RFQ automation for manufacturers
RFQ automation is software that takes a request for quote from the inbox to a priced draft. It reads the request and its attachments, pulls out each line, matches it to your parts and past jobs, and drafts the quote for an estimator to approve. Done fully, it also turns the customer's purchase order into a sales order once the quote is won.
Updated . Written by Structify, which builds quote to order as an application for manufacturers.
Most of an RFQ is retyping.
Requests arrive as emails with prints, 3D models, or a 300-line parts list attached. Estimators spend the first hours retyping material, quantities, tolerances, and part numbers before pricing starts, and responses take three to five days. When the PO finally comes back, someone keys it into the ERP by hand. Automation takes the retyping and the lookups. The estimator keeps the decisions.
Seven steps from request to sales order.
At each step, what the software does and what a person still decides.
- 01
Intake
SOFTWAREWatches the quoting inbox, customer portals, and EDI, and opens one record per request with every attachment: prints, STEP files, and parts lists.
A PERSONNothing, unless a request is missing files or is not a quote request at all.
- 02
Extraction
SOFTWAREReads the email and the documents and pulls out part numbers, revisions, materials, quantities, tolerances, finishes, and due dates, including scanned prints and long BOM spreadsheets.
A PERSONChecks the lines the software flags as uncertain.
- 03
Matching
SOFTWAREMatches each line to your item master and past jobs, finds the closest earlier part when there is no exact match, and ranks substitutes for lines it cannot resolve.
A PERSONConfirms a substitute or a new part number.
- 04
Costing and pricing
SOFTWAREBuilds cost from material, routing, outside processing, and what similar jobs actually took, then applies your margin rules by customer and volume.
A PERSONDecides the price, the lead time, and whether to bid.
- 05
Review and send
SOFTWAREDrafts the quote in your ERP and your format, ready to send from the estimator's own inbox.
A PERSONApproves and sends it.
- 06
Learning from the outcome
SOFTWARERecords whether each quote was won or lost and at what price, so the next quote for the same customer or a similar part starts from what happened.
A PERSONAdds the reason when a quote is lost.
- 07
PO to sales order
SOFTWAREReads the customer's purchase order, checks it against the quote, and creates the sales order in the ERP, with a preview before anything is written.
A PERSONApproves the order and resolves any mismatch with the quote.
Three requests, three different answers.
Only an RFQ asks for a price on a fixed scope, which is why it is the one worth automating end to end.
| Document | When the buyer sends it | What they want back |
|---|---|---|
| RFQRequest for quote | The buyer knows exactly what they need: the part, the revision, the quantity, the date. | A price and a lead time for that exact scope. |
| RFPRequest for proposal | The buyer knows the problem but not the solution, such as a new program or a make-or-buy decision. | An approach, a plan, and a price, compared on more than cost. |
| RFIRequest for information | The buyer is still finding suppliers and wants to know who can do the work. | Capabilities, certifications, capacity, and references. No price yet. |
Quote to order, on the systems you already run.
Structify builds quote to order as an application on your ERP, inbox, and document history. It reads each request however it arrives, drafts the priced quote in your ERP from your history and margin rules, learns from every win and loss, and turns the customer's PO into a sales order. It connects to JobBOSS, E2, Epicor, SAP Business One, and Acumatica.
At Harney & Sons, inbound purchase orders are ingested, classified, and previewed for approval before anything is written to SAP Business One, with no line items re-keyed.
Comparing tools? Our guide to manufacturing quoting software compares eight AI quoting tools, including the ones built for CNC shops.
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