The challenge
Incoming tenders arrived as GAEB files, PDFs, and spreadsheets, each processed by hand. Senior inside sales specialists spent up to two days per tender identifying relevant positions and matching them against the ERP catalog. Peak periods forced the team to decline tenders outright, including some from strategic accounts.
The solution
The supplier introduced an AI platform for tender intake and product matching. Incoming documents are parsed automatically, relevant positions extracted, and matches proposed from the full product catalog with confidence scores. Specialists shifted from searching to reviewing: confirming high-confidence matches quickly and focusing expertise on ambiguous positions.
The rollout
Implementation started with a single product division and one national market. After eight weeks, matching accuracy passed the internal quality bar and the process was extended to a second market. Crucially, the existing ERP and pricing workflows stayed in place; the platform slotted in front of them.
The results
Quote turnaround dropped from an average of five days to under 36 hours. The team answered 40 percent more tenders without additional headcount, and early responses opened technical conversations that previously went to faster competitors.
The surprise was not the speed. It was what our specialists did with the time: better pricing, more alternates, more customer contact.
Key takeaways
Start narrow, keep experts in the review loop, integrate with existing systems rather than replacing them, and measure turnaround time from day one.