How to Reduce Quotation Time by 80% with Digitized Price Lists
Optimization | Switchonomy
5 min read · 861 words
For most control panel manufacturers, building a quotation is one of the most time-consuming tasks in the business. A single quote can take anywhere from two to four hours — sometimes longer. Multiply that across ten enquiries a week, and your team is spending a full working day or more just on quoting.
Most of that time isn't spent thinking — it's spent on the mechanics. Looking up prices. Cross-referencing catalogues. Building spreadsheets. Formatting documents. These are the steps that smart software eliminates entirely.
Where the time actually goes — a typical manual quotation
Finding and opening the latest supplier pricelist: 15–20 min Looking up component prices one by one: 30–45 min Building the cost breakdown in a spreadsheet: 20–30 min Adding labour, wiring, and miscellaneous charges: 10–15 min Formatting the quotation document professionally: 20–30 min Building the BOM separately from the quotation: 20–30 min Chasing the design team for a panel drawing: 1–2 days Total (without drawing): 2–3 hours per quote
6 strategies to reduce quotation time
1. Replace manual price lookups with a live built-in pricelist
Saves 30–45 minutes per quote
The single biggest time drain in manual quoting is price lookup. When your quotation platform has a live, regularly updated component database built in, prices are applied automatically the moment a component is selected.
In Switchonomy: A regularly updated database of switchgear prices — MCBs, ACBs, relays, power contactors, meters, and accessories — is built directly into the platform. Component prices apply automatically. No manual lookup required.
2. Use a guided panel configuration workflow — not a blank spreadsheet
Saves 20–30 minutes per quote
A structured panel configuration workflow guides your team through every required input — panel type, feeder configuration, enclosure specification, miscellaneous costs — in sequence. Nothing gets missed. Nothing gets rebuilt from scratch.
In Switchonomy: Create Project → Create Estimation → Create Panel guides your team step by step. Feeder type, switchgear type, current rating (200A–8000A), enclosure specification, IP rating, busbar material, STC kA — every field is prompted in sequence. The platform validates each selection automatically.
Why speed and accuracy improve together: A guided workflow is faster end-to-end because it removes the cognitive load of remembering every step — and catches omissions before they become errors.
3. Generate the BOM directly from the quotation — no separate rebuild
Saves 20–30 minutes per quote
When the BOM is generated automatically from the quotation data, the rebuild step disappears entirely. One click, and a complete, accurately priced bill of materials is ready.
In Switchonomy: Click Export PDF → BOM. The complete bill of materials is generated instantly from the exact same component data, quantities, and pricing used to build the quotation. Zero re-entry. Zero risk of divergence.
4. Auto-generate panel drawings from the quotation — remove the design bottleneck
Saves hours — sometimes days
When the panel layout drawing is generated automatically from the feeder and enclosure configuration already entered in the quotation, that delay collapses to seconds.
In Switchonomy: Click Generate Diagram after completing feeder and enclosure configuration. A complete, standard-based panel layout drawing is produced in seconds — directly from the quotation data. No CAD tool. No design team bottleneck.
5. Reuse proven configurations — don't start every quote from zero
Saves 30–60 minutes on repeat job types
Saving panel configurations as templates and duplicating them for similar jobs means your team starts from a validated, accurate baseline rather than a blank page.
In Switchonomy: Use Duplicate Estimation to copy any existing estimation for a similar project. Use Add to Favourites to save frequently used panel configurations for instant reuse.
6. Export professional PDFs instantly — no post-quote formatting
Saves 20–30 minutes per quote
A platform that generates a professionally formatted quotation PDF automatically — the moment the estimation is complete — removes the formatting step entirely.
In Switchonomy: Click Export PDF. Choose Quotation PDF or BOM PDF — both generated instantly, professionally formatted, and ready to send. No Word document. No template to fill in.
Before vs After
Manual process: 2–3 hours per quote | Manual price lookups | BOM rebuilt separately | Drawing takes days | Formatting after numbers done | Accuracy depends on who quoted
With Switchonomy: Under 10 minutes | Live pricing auto-applied | BOM from same data in one click | Drawing in seconds | PDF exported instantly | Same accuracy every time
Speed is a commercial advantage — not just an operational one
The panel business that responds with a complete, professional quotation — including a drawing and a BOM — within the hour has a significant commercial advantage over one that takes three days. Clients shortlist quickly. The business that arrives first, with the most complete proposal, wins more often.
Reducing control panel quotation time doesn't require working faster or hiring more people. It requires removing the manual steps that consume time without adding value — and replacing them with a connected, automated workflow.
Every hour saved on quoting is an hour your team can spend on winning the next job, delivering the current one, or growing the business. That's what electrical panel estimation software built for panel manufacturers actually delivers.
Start your free account at switchonomy.com