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Attribute based negotiations enable buyers to define multiple item-specific characteristics, called item attributes, that allow bidders/suppliers not only to respond to the price, quantity, and delivery, but also to other features salient to each item. Depending on the setting chosen during the negotiation creation, these attributes can be either required, optional, or display only.

Item attributes and their responses comprise the heart of the RFI process. When creating an RFI, buyers define attributes for negotiation items. These attributes represent important aspects of the item for which the buyers need information from their suppliers. Suppliers reply to the item attribute, in essence "answering" the buyer's question. The buyer then uses the suppliers' responses to qualify the group of suppliers and to determine the best set of suppliers with which to later conduct a negotiation.