Preparing quotations requires considerable resources in internal sales. But what happens when modern quotation management software automates numerous work steps using AI functions? Construction suppliers who rely on advanced software can significantly reduce the time required to process quotations and relieve qualified employees. The time savings often amount to well over 50 percent when processing inquiries.

Is editing bills of quantities a time-consuming, ongoing task?

Almost all building material manufacturers and distributors face the same challenge: the office staff spends a significant portion of their working time preparing quotations — especially for processing bills of quantities.

The following steps are required for each incoming request:

• Review of the bill of quantities (often multi-page PDF documents) and identification of relevant items

• Transfer of BOQ data to the relevant company systems

• Assignment of suitable products to all relevant bill of quantity items

This labor-intensive process ties up valuable specialist resources and therefore incurs considerable costs.

Background: Due to their complexity, these work steps were previously difficult to automate. As a result, numerous medium-sized companies continue to spend more than 1,000 working days per year on manual request processing.

Quotation management software in construction as a digital assistant

Continuous advances in AI technology are opening up completely new perspectives – companies that rely on specialized quotation management software in the construction industry can often reduce the time required for processing bills of quantities and preparing quotations by more than half. Sales staff have significantly fewer manual tasks to perform, gain a better overview, and can set priorities more efficiently.

Throughout the entire process, modern software for building materials suppliers can significantly reduce the workload for sales teams by automating the quotation creation process.

The most important functions of AI-supported quotation management software in construction:

Simplified management of requests

Modern quotation management software for the construction industry offers numerous additional functions that significantly simplify the management of inquiries and the entire quotation process. The software acts as a central control unit for all incoming inquiries and represents a systematic alternative to the previous email and file-based way of working. The software for the building materials trade, for example, not only identifies the BOQ items, but also basic data such as project names and submission deadlines.

In the inquiry overview, employees can quickly filter, prioritize, and view all inquiry details with a single click. Using intelligent filter options, sales teams can organize inquiries according to different criteria — for example, by submission deadlines or the number of items to be calculated. Collaboration functions enable smooth cooperation across teams and locations. Once the inquiries have been processed, the data is usually transferred directly to the successor system (usually the ERP). Alternatively, the quote can be generated directly from the software.

Automatic position detection in bills of quantities

Using artificial intelligence, the quotation management software for construction captures incoming inquiries, including bills of quantities, in their entirety (including extensive PDFs and scanned files). The software automatically recognizes the items relevant to the company and presents them in a structured manner. Manual research or transcription of data is no longer necessary. Employees receive an immediate overview of the bill of quantities content to be processed.

AI-supported product recommendations for BOQ positions

Intelligent software for the building materials trade then automatically provides the user with suitable product suggestions from the company’s range for the individual items. The quotation management software for construction also takes quantity specifications and units directly from the bills of quantities. Employees can therefore quickly review the suggestions instead of having to conduct time-consuming research themselves. What’s more, the construction software is constantly evolving. With each completed quotation created using the quotation management software for construction, the accuracy of the suggestions improves.

Proven success with quotation management software for construction

The performance capabilities of modern software for the building materials trade are already evident in practical applications. Companies of various sizes are recording significant productivity gains through the use of the intelligent quotation software kinisto. For example, Greenleaf, a leading specialist in urban landscaping, was able to increase process efficiency in quotation preparation by more than 55 percent.

The time savings are mainly due to the reduction in manual data entry and the automation of repetitive tasks. At the same time, the accelerated quotation process provides competitive advantages over competitors with conventional workflows. Qualified specialists are freed from repetitive tasks and can be deployed for value-adding activities such as customer service, technical consulting, or strategic sales measures.

When is it worthwhile to use quotation software in construction?

AI-supported quotation management software for automating quotation creation can significantly reduce the workload for employees, especially when there is a high volume of inquiries.

• If the sales department processes several hundred or even thousands of inquiries annually, automating the process using software for the building materials trade represents a significant lever.

• This also applies, of course, if processing inquiries is particularly time-consuming—in which case, using quotation management software for construction can pay off even with a lower volume of inquiries.

• If the sales department can barely cope with the volume of incoming inquiries and/or frequently submits quotes late, this also indicates that the use of specialized construction software would be beneficial.

For companies that currently spend a lot of time and effort on preparing quotes, the timely implementation of an automation solution, such as intelligent quotation management software for construction, is a valuable opportunity to secure a competitive advantage.

Integration and implementation: Seamlessly introduce quotation management software for construction

As a cloud-based software-as-a-service solution, the tried-and-tested kinisto construction quotation management software can be easily integrated into existing IT infrastructures. The software has interfaces to ERP, CRM, and PIM systems, enabling bidirectional data exchange without media discontinuity.

The professional quotation management software for the construction industry is ready for use in no time, without complex installations or lengthy IT projects. The software meets all requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and is operated exclusively in data centers within the European Union.

The quotation management software in construction: kinisto

kinisto is AI-supported quotation management software for the construction industry that automates the quotation process. It has already proven itself as a central component for more efficient inquiry management at many well-known building material retailers and manufacturers, including companies such as Schüttflix, Beinbrech, SCHAKO, and KWC.

With this intelligent software for the building materials trade, inquiries can be processed much faster, structured better, and managed more conveniently. As state-of-the-art construction software, kinisto supports the internal sales team throughout the entire quotation process—from inquiry management and specification processing to AI-supported product allocation.