What should a vendor follow-up email say?
The reference (RFQ, PO or invoice number), what you asked for, when it was promised, and the date you now need it by. Say what the delay is holding up on your side; vendors prioritise the customer whose problem is clearest. Ask for a committed date, not a status. Keep the tone businesslike and copy their sales or account contact if the first address has gone quiet.
Template 1: follow-up on a quote you requested
Use this three business days after sending an RFQ with no reply, or the day after the quote date they promised.
Hi [Name],
Following up on the request for quotation I sent on [date] for [quantity] of [item], delivered to [location]. I had understood a quote would come by [date].
We are placing this order by [date], so I need your pricing, lead time and payment terms by [date, two days before] to include you.
If you need the specification clarified or cannot quote this round, a quick reply saying so is fine.
Regards,
[Your name]
[Company, phone]
Template 2: purchase order sent, no acknowledgement
Use this when a PO has gone out and the vendor has not confirmed it. Unconfirmed POs are where delivery dates quietly slip.
Hi [Name],
We sent purchase order [number] on [date] for [items] at a total of [amount]. I have not yet received an order acknowledgement.
Could you confirm by [date] that the PO is accepted, the pricing matches your quote [reference], and the delivery date of [date] holds? If the date has moved, please tell me now so I can plan around it.
PO attached again for reference.
Thanks,
[Your name]
Template 3: delivery date has passed
Use this the working day after a promised delivery date with no goods and no update. Firm, factual, and asks for a new committed date.
Hi [Name],
Delivery against PO [number] was due on [date] and has not arrived. I have had no notice of a delay.
This is holding up [what it blocks: a production run, a client installation, a site handover] on our side. Please send a revised delivery date, confirmed with your dispatch team, by end of day [date].
If part of the order can ship now, send that part and tell me what follows and when.
Regards,
[Your name]
[Phone]
Template 4: missing document (invoice, e-way bill, test certificate)
Use this when the goods arrived but the paperwork did not. Common with GST invoices, e-way bills, warranty cards and test certificates.
Hi [Name],
Thanks for the delivery on [date] against PO [number]; the goods are in and checked.
We are still missing [the document: the tax invoice with our GSTIN / the material test certificate / the warranty card] for the consignment. Our accounts team cannot process payment without it.
Could you email it by [date]? If it was sent to another address, tell me which and I will trace it.
Thanks,
[Your name]
Template 5: quality or shortfall issue with no response
Use this when you reported a defect or short delivery and the vendor has not replied. Keep it to facts and a date.
Hi [Name],
On [date] I reported that [the issue: 40 of the 500 units failed inspection / the consignment was short by 12 cartons / the colour does not match the approved sample], with photos and the inspection sheet attached. I have not had a reply.
Please confirm by [date] how you will resolve it: replacement, credit note, or collection and refund. Until then, the invoice for this PO is on hold on our side.
I would prefer to settle this directly rather than escalate; a reply with a plan is all I need.
Regards,
[Your name]
[Title, company, phone]
What to change before you send
Procurement emails get actioned when they are easy to look up. Check these.
- Use the vendor's reference numbers as well as yours: their quote number, their order acknowledgement number, their invoice number. Their system runs on theirs.
- State what the delay is blocking in concrete terms. "Holding up our March production run" moves faster than "urgent".
- Replace the deadline placeholders with dates the vendor can actually meet. An impossible date gets ignored; a tight but possible one gets a call back.
- In Template 4, name the exact document and what is wrong with it if it was sent but wrong (missing GSTIN, wrong PO number, wrong address).
- In Template 5, attach the evidence again: photos, inspection sheet, delivery challan. Do not make them search the earlier thread.
- Copy the vendor's sales manager or account manager on the second follow-up, and say so in the email rather than silently adding them.
How long to wait
Three business days for an unanswered quote request. The working day after any promised date passes, whether it is a quote date, a delivery date or a document date. For a reported defect, give them two working days to acknowledge and then follow up. If a follow-up goes unanswered, the next one goes a few days later with their manager copied, and after that it is a phone call.
Vendors in a different region or working six-day weeks may read "three business days" differently; say the date, not the number of days. How many days to wait before following up covers the general rules.
Let Momo AI chase it
If you manage a dozen vendors, you are waiting on something from most of them at any moment. Momo AI's follow-up tracking lists every Gmail thread where you asked a vendor for something and got no reply, and after the days you set it drafts the follow-up in your voice to Gmail Drafts. You check the reference numbers and tap Send; nothing is sent without you. The sales page shows the same loop pointed at customers instead of suppliers.
