I am often faced with the idea that our solution may already be in place at most job shops.  I see certaing ERP and MRP systems being utilized by organizations as a spreadsheet for their quotations.  In addition, I see multiple organization use excel sheets to develop and deliver quotes to a company.  The issue I see with this is that these solutions are not purpose built to develop quotes or estimates for the fabrication industry.  This means that organizations take a longer time to develop each quote.

Time to quote and the win rate of an organization go hand in hand.  The organizations who win most jobs are usually the organizations who are first to quote.  This means that utilizing slower non-purpose built quoting solutions actually costs you money each time you bid.

When looking for a solution to this issue, I would recommend looking for something that is purpose built for your industry.  Search for a solution that can increase your turn rate by 200-300% thus increasing your win rate accordingly.