From a pile of quotes to a clear comparison.
Every figure keeps its source
Three steps, one sitting.
- Step 1
Add your quotes
Upload the competing quotes for one package: PDFs with a text layer, Excel (.xlsx) or CSV. Describe what you need, or import a scope or BOQ as the baseline.
- Step 2
Review the differences
Line items, quantities, rates, tax, totals, inclusions and exclusions are read and linked to their source. Check anything marked for review, and confirm each quote.
- Step 3
Compare and export
See as-quoted, like-for-like, complete-scope and risk views, with every adjustment recorded. Draft clarification questions and export a PDF, Excel or CSV report.
1. Extraction with a source for every figure
QuantDoc reads PDFs that have a text layer, Excel workbooks (.xlsx) and CSV files. From each it extracts the supplier, reference and date, line items, quantities, units, unit rates, line totals, discounts, subtotal, GST and total, plus inclusions, exclusions, validity, lead time and payment terms.
Every extracted figure keeps a source reference: page and line for PDFs, sheet and row for spreadsheets. When you question a number you can open the exact place it came from. Lines that look like they contain prices but couldn’t be read are listed for review rather than silently dropped.
Scanned PDFs have limited support: they are read by OCR on QuantDoc’s own servers, every figure read that way is flagged for checking against the original, and photographed or handwritten quotes are often only partly read.
Supplier arithmetic is re-checked with decimal maths: quantity × rate for each line, the subtotal, the GST amount and the total. A mismatch is reported as a possible calculation issue with the expected and stated figures, never as an accusation.
2. Matching: apples with apples
- Exact equivalent
- Same item, same specification, same unit basis.
- Comparable with adjustment
- Same item after an exact, recorded adjustment, such as kg→t, inc→ex GST or a different quantity.
- Conditional match
- Probably the same, but something must be confirmed first, such as a density for m³→t or a product description that differs.
- Not equivalent
- A different specification, grade, size or rating. Not compared on price.
- Missing item
- Quoted by one supplier and not by another. It is flagged, not assumed to be free.
- Uncertain
- There isn’t enough evidence to decide. Shown for your review.
3. Normalising units, quantities and tax
Rates are only comparable on the same unit and tax basis. QuantDoc converts exactly where the maths is certain and asks you where it isn’t.
10,000 kg ÷ 1,000 = 10 t (exact, same dimension) $0.125/kg × 1,000 = $125.00/t inc GST $125.00 ÷ 1.1 = $113.6364/t ex GST (GST stated on the quote) 10 t × $113.6364 = $1,136.36 ex GST
Cross-dimension conversions are different. Cubic metres of stone can’t become tonnes without a density, and a daily hire rate can’t become a weekly one without knowing how many days a week you’ll be charged. QuantDoc classes those rows as conditional until you provide the assumption, then shows the assumption alongside the result:
Assumption: 5 chargeable days per week 20 days ÷ 5 = 4 weeks $520/day × 5 = $2,600/week vs $2,400/week
Example data · calculated by the QuantDoc engine
Weekly vs daily hire rates (assumption: 5 working days per week)
What was quoted
- Supplier A: 10 t excavator, dry hire, 4 weeks at $2,400/week ex GST.
- Supplier B: 10 tonne excavator, 20 days at $520/day ex GST.
Provisional — check before relying on this: Supplier A: no quoted total to check the lines against; Supplier B: no quoted total to check the lines against. Supplier A has the lowest complete-scope cost at $9,600.00 ($800.00 below the next quote).
| Supplier | As quoted (ex GST) | Like-for-like | Complete scope |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supplier A | $9,600.00 | $9,600.00 | $9,600.00 |
| Supplier B | $10,400.00 | $10,400.00 | $10,400.00 |
Adjustments recorded
- Supplier B: 10 tonne excavator hire: 20 day(s) = 4 week(s) (5 chargeable days per week)
4. Four views instead of one misleading ranking
- As quoted
- What each supplier actually asks you to pay, on its own terms. Nothing adjusted except putting totals on a stated tax basis.
- Like-for-like
- Only the items every supplier quotes equivalently (exact equivalents or comparable with a recorded adjustment), normalised to the same unit, quantity and tax basis.
- Complete scope
- The cost of the whole job you described, including delivery, installation, equipment, mobilisation or disposal when you need them. Shown only when every required component is priced or included; otherwise the quote is marked incomplete.
- Risk & uncertainty
- Exclusions, unknown and “TBA” prices, conditional matches, provisional sums, short validity, possible calculation issues and conflicting tax information.
Unknown costs are never zero
Example data · calculated by the QuantDoc engine
Tonnes vs kilograms, ex vs inc GST, freight to be advised
What was quoted
- Supplier A: 10 t of 20mm crushed aggregate at $120.00/t ex GST, plus freight $300.00 ex GST.
- Supplier B: 10,000 kg of 20mm crushed aggregate at $0.125/kg inc GST ($1,250.00), freight "TBA".
INCOMPLETE — Supplier A is the lowest fully-priced quote, but Supplier B has unknown costs. No overall winner can be declared yet.
- Supplier B is only cheaper than Supplier A overall if its delivery costs less than $363.64.
Line-by-line matching (2 items)
| Item | Supplier | Match | Normalised rate (ex GST) | Amount (ex GST) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20mm crushed aggregate | Supplier A | Exact equivalent | $120.00 / tonne | $1,200.00 |
| Supplier B | Comparable with adjustment | $113.64 / tonne | $1,136.36 | |
| Freight to site | Supplier A | Exact equivalent | $300.00 / each | $300.00 |
| Supplier B | Conditional match | — | Unknown |
| Supplier | As quoted (ex GST) | Like-for-like | Complete scope |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supplier A | $1,500.00 | $1,200.00 | $1,500.00 |
| Supplier B | Unknown (unpriced line) | $1,136.36 | Incomplete (delivery unknown) |
Adjustments recorded
- Supplier B: 20mm crushed aggregate: 10000 kilogram(s) = 10 tonne(s)
- Supplier B: 20mm crushed aggregate: GST removed from 1250.00 inc GST → 1136.36 ex GST
3 flags raised · 4 clarification questions drafted
- Supplier B: delivery price to be advised
- Supplier B: unpriced item
- Supplier B: match needs confirmation
Decide, clarify and export
For each gap QuantDoc drafts a specific clarification question, grouped into a draft email per supplier. Nothing is sent automatically: you copy, edit and send it from your own mailbox. When answers come back, upload the revised quote and the comparison updates.
Scenarios let you test estimates such as an expected freight price, a different quantity or a contingency. Scenario totals are always labelled hypothetical and never overwrite extracted figures.
Export the result as a PDF report, an Excel workbook or CSV, with sources, adjustments and assumptions included, so someone else can check your reasoning.
AI-assisted reading is used only on paid plans and the 60-day trial, for documents the standard reader can't read well, such as scanned PDFs; its figures are flagged for you to check against the source; it never does the arithmetic and never looks up market prices. QuantDoc does not consult any external pricing source.
Frequently asked questions
How does QuantDoc decide two items are the same?
It compares specifications such as size, grade, rating and product codes, plus units and quantities, and classifies each match as exact, comparable with adjustment, conditional, not equivalent, missing or uncertain. Similar wording alone is never treated as proof. You can override any match, and the override is recorded.
Which unit conversions are automatic?
Conversions within a dimension are exact and automatic: mm↔m, m³↔litres, kg↔tonnes, and between units of area or time such as m² or hours. Conversions that depend on how something is sold or charged, such as cubic metres to tonnes, packs to units, or days to weeks for hire, need an assumption you enter (density, pack size, hours per day, days per week), and the assumption is shown wherever it’s used.
How are GST, VAT and sales tax handled?
Tax is only added or removed where the document states the treatment or its totals prove it. GST-free and mixed items are supported. If the stated treatment conflicts with the totals, QuantDoc flags the conflict instead of picking one.
What happens when a price is missing?
Missing, excluded and “TBA” costs are never treated as zero. The complete-scope total for that supplier is withheld, the comparison is labelled INCOMPLETE, and QuantDoc shows the break-even threshold at which the ranking would change.
What are what-if scenarios?
Scenarios let you try estimates, such as a freight price you expect, a different quantity or a contingency percentage. Scenario results are always labelled hypothetical and never change the underlying extracted figures.
Make the next quote comparison clearer.
Upload competing quotes, check the evidence and see what each option really costs.
Free preview, no card required. Paid plans: 60-day trial, card required.