Getting a Quote
Once a load plan is solved, you can email it to your freight forwarders and ask them to quote a price for the shipment. LOP attaches a PDF of the plan and sends the request from your own Outlook account to each forwarder individually, so their replies come straight back to your inbox.
Before You Start
Two things must be in place:
- A connected Outlook account — quote emails are sent as you, from your own Microsoft/Outlook mailbox. Connect it once under Settings → Security. See Connecting Outlook.
- A solved plan — the plan must have items packed into containers. The Get Quote button only appears after a plan has a result.
If you haven't connected Outlook yet, opening Get Quote will show a prompt to connect it first instead of the quote form. Follow the link to Settings → Security, connect your account, then come back and reopen Get Quote.
Sending a Quote Request
Step 1 — Open a solved plan
Open the load plan you want quoted in the editor. Make sure it has been solved and shows packed containers.
Step 2 — Click Get Quote
Click Get Quote in the editor toolbar. The Get Quote panel opens.
[Screenshot: editor toolbar with the Get Quote button]
Step 3 — Select forwarders
In the panel, tick one or more forwarders from your directory. You can send the same request to several forwarders at once — each gets their own individual email.
Step 4 — Fill in the shipping details
Add the context the forwarders need to price the shipment:
- Port of Loading (POL) and Port of Discharge (POD) — entered as UN/LOCODE port codes
- Mode — the transport mode (e.g. sea, air, road)
- Incoterms — the agreed terms (e.g. FOB, CIF)
- Target date — when you need the shipment to move
POL and POD use UN/LOCODE — the standard five-letter port codes, such as TRIST for Istanbul or DEHAM for Hamburg. Enter the code, not the full city name.
Step 5 — Review the email
The panel pre-fills an email subject and body. Edit them however you like — this is the message the forwarders receive.
[Screenshot: Get Quote panel with forwarders selected, shipping form, and email text]
Step 6 — Send
Click send. For each selected forwarder, LOP:
- Generates a PDF of the load plan (a packed-container view plus per-container weight)
- Sends an individual email from your connected Outlook account to that forwarder, with the PDF attached
Because the emails come from your own mailbox, every reply lands in your inbox — not in LOP.
LOP doesn't read your email. When forwarders reply with their rates, you record those rates yourself under Past Offers. See Recording & Comparing Responses.
What the Forwarder Receives
Each forwarder gets a normal email from your address, with your subject and message, and a PDF of the load plan attached. The PDF focuses on what a forwarder needs to price the move — the contents of each container and the per-container weight — rather than the internal packing arrangement.
Next Steps
- Past Offers — see the quote requests you've sent
- Recording & Comparing Responses — enter and compare the rates that come back