Start from the survey, not from memory
Pull system size, roof facts and electrical details from the survey. When the quotation starts from facts on file, the design does not change halfway through the sale.
Derive the bill of materials from rules
Most of a solar bill of materials follows from the system size. Panels follow capacity, structure follows panel count, cable follows distance and protection follows string layout.
Writing these as rules means two people quoting the same house produce the same list, and a new colleague does not need ten years of experience to quote.
- Fixed items that every job needs
- Items that scale per kilowatt
- Items that follow panel or string count
- Items that follow cable length
- Manual items for the unusual parts of the job
Price from one catalogue
Keep brands, specifications, units and rates in one catalogue. When prices change, update them once, and every new quotation uses the current rate.
Record price history, so you can explain why an older quotation used an older rate.
Control who sees cost and margin
Sales staff need the selling price. They rarely need the cost price. Limit internal costing to the people who set margin, so negotiations do not erode it by accident.
Approve before it goes out
Set an approval step for quotations above a size or below a margin you choose. The approver should see the bill of materials, the margin and the survey side by side.
- What was surveyed
- What is being quoted
- What margin results
- Who approved and when
Keep every revision
Customers ask for changes. Keep each revision with its date and reason, so you can show exactly what changed between versions.
Send a proposal the customer can follow
The proposal is a sales document. Show the system, the materials, the price, the expected savings and the payback in plain language, with your branding.
Keep this
- Bill of materials from rules, not from memory.
- One catalogue, one price history.
- Approval before sending, and every revision kept.