VyaparCred Resources
Sourcing playbook

From RFQ to cleared customs in days

The modern solar procurement workflow, end to end.

Quick answer

The modern solar procurement workflow has four steps: (1) post one RFQ for the whole BOM to reach verified suppliers at once, (2) compare quotes on landed cost including duty and freight, not sticker price, (3) attach financing to the accepted order so it ships funded, and (4) ship and clear customs with suppliers paid in 15 days. This compresses weeks of sequential sourcing into days.

Key takeaways
  • Sourcing and financing on one rail is what collapses the timeline from weeks to days.
  • Compare on landed cost (duty + freight), not ex-works price, or you will pick the wrong corridor.
  • Financing attached to the order means it ships without waiting on your working capital.
  • Verified quotes in 24-48h, financing in 48h, suppliers paid in 15 days.

The old way, and why it takes weeks

Traditional solar procurement is sequential and manual. You email suppliers one at a time, wait days for each quote, reconcile them in a spreadsheet that does not account for duty or freight, then, only after choosing, go looking for working capital to fund the order. Each step waits on the last. Weeks disappear, and the price you were quoted has often moved by the time you are ready to buy.

The modern workflow runs the same steps in parallel and on one rail. Here is how it works, step by step.

Create an account and run your next order

Modern workflow (one rail)
  • One RFQ reaches every verified supplier at once
  • Quotes compared on landed, compliant cost
  • Financing attaches to the accepted order
  • RFQ to cleared customs in days
Traditional sourcing (sequential)
  • Suppliers emailed and chased one at a time
  • Quotes reconciled by hand, duty ignored
  • Capital arranged separately, after sourcing
  • Weeks lost and prices move before you buy

Step 1: Post one RFQ for the whole BOM

Instead of chasing suppliers individually, post one RFQ that reaches every verified supplier in the corridor at once. Verified quotes come back in 24-48 hours, compared like-for-like on price, lead time, specification and certification, across the full module-to-encapsulant bill of materials. One request, many competing quotes, no inbox archaeology.

Step 2: Compare on landed cost, not sticker price

A cheap ex-works price can become the most expensive option once duty and freight are added. Landed-cost quotes fold those in, so China, Vietnam and Thailand can be compared honestly rather than on headline price alone.

Compliance status shows on each quote too, so you are never comparing an ALMM-listed module against one that is not eligible for your project. Comparing on landed, compliant cost is the only apples-to-apples comparison in cross-border sourcing.

Step 3: Attach financing to the accepted order

Once you accept a quote, financing attaches to the order itself. PO Finance funds up to 100% of order value with a 48-hour decision, or Trade Finance & LC opens a letter of credit with the INR rate locked at issuance. The order ships funded, rather than waiting on your working capital or a separate loan process.

This is the step that collapses the timeline. In the old workflow, financing was a separate project that started after sourcing finished. Here it runs on the same rail, so there is no gap between choosing a supplier and being able to pay them.

Step 4: Ship, clear customs, settle on your cycle

Suppliers are paid in 15 days, the order ships and clears customs tracked end to end, and you settle on agreed terms. What used to take weeks of sequential back-and-forth now runs in days. Create an account to run your next order through the workflow, or explore the financing options first.

The VyaparCred solution

Run the whole workflow on one platform

VyaparCred is the rail this workflow runs on, RFQ, comparison, financing and fulfilment in one place, which is what compresses weeks into days.

Post one RFQ, get verified quotes in 24-48h compared on landed, compliant cost.

Attach PO Finance or an LC to the accepted order so it ships funded.

Suppliers paid in 15 days, order tracked from dispatch to cleared customs.

Common questions

How long does modern solar procurement take?
Verified quotes return in 24-48 hours, financing decisions in around 48 hours, and suppliers are paid in 15 days. Running sourcing and financing on one rail compresses what used to take weeks into days.
What is landed cost in solar procurement?
Landed cost is the ex-works price plus duty and freight, the true delivered cost. Comparing corridors on landed cost, rather than sticker price, is the only honest way to see which is actually cheapest.
What are the steps in the solar procurement workflow?
Four steps: post one RFQ for the whole BOM, compare quotes on landed cost including duty and freight, attach financing to the accepted order, then ship and clear customs with suppliers paid in 15 days.
Do I need an account to get solar quotes?
You can run the landed-cost estimator without signing up. To post an RFQ and accept quotes from verified suppliers, you create an account.
Why compare on landed cost instead of ex-works price?
Because a low ex-works price from a high-duty or high-freight corridor can end up more expensive delivered. Landed cost captures duty and freight, so the comparison reflects what you actually pay.
Can financing really be attached to the order?
Yes. Rather than arranging capital separately after sourcing, financing attaches to the accepted quote, PO Finance up to 100% or an LC with the INR rate locked, so the order ships funded.
AC
Written by

Abhiraj Chakrabarti

Co-Founder, VyaparCred

Second-time founder with a prior D2C exit and 12+ years at the intersection of capital, technology and underserved markets. Building credit infrastructure for India's clean energy transition.

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