Specialty and industrial distribution
RFQ Automation for Distributors
We help specialty distributors automate product matching, pricing research, quote preparation and follow-up while keeping your sales team in control.
Start with one quoting workflow. We check your catalog, business rules and system access before deciding what can be automated.
A free 30-minute conversation about your current process and next steps.
What is RFQ automation?
RFQ automation turns a request for quotation into structured line items, checks those items against approved product and commercial data, and prepares a quote draft for human review. It connects intake, matching and sales approval; it does not make uncertain product choices or delivery commitments on its own.
For a deeper explanation of matching, exceptions and review, read the practical guide to distributor RFQ automation.
See the fictional RFQ demo for an illustrative review experience. For order entry, catalog maintenance and other sales operations, explore workflow automation for distributors.
An RFQ asks for a quote; it is not a confirmed customer order. Customer purchase orders need a separate order-entry workflow to validate the request, obtain the required approval and prepare a sales-order handoff. Receiving the PO does not itself establish distributor acceptance.
Still processing RFQs like this?
A request for quotation arrives, but the information needed to answer it is spread across email, catalogs and supplier systems. Each handoff adds another place to copy, check or chase information.
Open and retype
Read the email, PDF or Excel file and copy products, quantities and delivery requirements.
Search and compare
Look up SKUs, check catalogs and supplier availability, then investigate alternatives.
Calculate and build
Check costs, margins and customer terms, then assemble the quote.
Update and chase
Enter the details in the CRM, track changes and follow up manually.
What the workflow could look like
This is a proposed workflow, not a completed distributor client implementation. Each step depends on your data, permissions and quoting rules.
Read the request
Extract product codes, descriptions and quantities from email, PDF or Excel. Flag unreadable lines and missing fields. Agree how revised requests are identified and linked to an existing RFQ before preparing another quote; the method depends on your intake process.
Match your catalog
Use customer-specific SKU mappings where available, then compare manufacturer part numbers and internal catalog SKUs. Keep exact matches separate from suggested matches; confidence thresholds route ambiguous descriptions and multiple candidates to a salesperson.
Check price and availability
Use the agreed authoritative price source. Where applicable, check customer terms, effective/expiration dates and quantity breaks. Stock at a warehouse is not a delivery commitment: location, allocation, data freshness and requested timing need separate checks.
Suggest approved substitutes
Use your equivalence rules to identify alternatives. Customer acceptance of a substitute does not establish technical compatibility; your team confirms the match.
Prepare the quote draft
Apply agreed pricing and margin rules. A request for 12 units must not become 2 cases of 6 without configured product/unit rules. Hold mismatches, missing costs and out-of-rule terms for review.
Get sales approval
Show requested items, matches, quantities, availability and exceptions together. A salesperson approves the quote before it is sent.
Update systems and follow up
Write approved records to the ERP or CRM where supported, track quote status and schedule agreed follow-ups. Stop or route follow-ups when a customer replies.
Agree the scope before connecting systems
Choose the request formats, product families and sales team for the first workflow. Define whether it ends at a reviewable draft or includes approved system updates. Uncovered formats and products need a manual route; outbound messages and follow-up are separate scope decisions.
Work with the systems you already use
An RFQ workflow needs permitted access to the request, catalog identifiers, customer terms, pricing and inventory. Check what the ERP/CRM can read and what it can accept as a draft or approved quote update. Available APIs, exports, fields and vendor restrictions determine the integration scope; these are not prebuilt connector claims.
Design recovery before enabling write-back. If an ERP update succeeds but a CRM update fails—or the response is uncertain—reconcile the destination state before retrying. Agree record identifiers, duplicate checks and a manual escalation path; what can be automated depends on each system.
Your team stays in control
Review before sending
Sales approves prices, substitutes and delivery commitments. Missing costs, uncertain matches and stale availability block automatic quote release.
Trace the decision
Show the requested item beside its candidate match, price source and stock timestamp. Keep reviewer edits and approval records under agreed access and retention rules.
Handle failures visibly
Route ambiguous matches, expired prices and unavailable items to an assigned reviewer. Agree when a changed quantity, substitute or price requires approval again.
Agree the review destination
Decide where sales will inspect drafts and resolve held lines using the systems your team can support. Code, documentation, hosting and ongoing support are scoped separately.
Related engineering work
These projects show relevant catalog, data and workflow experience. They are not distributor RFQ implementations or a forecast of your results.
MiningCave: technical product information
Collecting catalog specifications and manuals, retrieving relevant product information and routing uncertain answers for review.
Read the case studyCRM and operations automation
Connecting business tools and automating handoffs between operational systems.
Read the case studySupporting capabilities
RFQ automation vs CPQ: where custom work fits
Configure, price, quote (CPQ) software typically applies product configuration, pricing and quoting rules. RFQ automation focuses on interpreting incoming requests and resolving them against your catalog and sources before a draft is reviewed. The two can overlap: an intake workflow may feed an existing CPQ system where its integration supports that handoff.
When custom automation makes sense
Consider custom work when recurring RFQs arrive in varied formats, customer codes need specific mappings, or approvals span several systems that existing tools do not connect adequately. Start with a bounded workflow and agree how to evaluate extracted lines, matches and exceptions before expanding.
When another solution may be better
An off-the-shelf RFQ or CPQ product may be a better fit if it already supports your catalog, rules and systems. For low request volumes, a clearer manual process may be enough. Missing identifiers, conflicting price lists or unreliable inventory should be addressed first; automation cannot supply authoritative data that does not exist.
What We Need to Scope Your RFQ Workflow
The introductory call can start with a description of your process. A later implementation discussion may need examples of:
- Representative email, PDF and Excel RFQs, including difficult formats.
- Product/catalog data and customer-specific SKU mappings, if applicable.
- The approved pricing source and inventory or availability source.
- The ERP/CRM involved and the access each system supports.
- Approval rules, common exceptions and who resolves them.
Do not submit confidential documents, customer records or credentials through website or booking forms. If examples are needed, suitable data-sharing arrangements and redaction can be discussed separately.
Discuss Your RFQ ProcessBefore you start
Do we need to replace our ERP?
Not necessarily. We assess the access your current systems provide first. Some workflows can use existing APIs or approved exports; others may need vendor support or a different scope.
Can you process Excel files and scanned PDFs?
Spreadsheet rows and readable document text can support line-item extraction. Merged cells, inconsistent units, poor scans and missing quantities need validation and an exception path. We assess representative formats before agreeing scope.
Can every product match be automated?
No. Exact part numbers are different from incomplete descriptions or proposed equivalents. We agree matching rules and review thresholds, and leave technical compatibility decisions with your team.
How much does it cost, and how long does it take?
Scope depends on RFQ formats, catalog quality, system access and approval rules. The first conversation is free. A bounded implementation can be quoted when requirements are clear. Where investigation is needed, discovery is separately scoped and quoted; provider fees and ongoing support are agreed separately.
Where does your quoting process slow down?
Walk us through an RFQ from arrival to follow-up. We will discuss the manual steps, the systems involved and whether automation is a practical fit. This is an initial conversation, not a free technical audit or a commitment to a build.