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Industry use cases · 03 / 20

Quotations & Approvals

Respond faster. Keep commercial control.

Simplify the journey from incoming enquiry to approved quotation, tender response and customer follow-up.

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Engineer reviewing a component model and quotation spreadsheet on two monitors.
Quotations & Approvals · Industry overview
Estimator opening an email attachment with a technical drawing beside a component sample.
Email-to-Quotation Automation
Use case 01 · UC-011

Email-to-Quotation Automation

The challenge

Shared quotation inboxes contain drawings and specifications that staff must manually read, record and allocate.

How SBS Ltd can help

Capture enquiries and attachments, extract initial requirements, flag missing information and create estimating tasks.

Each request would retain the original email and attachment references alongside extracted fields. Missing quantities, drawing revisions or delivery requirements would create a clarification task, giving estimators a reliable starting point without assuming that extraction equals technical validation. A named process owner would maintain the agreed rules, check exceptions and ensure staff understand how to handle failed or incomplete records.

Illustrative UK business scenario

An engineering supplier converts incoming requests into structured records for its estimating team.

Potential benefits

Less copying and clearer visibility of quotation requests.

We would agree a baseline and success measures before implementation, then compare handling time, record quality and unresolved exceptions during a controlled pilot.

Appropriate controls

An estimator verifies technical requirements and extracted information before use.

Implementation would be quoted to scope after assessing your systems, available integrations and required controls.

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Quotation specialist checking a product price sheet and a quotation document on dual monitors.
Automated Quotation Document Preparation
Use case 02 · UC-012

Automated Quotation Document Preparation

The challenge

Staff rebuild similar quotations from previous files, risking old descriptions, inconsistent terms and pricing mistakes.

How SBS Ltd can help

Combine approved product information, quantities and prices with controlled templates to prepare a draft quotation.

Document generation would use the current approved customer and product records. Reviewers would see the quotation version, validity period and any exceptions requiring attention before a customer-facing PDF or other agreed format is prepared. A named process owner would maintain the agreed rules, check exceptions and ensure staff understand how to handle failed or incomplete records.

Illustrative UK business scenario

An equipment distributor prepares a quotation covering products and installation services for commercial checking.

Potential benefits

Consistent documents and less repetitive preparation.

We would agree a baseline and success measures before implementation, then compare handling time, record quality and unresolved exceptions during a controlled pilot.

Appropriate controls

Use authorised pricing, verified tax treatment and final approval before issue.

Implementation would be quoted to scope after assessing your systems, available integrations and required controls.

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Commercial manager and salesperson reviewing a discount approval request together on a tablet.
Pricing, Discount & Commercial Approval Automation
Use case 03 · UC-013

Pricing, Discount & Commercial Approval Automation

The challenge

Non-standard discounts and delivery commitments circulate through email, making delayed approvals hard to trace.

How SBS Ltd can help

Route exceptions against agreed authority limits, attach supporting evidence and record decisions with reminders and escalation.

The request would show the proposed departure from standard terms and its supporting justification. Approvers could accept, reject or request clarification, with the outcome returned to sales and recorded against the correct quotation version. A named process owner would maintain the agreed rules, check exceptions and ensure staff understand how to handle failed or incomplete records.

Illustrative UK business scenario

A B2B wholesaler routes a proposed discount above the salesperson's authority to a manager.

Potential benefits

Shorter approval delays and a clearer decision history.

We would agree a baseline and success measures before implementation, then compare handling time, record quality and unresolved exceptions during a controlled pilot.

Appropriate controls

Preserve approval authority and segregation of duties; prevent unauthorised price changes.

Implementation would be quoted to scope after assessing your systems, available integrations and required controls.

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Bid team organising tender folders, a requirements checklist and a laptop around a meeting table.
Tender & Request-for-Proposal Response Assistance
Use case 04 · UC-014

Tender & Request-for-Proposal Response Assistance

The challenge

Bid teams repeatedly locate evidence, allocate sections and assemble similar responses under tight deadlines.

How SBS Ltd can help

Extract requirements, assign owners, retrieve approved company material and assemble draft sections for verification.

An initial requirements checklist would separate mandatory documents, response sections and submission dates. Owners could mark evidence as current and approved, while unsupported claims or unanswered requirements would remain visible until a responsible person resolves them. A named process owner would maintain the agreed rules, check exceptions and ensure staff understand how to handle failed or incomplete records.

Illustrative UK business scenario

A facilities management company coordinates documents and contributions for a commercial tender.

Potential benefits

Less bid administration and stronger deadline visibility.

We would agree a baseline and success measures before implementation, then compare handling time, record quality and unresolved exceptions during a controlled pilot.

Appropriate controls

Verify material claims, protect confidential documents and obtain final bid authorisation.

Implementation would be quoted to scope after assessing your systems, available integrations and required controls.

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Sales administrator checking quotation dates on a dashboard beside an organised quote folder.
Quotation Follow-up, Expiry & Conversion Tracking
Use case 05 · UC-015

Quotation Follow-up, Expiry & Conversion Tracking

The challenge

Issued quotations can remain outstanding without clear follow-up, expiry monitoring or reasons for lost business.

How SBS Ltd can help

Record quotation dates, values and status, prompt agreed follow-up and report expiry and conversion trends.

The tracking view would distinguish issued, revised, accepted, lost and expired quotations. Salespeople could record a customer's agreed next step, while management reviews would use verified statuses rather than treating every unanswered quote as active demand. A named process owner would maintain the agreed rules, check exceptions and ensure staff understand how to handle failed or incomplete records.

Illustrative UK business scenario

An industrial components supplier reviews quotations approaching expiry and assigns the next customer action.

Potential benefits

Fewer neglected opportunities and clearer conversion reporting.

We would agree a baseline and success measures before implementation, then compare handling time, record quality and unresolved exceptions during a controlled pilot.

Appropriate controls

Check status accuracy and review customer communications before sensitive follow-up.

Implementation would be quoted to scope after assessing your systems, available integrations and required controls.

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From idea to practical improvement

Understand. Simplify. Automate where justified.

Understand the work

Review the business problem, existing systems, information and decision owners within an agreed scope.

Choose a useful starting point

Assess value, feasibility and controls before agreeing a focused pilot and implementation scope.

Check the result

Test with realistic examples, confirm ownership and monitor agreed measures before wider use.

Common questions

Before you start

Are these completed SBS client projects?

No. These are illustrative scenarios showing how a workflow could be improved. They do not claim measured customer results or guaranteed outcomes.

Will we need to replace our existing systems?

Not necessarily. We first consider existing processes and tools. Feasibility depends on supported integrations, licences, permissions and data quality.

Can we start with one use case?

Yes. A focused assessment can identify a useful starting point, define success measures and establish an appropriate implementation scope.

How much will implementation cost?

Implementation is quoted to scope. The initial review helps establish the requirements, system dependencies, delivery responsibilities and controls before a solution is commissioned.

A practical next step

Where could a better workflow make a difference?

Start with the business problem. We assess the process, the available information and where automation could add measurable value.

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Consultancy led by SBS. Implementation matched to your needs.

SBS leads the business assessment, workflow design and business case. We select suitable technical delivery expertise alongside discovery, based on the systems, skills and capacity your project requires. Implementation scope, costs, responsibilities and support are agreed after technical validation.