Comparison of supplier quotations

Purpose

1 Streamline the automated comparison of supplier quotations for metalware products in procurement cycles.

2 Eliminate manual errors by automating analysis of submitted quotations, extracting line items, pricing, and terms.

3 Enhance decision-making with automated scoring frameworks based on price, delivery, compliance, and service levels.

4 Ensure administrators receive real-time automated alerts when a preferred or outlier quotation is detected.

5 Automate report generation and documentation for audit and compliance purposes in procurement.

Trigger Conditions

1 Supplier email containing attached quotation is received in the procurement mailbox.

2 New quotation uploaded to a shared folder or ERP procurement module.

3 Automated API push of a quotation from supplier portal or B2B marketplace.

4 Scheduled initiation of comparison at defined intervals (e.g., daily/weekly).

5 Change detected in quotation status in the procurement system.

Platform Variants

1 Microsoft Power Automate

 • Feature: Automated email/OneDrive triggers; Action: AI Builder for document extraction
 • Sample: Configure "When new email arrives with attachment" and "Extract data from documents"

2 Zapier

 • Feature: Multi-app workflow builder; Action: Email/Drive API + Google Sheets comparison
 • Sample: "New email with attachment" > "Extract data with Docparser" > "Filter/Compare Rows"

3 Integromat (Make)

 • Feature: Automated multi-step modules; Action: Scenario to parse and compare docs
 • Sample: "Watch Emails" > "Parse Document" > "Compare array values in Google Sheets"

4 Google Apps Script

 • Feature: Custom script; Function: Gmail API + Drive API + Sheets API
 • Sample: Script detects new quotation in Gmail, parses with ML, writes to Sheet for automated comparison

5 UiPath

 • Feature: RPA for desktop/files/emails; Action: Document Understanding + Excel automation
 • Sample: Sequence triggers on email > Extracts details from PDF > Automated comparison rules in Excel

6 AWS Lambda

 • Feature: Serverless backend; API: S3 (uploads), Textract (OCR/data extraction)
 • Sample: S3 trigger > Extract with Textract > Compare in DynamoDB/Glue

7 Google Cloud Functions

 • Feature: Serverless event-driven; API: Cloud Storage (files), Vision AI (OCR)
 • Sample: Trigger on file upload > OCR extraction > Cloud SQL for automated comparison

8 IBM Watson Orchestrate

 • Feature: Email/file sync; AI Document Understanding
 • Sample: Trigger on mail/file > AI extraction/compare API

9 Salesforce Flow

 • Feature: Email/record triggers; Action: Document automation & comparison logic
 • Sample: Email-to-case trigger > Einstein OCR/AI > Update Opportunity with score

10 SAP Integration Suite

 • Feature: Message triggers; API: Document Processing, ERP comparison module
 • Sample: API trigger > Document Info Extraction Service > Post to S/4HANA for automated scoring

11 Docparser

 • Feature: PDF/Doc parsing API; Webhooks: data extraction
 • Sample: Upload quotation > Automated template parsing > Deliver data for comparison automation

12 Smartsheet Automation

 • Feature: File upload triggered workflow; Decision rules
 • Sample: Attachment upload > Automated extract row > Comparison via formula

13 Notion API

 • Feature: Database creation/modification; Automated integration
 • Sample: Zapier/Make pushes parsed quote data > Automated database filter/sort

14 Monday.com Workflows

 • Feature: Automation recipes; Email-to-board; Status update
 • Sample: Email triggers item creation > Data extraction > Automated comparison pulse

15 ServiceNow Flow Designer

 • Feature: Email intake; Decision/Score cards
 • Sample: New supplier quote received > Automated parsing > Compare and generate task

16 Oracle Integration Cloud

 • Feature: Email/document orchestrator; Automated scoring logic
 • Sample: File upload triggers data pipeline > Automated rules compare quotations

17 Workato

 • Feature: Cross-app automation; Conditional logic
 • Sample: Email to Drive > Parse with Parser app > Automated Sheets formula for best quote

18 Apify

 • Feature: Automated web/RPA scrapers; Data extraction
 • Sample: Webhook receives quote > Automated data extraction > Push for automated analysis

19 Tray.io

 • Feature: API integrations; File triggers; Automated branching
 • Sample: File uploaded > Document AI extraction > Automated comparison branch

20 Pabbly Connect

 • Feature: Automated trigger-action builder; Document parser integration
 • Sample: New email/file parsed > Automatedly populate Google Sheet for auto-scoring

21 Coupa

 • Feature: ERP procurement automation; API for data input/scoring
 • Sample: New quote received via Coupa > Automated evaluation based on rules/criteria

22 Quick Base

 • Feature: Workflow automation on app update; Comparison apps
 • Sample: Record added from API > Automated formula compare > Status update

Benefits

1 Automates time-consuming manual comparison, supporting high-volume procurement.

2 Automatedly reduces human error and bias with configurable, consistent logic.

3 Automator enables instant analytics for better purchasing decisions.

4 Workflow automation ensures every quote is documented and auditable.

5 Automating notifications accelerates vendor communication cycle.

6 Automates trend discovery for future negotiation leverage and supplier benchmarking.

7 Automation increases productivity, scalability, and transparency in procurement operations.