Quoting managers in Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) companies typically manage hundreds of quotes each year, and many still rely on inefficient manual processes. If your quoting process still involves Excel spreadsheets, copy-paste chaos, and back-and-forth RFQs that take days, it’s time for a serious upgrade.
EMS quoting has become more complex and more critical. Between sourcing pressures, customer demands, compliance requirements, and the race to quote faster than the competition, quoting managers are carrying a lot. But here’s the upside: today’s quoting solutions can automate the grunt work, improve accuracy, and help you move at the speed your business demands.
This post will walk you through exactly what to look for in a quoting tool — and what extra features might make the difference depending on your business model.
Hundreds of quotes a year. Multiple suppliers. Messy BOMs. Regional sourcing restrictions. Your team can’t afford to spend hours or days chasing prices, massaging data, and consolidating data manually.
Manual quoting is not just inefficient. It's risky.
You’re here because you already know this. Let’s dig into these non-negotiable functions/features of a quoting solution for any EMS team quoting at scale. No more emailing and spreadsheets.
No two BOMs are the same - from multiple MPNs in one cell to different description references in separate columns. You shouldn’t need to “fix” every single BOM manually. A good quoting tool should let you upload a BOM (typically a messy one) in any format (even PDFs), clean up mismatches, and instantly normalize part numbers, descriptions, and quantities — automatic data scrubbing.
Bonus: Look for systems that can handle multiple MPNs per line, parse descriptions, classify your parts based on your business, and even suggest alternate parts automatically.
If you’re still manually checking supplier sites for pricing and availability, you’re wasting valuable time. Look for tools that:
Quoting with confidence means knowing your BOM inside out. A smart system will enable you to identify materials at risk early and maintain supply chain health by giving you insights on:
It should also offer Part Health Scoring and suggest vetted alternatives.
Whether you rely on live distributor data, inventory data, or supplier bid negotiations — or all those — your quoting software should manage it all in one place.
Features like “Second Chance” supplier bidding, line card-targeted RFQs, and enforcement of required bid data make a real difference.
You’ve quoted it before — so why not learn from it? The right tool lets you:
Winning a quote is only half the job. Make sure the tool supports an easy transition to purchasing, with options to push to ERP, generate POs, or optimize inventory.
Quoting should be collaborative and accessible from anywhere. Look for a fully cloud-based platform with user permissions and multi-role access.
Convenience matters — but so does protecting your data. Make sure it has network protection (industry leading firewall), user protection (login security including multi-factor authentication), and data protection (in-transit and at-rest data encryption).
Manual re-entry into your ERP and CRM system? That’s a hard no. You don’t need another silo. Choose a quoting system with open APIs and pre-built connectors so it syncs data seamlessly with your ERP, CRM, and even purchasing platform.
If you’ve negotiated contract pricing with suppliers, your quoting system should respect it—automatically. Not every system can do this well. Ask how pricing rules are handled.
Once you’ve nailed the basics, look at how well the quoting platform supports your growth and evolving needs.
Once you’ve nailed the basics, look at how well the quoting platform supports your growth and evolving needs.
Multi-Site Scalability
Whether you operate from one site or twenty, you need to manage quoting centrally (if you want to) — or run distinct site-level instances if that’s your preference. Either way, you should be able to:
Multi-Year, Multi-Currency Project Support
If you quote multi-year contracts, complex assemblies, or deals with multi-currency requirements, your quoting tool should handle:
Compliance & Security
If your work touches aerospace, defense, or military sectors, you can’t compromise on security and compliance. Look for solutions that can handle ITAR compliant data.
Bottom line: look for a future-proof system that grows with your business without costly overhauls. If your ambition is to scale, the software should ensure that your supply chain scale with you—smoothly, reliably, and without surprises.EMS quoting is no longer just about price and speed. The right platform should help you deliver strategic value across your business and to your customers.
Sustainability & Carbon Tracking
Regulations are tightening, and your customers are asking. Modern quoting solutions should help you:
AI That's Actually Useful
AI can help — if done right. Look for tools that use AI to:
And make sure it’s backed by real industrial AI expertise — not just buzzwords.
Total Cost of Ownership
Total cost of ownership isn’t just about who offers the lowest price on a BOM. Your quoting software should help you quantify the soft costs influencing sourcing decisions, providing you with critical insights for making informed component awards to supplier partners.
When reviewing quoting platforms, ask your potential vendors a set of questions. If the answers are all “yes”, it’s time to dive deeper. Click the button below to view or download the full list.
Quoting can be your competitive edge. The right tool doesn’t just speed up your work; it transforms how you quote, collaborate, and win.
At CalcuQuote, we’ve helped over 300 EMS companies reduce quoting time by up to 80%. With more than a decade of industry expertise in EMS quoting, we’ve built a platform that checks the boxes.
We help you quote faster, smarter, and more strategically. Don't just take our word for it. Check out what our customers say.
Ready to see how CalcuQuote fits your process?
Request a demo. We’ll show you what modern quoting looks like.