Margins your team sees and approvals before it goes
Cost and margin in your team's view only, and quotes over your discount or value limit approved before they're sent.
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With QuoteCloud, manufacturers keep cost and margin in their team's view of the quote and catalogue, never in the buyer's document. On the Business plan the approval workflow sends a quote for approval when its discount percentage or total value passes your limit, so a manager approves it before it goes out.
The team view of a sample quote from a fictional job shop, Tessmore Engineering: a margin dial and a discount slider beside the document workflow panel. As the estimator's discount on the $12,705.00 subtotal steps from 0% to 3%, 6% and 8%, the margin the team sees falls from 32.9% to 30.9%, 28.7% and 27.1%. Up to 5% the quote is ready to send; past 5% the panel turns In Review on the rule 'discount percentage greater than 5%' and waits for Gareth Lyle, general manager. The buyer sees neither the margin nor the panel.
The margin in your view, the approval before it goes
Callum quoted Quenda's 1,000-piece call-off at $22,253.00 including tax. That's over Tessmore's $15,000 total-value limit, so the quote went In Review instead of out: Gareth sees the whole document, the cost and the margin, and approves or declines it.
The cost and margin strip sits in the team's view of the price table. The buyer's copy shows the price, the breaks and the terms, never what the parts cost you.
- Cost and margin hidden from the buyer
- In Review until every named approver approves
- Approve or decline in the document
- Approvals logged on the document
Approval workflow: Business · hidden costs and margins: Essentials and up
How the approval workflow worksYour quote · QR-220, Rev B
Lead time 6 weeks after PO and first-article sign-off
| Quantity | Unit price | Lead time |
|---|---|---|
| 100+ | $27.20 | 4 wks |
| 250+ | $23.26 | 4 wks |
| 500+ | $20.31 | 5 wks |
| 1,000+ Quoted | $18.10 | 6 wks |
| One-off · tooling & NRE | |
|---|---|
| Fixtures & soft jawsOne-off · kept for repeat orders | $1,450.00 |
| CAM programming & setupOne-off · includes first-off approval | $680.00 |
| Options · tick to add | |
| First article inspection reportDimensional report on 5 parts, material certificates | $420.00 |
| Expedited productionShips one week sooner | $1,150.00 |
- Subtotal
- $20,230.00
- Tax 10%
- $2,023.00
- Total
- $22,253.00
- Tooling paid on signing Fixed amount: one-off lines + tax
- $2,343.00
Team view only · cost $14,430.00 · margin 28.7%
Document workflow
In ReviewTriggered when Total value greater than $15,000
- Gareth LyleGeneral managerWaiting
Must be approved by all approvers
- Approval request sent by Callum Reid
- Waiting for Gareth Lyle
Approval workflow · Business plan
Your rules decide which quotes wait
Tessmore's four approval rules, and four quotes from one week put through them. Pick a quote to see which rules it meets.
Approval rules Settings · Document workflow
- Discount percentageDiscount greater than 5%Goes to Gareth Lyle, General manager
- Total valueTotal value greater than $15,000Goes to Gareth Lyle, General manager
- TemplateTemplate: Annual supply agreementGoes to Bianca Ferraro, Commercial manager
- Creator roleCreated by a trainee estimatorGoes to Callum Reid, Estimator
Margin is never a trigger. Rules run on discount percentage, total value, template, customer, or the team or role of whoever created the quote. Margin shows in the team view to inform the decision.
TE-Q-2440 Repeat order, 250 pcs
- Total
- $6,396.50
- Discount
- None
- Template
- RFQ response
No rule met: ready to send
A repeat order with the tooling already paid. It meets no rule, so Callum sends it straight away: most quotes never wait for anyone.
TE-Q-2426 1,000 pcs at 6% off
- Total
- $20,917.82
- Discount
- 6%
- Template
- RFQ response
In Review before it can be sent
- Discount greater than 5%
- Total value greater than $15,000
- Gareth LyleGeneral manager · pending
Over both limits. Both rules go to Gareth, so one approval from him releases it. He sees the margin in the team view before he decides.
TE-SA-2027 2027 supply agreement
- Releases
- $9,050 a month
- Template
- Annual supply agreement
- Discount
- None
In Review before it can be sent
- Template: Annual supply agreement
- Bianca FerraroCommercial manager · pending
Every supply agreement goes to Bianca, whatever its value, because a year's pricing commits the whole shop.
TE-Q-2451 Laser-cut guards
- Total
- $4,598.00
- Created by
- Trainee estimator
- Discount
- None
In Review before it can be sent
- Created by a trainee estimator
- Callum ReidEstimator · pending
Small, but written by Priya in her first month: Callum checks it before the customer sees it.
Approval workflow: Business. A quote that meets a rule can't be sent until it's approved; approvers approve or decline it in the document.
Cost and margin on every line of the price book
Each product in your catalogue carries its price and its cost, and QuoteCloud works out the margin. When an estimator adds a line to a quote, the cost comes with it into the team's view.
Import costs from your ERP as a CSV and keep them up to date in one place. Role permissions decide who can edit prices and costs; the buyer never sees either column.
- Price and cost per product, margin worked out
- Costs imported from a CSV export
- Role permissions on the price book
Product catalogue: Essentials and up
Price book, SKUs & CSV importCSV import 412 products imported from tessmore-price-book.csv
| Product | Price | Unit | Cost | Margin | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CNC machining, 3-axisMC-3AX · Machining | $145 | per hour | $92 | 37% | Active |
| CNC machining, 5-axisMC-5AX · Machining | $210 | per hour | $138 | 34% | Active |
| Black anodiseFN-ANB · Finishing | $260 | per 100 parts | $160 | 38% | Active |
| Black powder coatFN-PCB · Finishing | $340 | per 100 parts | $220 | 35% | Active |
| 6061-T6 bar and plateMT-6061 · Materials | $14 | per kg | $9 | 36% | Active |
| Fixtures & soft jawsNR-FIX · One-off | $1,450 | per part number | $900 | 38% | Active |
| CAM programming & setupNR-CAM · One-off | $680 | per part number | $380 | 44% | Active |
| First article inspection reportQA-FAI · One-off | $420 | per part number | $210 | 50% | Draft |
Cost and margin are for your team only: they never appear in the client's document
Set up approvals in your Business trial
Free for 14 days, no credit card required. Try the approval workflow on the Business plan and we'll convert one template for you during the trial.
Who sees what in a quote
One document, three views. Set them once with roles and rules; nobody has to remember.
Your estimator
Builds the quote with prices and costs from the price book and sees the margin as they go.
Your approver
Sees the whole document, the cost and the margin, and approves or declines it when a rule is met.
The buyer
Sees the price, breaks, options and terms. Never the cost, the margin or the approval.
Your admins
Set custom roles, who can edit the price book, and the approval rules.
Your templates
Lock company blocks such as terms so a discount can't come with rewritten conditions (Business).
Everyone in the team
Sees when a quote is opened and accepted, with tracking and notifications.
Approvals and hidden margins in five steps
Set it up once, during your rollout.
Add costs to the price book
Import prices and costs from a CSV; QuoteCloud works out each margin.
Hide costs from buyers
Keep the cost and margin columns in your team's view of the price table.
Decide your limits
A discount percentage and a total value, plus any templates, customers or roles that always need a check.
Name the approvers
Choose who approves each rule, and whether every approver must approve (Business).
Send as usual
Quotes inside the rules go straight out; the rest wait In Review until approved.
Approval and margin questions, answered
Can our customers see our costs or margins?
No. Costs and margins in the price table and the product catalogue stay in your team's view; the buyer's document shows prices, options and terms only. Price tables and the product catalogue are on the Essentials plan and above.
What can trigger an approval?
On the Business plan, the approval workflow can hold a quote for approval on its discount percentage or total value, and by the team or role of whoever created it, the template or the customer. The quote stays In Review until the named approvers approve it.
Can a low margin trigger an approval?
No. Margin isn't an approval trigger. Use a discount percentage or a total value limit, which is how most shops protect margin, and let the approver see the cost and margin in the team view before deciding.
Can more than one person approve a quote?
Yes. Name several approvers on a rule and require all of them to approve, or send different rules to different people, such as supply agreements to your commercial manager and large discounts to your general manager.
Does every quote have to wait for approval?
No. Only quotes that meet one of your rules wait In Review. Everything inside your limits goes straight out, so small and repeat quotes aren't slowed down.
More for manufacturers
Every page of the QuoteCloud manufacturing microsite, from the RFQ to the supply agreement.
-
Price book, SKUs & CSV importParts, materials, finishes and services in one product catalogue with SKUs, costs and margins, loaded from a CSV export.Explore
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Configured product & equipment quotesMachines and equipment with options and add-ons as optional items, spares the buyer sets the quantity of, and a build schedule.Explore
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RFQ responses & part quotesAnswer the RFQ part by part: material and finish, quantity, unit price, lead time, freight terms and an expiry date on the quote.Explore
- Quantity breaks, tooling & NREPrice breaks shown as a table or as alternative rows the buyer picks, with tooling, fixtures and programming as one-off lines.
- Drawings, specifications & marked-up imagesThe customer's drawing attached as a PDF or placed as an image and marked up, with your assumptions and exceptions beside it.
- Distributor & reseller quotesConfigured product quotes for distributors, reseller price offers bulk-sent from one template, and dealer terms in the agreement.
- PO acceptance, two signers & tooling depositsThe buyer's PO number in the accepted quote, engineering and procurement both signing, and the tooling paid on signing.
- Blanket & annual supply agreementsAnnual pricing, scheduled releases shown as repeating charges, terms and an expiry date, signed once for the year.
- ERP, MRP, CRM & accounting connectionsAccepted quotes to your ERP or MRP through Zapier, Make or the API, your CRM and your accounting software.
- Manufacturing templatesReal QuoteCloud templates for manufacturing proposals, services agreements, work orders, QA plans and price quotes.
- QuoteCloud implementation for manufacturersYour price book imported, RFQ and agreement templates converted, approvals and payments set up, estimators trained.
- FAQAnswers to the questions job shops, equipment builders, packaging and print firms, co-packers and distributors ask most.
Your margins, checked before they're sent
Free for 14 days. No credit card required.