Comparison
SpecSync does not replace RFMS. It fixes what RFMS was not built for.
RFMS is the system of record for your catalog and your bid. SpecSync is the layer that handles supplier pricing — the part of the workflow that lives in Gmail, not in RFMS.
What each does
RFMS
Built for the catalog and the bid.
- ✓ Product catalog and inventory
- ✓ Pricing rules and margins
- ✓ Bid assembly and proposal output
- ✓ Customer database and CRM
- ✓ Job costing and accounting integration
- — Supplier RFQs by email
- — Parsing PDF supplier responses
- — Tracking open RFQs across reps
SpecSync
Built for the supplier inbox loop.
- ✓ Drafted RFQs from your takeoff
- ✓ Email-based RFQ delivery from your domain
- ✓ PDF, screenshot, and email-body parsing
- ✓ Open-RFQ tracking and follow-up
- ✓ Bid export into RFMS
- — Catalog management
- — Bid assembly and proposal output
- — Job costing
Most of our customers run both. RFMS is the system of record. SpecSync is the layer in front of it.
The actual workflow
How RFMS shops use SpecSync.
A rep gets a bid invite. They do the takeoff in their usual tool — sometimes RFMS, sometimes Bluebeam, sometimes Excel. They drop that takeoff into SpecSync. SpecSync drafts the RFQs and sends them. Supplier replies come back over the next 24-48 hours and get parsed into structured pricing inside SpecSync.
The rep reviews the parsed pricing, picks the winning supplier per line item, exports into RFMS. From there, RFMS does what RFMS does best: catalog mapping, margin rules, bid assembly, proposal output, job cost tracking once the job is awarded.
The five hours that used to live in Gmail now live nowhere. The rep is in RFMS earlier in the week, with cleaner pricing inputs, and bid throughput goes up across the shop.
FAQ
Questions RFMS shops ask
Should I cancel RFMS to use SpecSync?
No. RFMS handles catalog management, inventory, and bid assembly. SpecSync handles the supplier pricing loop. Keep both. They are built for different parts of the workflow.
Can SpecSync export pricing into RFMS?
Yes. SpecSync exports cleanly into the formats RFMS expects, so your final bid assembly does not break.
Why does RFMS not just add this feature?
RFMS is built around a structured catalog and stable supplier relationships. The supplier email loop is unstructured by nature — every supplier replies in a different format. Solving it requires a different kind of tool, and it is not on the RFMS roadmap.
How much overlap is there between RFMS and SpecSync?
Very little. RFMS is your catalog and bid assembly system of record. SpecSync is your supplier pricing layer. They touch each other at the export step and nowhere else.
Can my whole team use both?
Yes. Most of our customers use RFMS shop-wide and add SpecSync per-rep as reps see the time savings.
Keep RFMS. Add SpecSync.
Run one bid through both. See where the five hours went.
$2 per project. No subscription. No approval needed.