Setting up quote items

Once you've created a quote, add a quote item for each part you need to estimate from the RFQ. In this article, you'll learn how to create, set up, and manage quote items. 

Outline

• Creating quote items
  • Create a new quote item by uploading part files
  • Create a new quote item with a manual part
  • Import historical work to a quote
• Managing quote items
  • Merging quote items
  • Removing a quote item
  • Reordering quote items
• Quote item-level information
  • Uploading supporting files
  • Adding geometric attributes
  • Changing customer-requested quantities

Creating quote items

To add the part you're estimating to a quote, you'll need to create a quote item. Quote items are the central location for all of the costing, pricing, and estimating information related to a part.

There are three primary ways to create a quote item, depending on whether or not your shop has previously quoted the associated part.

For new parts:

• Create a new quote item by uploading part files.
  
• Create a new quote item with a manual part (a part with no associated files).
  

For parts that your shop has previously quoted (or uploaded into Paperless Parts):

• Import historical work as a new quote item.

Tip: Not sure if you’ve quoted a part in Paperless Parts before? Try searching by part number, PDF text, notes, and more in the Search anything bar. 

Create a new quote item by uploading part files

If you received part files from your buyer as part of the RFQ, you can upload them into Paperless Parts from a quote to create a new quote item.

Click the + symbol at the top of the navigation bar and select Upload file.

Chrome users can also drag and drop files directly onto the navigation bar or at the bottom of the quote.

Tip: Files not coming in as expected? Try downloading the files to your local server before dragging and dropping them to ensure that the information is imported correctly. You should also confirm that all file types are supported by our platform. 

Once you upload your files, a window will appear prompting you to select the following for your part:

• Process
  
• Material
• Finish
• Customer-requested quantity
• ITAR status

If you do not know this information or it is not your role to assign it, don’t worry - these fields are optional and can be filled out later in the quoting process.

Hit Confirm to create the quote item(s).

Note: If you upload multiple files with the same name but different types (ex. bracket.STP and bracket.PDF), they will automatically be bundled as a single quote item with the model as the primary file. Otherwise, each file will create a separate quote item.

• If you accidentally create multiple quote items because of a mismatch in naming, merge them into a single quote item after uploading.

Create a new quote item with a manual part

If you don’t have any technical files for the part that you’re quoting, create a manual part to add an empty entry to your Part Library. Part files you may receive down the road can be attached as supporting files at any time.

Click the + symbol at the top of the navigation bar and select Create a manual part.

Import historical work to a quote

For parts you have previously quoted or added to Paperless Parts, use the Import Historical Work option to quickly import part information, costing, and pricing data as a new quote item.

To import a historical quote item, click the + symbol at the top of the navigation bar and select Import historical work.

Search the interface for the part number you wish to import. Use the Search part number only and Include child parts toggles to refine search results. 

• Toggle Search part number only off to expand your search by file name, quote number, and RFQ number.
• Toggle Include child parts on to include children of assembly parts in search results. 

Select a result to preview part information, costing, and pricing data from the historical quote or job.

Tip: Hover over the ⓘ next to the Costs bar to see a dollar value for each color of money.

Once you have selected the item you wish to import, click Import item.

• If you want to import more than one part at a time, check Import another item before importing your selection. (This will determine if the window stays open or closes after you import the first item.)

The selected item will be added to the quote as a new quote item, complete with all relevant data from the historical quote or job.

Managing quote items

Existing quote items can be merged, removed, and reordered from the left-hand navigation bar.

Merging quote items

To merge multiple quote items into a single quote item:

1. Select all quote items you’d like to merge using the checkboxes on the left of the navigation bar.
2. Click Actions and select Merge quote items as supporting files.

3. Select which quote item you will be merging the other parts into.
   1. The part files associated with whichever quote items you do not select will become supporting files in the new quote item.
4. Click Merge to confirm.

Removing a quote item

1. Click the three dots to the right of the part in the navigation bar.
2. Select Remove from quote.

Reordering quote items

To change the order in which quote items will be presented on the quote, click and drag the rectangle to the left of the quote item in the navigation bar.

Quote item-level information

Just like quotes, quote items have fields you can fill out with relevant part data. The info you add here will remain with the part, making it easy to reference if you ever need to requote it. 

To open a quote item:

1. Select the part in the navigation bar or
2. Click on the part in the main quote area.

Within the quote item, assign a part number and revision and add detail in the Part description and Manufacturer’s notes fields. Note that both of these sections will be visible to the customer on the quote, as indicated by the open-eye symbol next to them.

Uploading supporting files

To attach supporting documents to this part, either drag and drop files into the Part Files section or click Upload Files to browse your local server.

Note: Although we support many file types, we are able to read the most geometric information from CAD files and 3D models (especially STP files). If you have one for a part, be sure to assign it as the primary file - otherwise, we won’t be able to automatically pull in geometric attributes or perform geometry-based calculations.

Adding geometric attributes

If you don’t have a model (maybe you’re just working off of a PDF or in a manual part), be sure to enter g eometric attributes for the part. Many operations and cost calculations rely on these values.

1. Click Edit geometric attributes.

2. Enter the maximum X, Y, and Z dimensions of the part.
3. Enter the volume, either as a raw value or by removal %.
4. Add the surface area in sq. in.
5. Click Accept changes to confirm.

Changing customer-requested quantities

To add or adjust customer-requested quantities for a part, click Edit quantities.

You can also assign a Most likely to win percentage to each quantity. Setting this value can be helpful if you’re using our Analytics feature to predict revenue. (Note: This is an enterprise-level feature.)

Click Save changes and Confirm to apply the new quantities, but remember that if you have already made any overrides to a part’s costing, this may impact/remove them.

The next step is to assign a process (if you haven't already) and add costing to your quote item.