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Solution showcase · Manufacturing

Quotation software with RFQ automation, from email to draft quote.

A multi-item RFQ lands in the inbox. A priced draft quote is waiting for sales soon after.

This quotation software reads line items and specifications from the RFQ email or attachment, matches them to your catalogue and stock, and prices them by your rules. Anything uncertain is flagged, and sales approves the quote before it goes out.

Map Your Workflow See how it works
  • Matched to your catalogue
  • Your pricing rules
  • Sales approves every quote

No upfront consultation fee. Free discovery and a free tailored proposal.

The problem

Every RFQ starts with someone retyping it.

RFQs arrive as emails, PDFs and spreadsheets in every format. Sales reads each line, hunts for part numbers, checks stock and price, then builds the quote by hand. Complex requests sit for days.

Before: quoting by hand

  1. Open the email and the attachment
  2. Interpret each line and specification
  3. Look up part numbers, stock and price
  4. Calculate totals and format the quote
  5. Chase approval and send it

After: the quoting workflow

  1. RFQ read from the inbox automatically
  2. Line items extracted and normalised
  3. Matched to catalogue, stock and price rules
  4. Uncertain lines and pricing checked by salesYour team
  5. Approved quote sent and logged

Sales spends its time on the lines that need judgement, not on retyping the easy ones.

How it works

RFQ automation, from inbox to approved quote.

Six steps from the moment an RFQ arrives. The workflow does the reading, matching and arithmetic; sales owns the price and the send.

  1. 01GmailRFQ arrives

    Email body, PDF, Excel or scanned attachment.

    Automated
  2. 02AI readingLines extracted

    Items, quantities, specs and delivery terms, normalised.

    AI
  3. 03Catalogue / ERPProducts matched

    Against your catalogue, with confidence for each line.

    Automated
  4. 04Google SheetsPriced by rules

    Price lists, quantity breaks, stock and lead times.

    Automated
  5. 05Sales teamSales reviews

    Uncertain matches, custom parts and final price.

    Your team
  6. 06Quote PDFQuote sent

    PDF sent from your address, status logged.

    Automated
If a line doesn't matchFlagged for salesUnknown part, conflicting spec, expired price or low stock: the line is held with the reason, the rest of the quote carries on.Your team
People and automation

The workflow does the legwork. Sales owns the price.

Matching and arithmetic are automated. Commercial decisions stay with the people who know the customer.

The workflow handles
  • Reading RFQs from email and attachments
  • Normalising units, sizes and part names
  • Matching lines to catalogue products
  • Checking stock and lead times
  • Applying price lists and quantity breaks
Sales handles
  • Uncertain or partial matches
  • Custom parts and drawings
  • Discounts and special terms
  • Final approval of every quote
  • Follow-up with the customer
The workflow never
  • Sends a quote without approval
  • Guesses a price for an unmatched part
  • Overrides a customer's agreed terms
Built around your tools

How the pieces connect.

RFQs keep arriving where they do today. Quotes come out of the systems that already hold your products and prices.

Where RFQs arriveGmailOutlookWeb form
Quoting workflowLine extractionProduct matchingPricing rulesEach line keeps its match confidence
Products and pricesERP / catalogueGoogle SheetsStock levels
Sales teamQuote queueQuote PDFHubSpot

ERPs differ in what they expose. Where yours has no API, a regular export of products and prices keeps the matching current.

Document processing & OCR →
Industry benchmarks

What manufacturers report after automating quotes and orders.

Published results from manufacturers and distributors that automated RFQ and order intake.

Quote turnaround2 weeks → 2 days

A custom fabrication shop after standardising and automating its quoting.

Time per quote30 min → 5 min

A machine shop after moving to automated quoting.

Order data accuracy85% → 98%

A manufacturer after AI read orders from emails and attachments, with a person approving each one.

What we would measure for you
  • Quote turnaround time
  • Minutes per RFQ
  • Lines matched first time
  • Quotes per salesperson
  • Win rate on quoted RFQs
What to consider

What shapes a quotation system build.

Every catalogue and pricing model is different. These factors shape the workflow and the effort involved.

RFQ formats
Email text, PDFs, spreadsheets, scans or a customer portal.
Catalogue
Size, part naming and how clean product data is today.
Pricing rules
Price lists, customer tiers, quantity breaks and margins.
Stock and lead times
Live ERP stock, or a regular export.
Quote output
Your quote template, numbering and approval steps.
Volume
RFQs per week and how many lines each one carries.
Guides

Guides on this

Solutions Gemini Gmail automation for smarter email and Docs workflows 9 min read Guides Slack CRM integration with your project and sales tools 9 min read Guides Vapi CRM integration and calendar sync for sales and support teams 9 min read
All insights
FAQ

Quotation software questions.

Straight answers about scope, data, ownership and support. Can’t find yours? Ask us directly below.

How does RFQ automation work?

It reads each RFQ as it lands in your inbox, extracts the items, quantities, specifications and delivery terms, and matches every line to your catalogue with a confidence level. Price lists, quantity breaks, stock and lead times are applied by your rules, then a draft quote waits for sales. Lines that don't match are held with the reason while the rest carries on.

Can it read RFQs sent as PDFs, spreadsheets or scans?

Yes. Email bodies, PDFs, Excel files and scanned attachments are read with AI and OCR, and units, sizes and part names are normalised. We test on a set of your real RFQs, including the messy ones, and anything unclear is flagged for sales instead of guessed.

Does it work with our ERP and product catalogue?

Yes, where your ERP has an API: products, stock and prices are read live, and quotes can be written back. Where it doesn't, a regular export of products and prices keeps the matching current. RFQs can arrive in Gmail, Outlook or a web form, and approved quotes can be logged in HubSpot for follow-up.

Who decides the final price on a quote?

Sales does. Your pricing rules handle list prices, customer tiers and quantity breaks, but no quote is sent without a salesperson's approval. Custom parts, drawings, discounts and special terms stay with sales, and the workflow never guesses a price for a part it cannot match.

Is this quotation software suitable for a small business?

Yes, if you quote from a product list and pricing rules, even a short one. A small team can start with Gmail, a catalogue in Google Sheets and your existing quote template, then connect an ERP later. What matters more than company size is how many RFQs arrive each week and how many lines each one carries.

How is it different from off-the-shelf quoting software?

It starts from the customer's RFQ instead of a blank form. Typical quoting software needs someone to key in each line first; here the email or attachment is read and matched to your catalogue for you. Output uses your own quote template, numbering and approval steps, so it fits how your sales team already works.

How is our pricing and customer data protected?

Access is limited to your sales team and the systems you approve. Price lists, customer details and RFQs are processed in the hosting you agree, AI providers are confirmed per project and personal data is handled under PDPA. Every match, approval and sent quote is logged, so you can trace who did what.

What does it cost, and how long does setup take?

It depends on your RFQ formats, how clean your catalogue data is and how complex your pricing rules are, so we quote privately after a free discovery session. The timeline depends on the same factors. We start with one RFQ type or product range, prove the matching on real requests, then extend it to the rest.

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Next step

Show us your RFQ process.

Send a few sample RFQs and tell us how quotes are built today. We'll show you what can be automated and where sales stays in control. No obligation.

Map Your WorkflowNo upfront consultation fee. Free discovery and a free tailored proposal.
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