checking rather than typing. See Quotations & Revisions.

Decline it, with a reason. That closes your side and tells the buyer not to wait on you, which is worth doing rather than letting the deadline run out.

Either way it counts as your response. If the buyer wants changes afterwards, they request a revision rather than reopening the request.

PortzApp request inquiry showing request information, attachments, and the actions to create a quote or decline
A request inquiry, with the buyer's details and your options to quote or decline.

Where a request stands with you

Status
What it means
Pending
It has reached you and nobody has opened it yet.
Viewed
Someone in your organization has opened it.
Quoted
You have sent a quote and the buyer is deciding.
Revision Requested
The buyer wants changes to your quote.
Revision Quoted
You have sent the updated version.
Accepted
Your quote won. The work now lives on a job.
Declined
You turned it down.
Closed
Finished, expired, or filled by someone else.

Common issues

I cannot quote

Quoting needs company verification and the Admin, Manager, or Finance role.

The request is no longer accepting quotes

It has been cancelled, has expired, or has already become a job. Ask the buyer to extend or send a new one.

I have already responded and cannot quote again

One response per request. Changes go through a revision rather than a second quote.

Nothing is arriving in the inbox

Direct requests only reach companies a buyer has chosen. Open RFQs are separate, under Open RFQ Marketplace.

FAQ

What is the difference between this and Open RFQs?
A direct request was addressed to your organization by name. An open RFQ was published to a market and is visible to every verified provider covering it.
Should I decline rather than ignore?
Yes. A decline closes your side and tells the buyer to stop waiting, which is worth more to them than silence and costs you nothing.
Can someone else in my team pick one up?
Yes. The inbox belongs to the organization, and the status shows when someone has opened a request.
Do I have to quote everything on the request?
Quote what you can deliver. If you cannot cover part of it, say so in your terms or notes so the buyer knows what is not included.