Solution Scenario · Technical B2B Companies · Quotation Process
Automate quotation preparation: from enquiry to verifiable draft.
Automating quotation preparation takes more than an AI model: this solution scenario shows how emails, PDFs, bills of quantities and spreadsheets can be analysed in a structured way, combined with approved product and experience knowledge, and handed over to the team, ERP, DMS or CRM in a controlled manner.
Assign documents and requirements to the correct case.
Use approved sources and comparable cases.
Pass drafts, assumptions and open points on in a verifiable way.
Starting Point
The Information Exists, but Not Where the Quotation Process Needs It.
An enquiry often begins in an inbox. Technical requirements are spread across several attachments, product data sits in different repositories, prices in the ERP and experience knowledge with individual specialists.
This creates more than searching and data transfer. It leads to follow-up questions, inconsistent assumptions and handoffs that are difficult to trace. An AI feature alone does not solve this; a controlled process across existing systems is required.
Example
This is what the result looks like: a draft with sources, assumptions and queries.
The example shows the structure: every statement has a source, every gap is flagged, and nothing goes out without professional approval.
“Dear Sir or Madam, please find attached the documents for the Linz South project. We kindly request a quotation for the items listed in the BoQ. For execution details, see drawing …”
Items 1–7 taken from the BoQ and matched to the product range.Source: BoQ_Extract.pdf, pages 3–5
Material 1.4571, length 6,400 mm as per drawing.Source: Drawing_1084-A3.pdf
Delivery to site assumed – not specified in the BoQ, flagged in the draft.
Drive power missing from the documents – query to the customer prepared.
Prices from the ERP; dispatch only after review by sales and engineering.
The example shows the structure of the result. Which fields, rules and approvals your process needs is determined from 3–5 real enquiries in the Quotation Process Assessment – based on your real cases.
Who Is It For?
Particularly Suitable for Complex Products and Highly Configurable Quotations.
What matters is less the industry label than a recurring, document-intensive process requiring expert review.
Machinery & Plant Engineering
Customer-Specific Requirements
Bring specifications, options, technical limits and comparable solutions together for processing.
Metalworking & Components
Variants and Manufacturing Knowledge
Prepare drawings, material specifications, quantities, deadlines and internal validation rules in a structured way.
Building Suppliers & Building Services
BoQ and Product Matching
Match line items, requirements, exclusions and open points against the company’s own portfolio.
Technical Wholesale
High Enquiry Volume and System Handoffs
Pre-sort incoming items, add product knowledge and route cases without unnecessary duplicate entry.
Illustrative Workflow
Four Controlled Steps Instead of Opaque Full Automation.
The illustrative target state makes the potential process tangible. Scope and degree of automation are defined for each company using real cases.
01
Assign the Input
Capture the email, sender, project context and attachments and assign them to the correct case.
02
Clarify Requirements
Expose features, quantities, deadlines, standards and missing information in a structured way.
03
Use Relevant Knowledge
Use approved product data, documents and comparable cases with source references.
04
Hand Over Verifiably
Prepare clarifying questions and quotation inputs, obtain expert approval and hand them over to target systems.
Human Oversight
The Application Prepares the Work. Subject-Matter Ownership Remains Visible.
Product features and technical statements are linked to the source used.
Missing or contradictory information is flagged rather than silently filled in.
Prices, feasibility, exceptions and binding commitments remain with the responsible roles.
Processing steps, corrections and handoffs remain traceable during the pilot and in operation.
System Landscape
The Process Connects Existing Systems Instead of Replacing Them Wholesale.
Communication
Inbox and Forms
Capture incoming items, senders, attachments and history as the starting point of the case.
Knowledge
DMS and Document Repositories
Access valid versions, permissions, product documents and previous quotations in a controlled way.
Master Data
ERP and Product Data
Connect authoritative products, prices, availability and rules through defined interfaces.
Processing
CRM and Tasks
Pass on status, owners, follow-up questions and next actions without system breaks.
Measurable Pilot
The First Test Starts with Real Cases and a Clear Baseline.
Baseline values are recorded before the technical build. This makes it possible to assess whether the approach genuinely improves the workflow.
Processing Time
How Long Does a Case Take?
Compare current search, transfer and clarification times with the pilot workflow.
Completeness
Which Information Is Missing?
Check whether required features and contradictions are detected earlier and more reliably.
Quality
What Needs to Be Corrected?
Classify expert corrections by cause: source, assignment, rule or draft.
User Acceptance
Does the Result Help in Daily Work?
Assess whether specialists can understand, review and use the prepared result effectively.
Suitability
When Is a Closer Assessment Worthwhile?
Strong prerequisites: recurring technical enquiries, several involved systems, representative documents, a responsible specialist team and a measurable bottleneck.
Weak prerequisites: very few cases, exclusively standardised product orders, no dependable sources or the expectation of fully autonomous quotations without expert approval.
Further Reading: Automating Technical Customer Enquiries shows the workflow from initial input to a verifiable draft. The Data Inventory Before Quotation Automation provides the review areas for the first workshop.
If the prerequisites are still unclear, the Quotation Process Assessment analyses 3–5 real enquiries and scopes a measurable pilot. A pilot can be designed directly for an already well-described process. The AI Consulting for Machinery Companies places the quotation process in the context of other potential AI applications across the company.
Next Step
Let Us Assess a Real Quotation Process Together.
In the initial call, we examine incoming items, processing time, knowledge sources, systems and approvals. This clarifies whether an assessment, pilot or conventional process improvement is the right next step.