RFQ automation / MZ-001

Turn RFQ emails and drawings into quote-ready records.

ManualZero extracts request details, flags missing information, and prepares a structured handoff for estimating — without replacing your ERP, CRM, or quoting tools.

Get a free RFQ workflow audit

No call required
No production access required
Human review stays in control

See an illustrative sample RFQ audit Explore this workflow

MZ-001 / Example workflow

RFQ intake

Customer RFQ
Email + PDF + BOM + drawings
ManualZero
Managed intake and processing
Extract
Part numbers · quantities · stated specifications
Validate
Missing fields · formats · possible duplicates
Human review
Resolve unclear details before the handoff
Quote workflow
Reviewed data → existing CRM / ERP / quoting tools

Example flow. Extraction and handoff depend on your files, rules and system access.

RFQ automation: intake → structured quote-ready record

Managed by ManualZero

EXAMPLE WORKFLOW

From inbox files to a quote-ready record.

This is an example of a workflow ManualZero can be configured to handle. It is not a claim that every PDF, STEP file or drawing format is already supported.

MZ-001-EX / Example workflow

Example RFQ sequence

Incoming RFQ
Email plus PDF, STEP or drawing attachments, where those files are in the assessed scope
Extract request details
Prepare stated fields such as part number, quantity, material, finish and requested date
Check required information
Validate completeness against the intake rules you agree during setup
Flag missing fields
Tolerance, quantity, material, deadline or other required items that are absent or unclear
Quote-ready record
Structured handoff for estimating — not a finished quote
Estimator review
Exceptions, pricing and manufacturability stay with a person

Example workflow. File types, extracted fields and routing rules are confirmed against your samples. Ambiguous cases are routed for review.

Automation prepares the request

The managed workflow can assemble stated details into a structured record so estimating does not start with a copying job.

People keep pricing decisions

The record is quote-ready, not price-ready. Commercial terms stay in your existing quoting process.

People keep technical judgment

Manufacturability, unusual tolerances and unclear specifications remain human-reviewed. Extracted text is not an engineering decision.

The manual problem

The quote starts with a copying job.

An RFQ lands in the shared inbox. Before anyone can price it, someone has to assemble the request, read the attachments and turn it into a usable part list.

One request, several files

Quantities sit in a spreadsheet, specifications in a PDF, and drawing revisions in a follow-up email. Your team has to keep them together.

The same fields, entered again

Part numbers and quantities move from the customer's BOM into an internal sheet, then into a CRM, ERP or quoting tool.

Gaps surface during quoting

A missing unit, unclear specification or repeated line is discovered only after someone starts preparing the quote.

What ManualZero can handle

Prepare the request. Keep the judgment.

Map the intake around the RFQs you actually receive. These are examples of steps we can assess for a managed workflow.

RFQ email intake

Collect the request text and attachments from an agreed inbox or handoff point. Keep the original source available alongside the working record.

BOM and part-list extraction

Prepare line items from suitable PDFs and spreadsheets: part numbers, quantities, units and stated specifications. Flag rows that cannot be read reliably.

Field and format checks

Check required fields, normalize agreed formats and flag possible duplicates. Uncertain product matches stay visible for review.

Attachment organization

Associate supplied drawings and specification files with the request. Route ambiguous revisions or missing references to the person who can resolve them.

Quote preparation handoff

Prepare a structured record or import file for your quoting process. Pricing, substitutions and commercial approval remain with your team.

Incomplete request routing

Separate requests that are ready for the next step from those needing clarification. Identify what is missing so the reviewer knows what to check.

Keep your software

Keep your quoting tools.

Your CRM, ERP and quoting system remain the place your team works. ManualZero handles the repetitive preparation between the inbox and those tools; your team does not have to build or maintain the automation.

Your existing stack

Shared inbox
Documents
Spreadsheets
CRM / ERP
Quoting tools

The connection is part of the audit

During the audit, we check whether a suitable API, authorized account or import/export process can support the handoff. A specific system connection is confirmed only after that review.

Control points / human review

An unclear RFQ should stop for a person.

Automation should surface uncertainty before it reaches a quote. We define what needs review with your team, including whether every prepared request must be approved.

Missing information

No quantity, unclear unit or incomplete specification: flag the field and hold the affected request for clarification.

Conflicting information

Different quantities in the email and BOM, or an uncertain drawing revision: ask a reviewer which source to use.

Commercial decisions

Product substitutions, pricing and quote release follow your approval process. Extracted text is not an engineering decision.

Before / with ManualZero

Change the intake, not the quoting decision.

Before

Open the RFQ email and each attachment
Rebuild the part list in an internal format
Copy quantities and specifications
Find missing details during quote preparation
Re-enter the request into the quoting workflow
Check the copied result

With ManualZero

Receive the request and its source files
Extract the agreed fields into line items
Validate required information and formats
Route unclear fields for a person to resolve
Prepare reviewed data for the existing workflow
Keep pricing and quote approval with the team

Example sequence. Your intake rules determine the checks and approval points.

Who this is for

For teams quoting from an inbox.

A practical starting point for US small and midsize B2B industrial businesses handling recurring quote requests.

Industrial distributors receiving multi-line part requests
Manufacturers assembling RFQs from BOMs and drawing packages
Inside sales teams reformatting requests before they can quote
Operations teams handing the same information between email and quoting tools

A useful first scope

Start with one recurring RFQ format or intake queue. If most requests require original engineering interpretation, map the administrative steps separately.

RFQ automation / FAQ

Before you automate.

Can you process BOMs in both PDFs and spreadsheets?

We assess the layouts and fields in representative files. Suitable tables can be mapped to a common line-item structure, but merged cells, scanned pages and inconsistent formatting may need different rules or human review. Support is confirmed against your samples.

Does RFQ automation generate prices or send quotes?

This workflow focuses on preparing the request for quoting. Pricing, availability, substitutions and sending the final quote remain in your existing process unless a separate, explicitly approved scope defines otherwise.

Can it read engineering drawings?

A workflow can organize and route drawing files with the RFQ. Extracting particular text fields needs sample-based assessment. We do not assume that a drawing can be fully interpreted or that dimensions, tolerances and engineering requirements can be inferred reliably.

What happens when a customer sends a revised RFQ?

We map how your team identifies a revision and which references can link it to the original request. Possible matches or conflicting quantities can be held for review instead of silently replacing the previous data.

Will it work with our current ERP or quoting system?

The audit checks the available access, supported data formats and approval points. A handoff may use an API or an import file. We do not assume a ready-made integration exists for your software.

What do we need for the free workflow audit?

Describe how RFQs arrive, which fields your team copies and where the information goes next. We reply by email with a proposed workflow, review points and any questions about feasibility. No call required.

Planning the steps? What manufacturing RFQ intake automation actually covers.

Read the RFQ intake automation guide

Read how RFQ emails and attachments can be prepared

Prefer an example first? See an illustrative sample RFQ audit.

Connected operational work

What you get in the free workflow audit.

A concrete map of one RFQ process — not a generic brochure, and not a sales call.

Current workflow map

How RFQs arrive, which files are opened and where information is copied today.

Manual and repetitive steps identified

The preparation work that repeats before anyone can estimate.

Automation candidates

Steps that can be prepared by a managed workflow, subject to your files and rules.

Steps that should remain human-reviewed

Pricing, manufacturability, exceptions and any decision that needs judgment.

Proposed input → validation → routing → output flow

A scoped sequence from the inbox to a structured record your quoting tools can use.

Practical next step

Whether a fixed-scope pilot is worth considering, and what would need to be confirmed first.

No sales call required.

After you submit

What happens next.

Three steps from the form to an audit in your inbox.

01
Describe one workflow
Tell us where RFQs or quote requests still require manual work.
02
We map the automation opportunity
We separate repeatable preparation from the decisions that should remain human.
03
You receive the audit by email
You get a concrete workflow map and recommended next step.

One workflow / free audit

Show us the work before the quote.

Describe one RFQ intake process. We'll map the extraction, validation and review steps, then identify how the result could reach your existing tools.

Tell us

Where RFQs arrive
Which fields and files your team handles
Where the prepared request needs to go