Quotation

A Quotation is a priced offer sent to a customer, valid until a stated date. It commits nobody: no stock moves, nothing posts to the accounts, and the customer is free to walk away. Once accepted, it converts into a Sales Order or an Invoice in one step.

Where to find it

Go to Sales > Quotations > New Quotation. The form opens in a popup window, so you can raise a quote without leaving the list you were working in.

Before you start

• The customer must exist, and must have at least one branch.
• The items you intend to quote must exist in Items and Services.
• A sales type (price list) decides whether the prices you type include tax.
• You need the SA_SALESQUOTE permission.

Header field reference

Dates

This second date field is shared across the sales documents and relabelled to suit each one: Valid until on a quotation, Required Delivery Date on an order, Invoice before on a delivery, and Due Date on an invoice.

Customer credit and balance

Once a customer is selected, the form shows their financial position, which is worth a glance even at quotation stage.

• Customer Current Credit — the credit still available to them, based on their credit limit less what they already owe.
• Customer Current Balance — the total they currently owe you across all open transactions.

A customer who is already over their limit will hit a block later, when the order or delivery is raised. Checking here saves quoting work that cannot be fulfilled — see Customer Credit Status.

Line items

Check the price column heading before typing. Quoting a tax inclusive figure into a Price Before Tax column understates your offer, and the customer will hold you to the number you sent.

Barcode Scanning

Barcode scanning adds items to a quotation by scanning the barcode printed on the product, which is faster and less error-prone than typing.

1. Enable it under Setup > Preferences > Use Barcode Functionality.
2. Once enabled, a barcode field appears on the quotation form.
3. Scan the product barcode and the item is added to the quotation automatically.

Total Details

Below the line items you will find the quotation totals section.

Delivery Details

Custom Fields

Custom fields let you add your own inputs when the standard form does not capture something your business needs — a tender number, a validity condition, a site reference. You can create text boxes, dropdowns, radio buttons, check boxes, date pickers and amount boxes, and place them in the form header, the line items or the footer.

• Enable the feature under Setup > Preferences > Show Add Custom Field on Forms.
• Once enabled, an Add Fields option appears in the header and footer, and an Add Field option at the top centre of the line items section.
• Remove custom fields at any time from Setup > Custom Fields.

Attachments

You can attach documents or images to the quotation — a customer enquiry, a tender document, a specification sheet, or anything else supporting the offer. Click the attachment or browse option in the form, select the files, and they are stored against the quotation for future reference.

How to create a quotation

1. Go to Sales > Quotations > New Quotation.
2. Select the Customer, then the Customer Branch.
3. Check the Reference, set the Date, and set Valid until so the offer has a clear expiry.
4. Choose the Sales Person, the Price List / Sales Type and the Deliver from Location.
5. Add each item with its Quantity, Price and any Discount, or scan barcodes if enabled.
6. Enter Shipping Charges and any overall Discount, click Update and review the tax breakdown.
7. Add Comments covering lead time or conditions, attach any supporting files, then place the quotation.
8. Print or email it to the customer from the Quotations List.

What happens in the background

A quotation is the lightest document in the sales chain. When you save it, TamilAccounting:

• Posts nothing to the General Ledger. No revenue, no receivable, no tax.
• Moves and reserves no stock. The quantity on hand on each line is indicative only.
• Stores the offer so it can be converted later, carrying the customer, items, prices and discounts across.

Conversion of Quotation

Rather than re-keying an accepted quote, convert it directly into the next step. Both routes pull the item details, prices and tax across, so the final document matches what the customer agreed to.

Both options are available from the Quotations List or from the Sales Quotation View. Clicking the action button opens the target form pre-filled, and you can review or change any detail before submitting.

Rules and limits

An expired quotation is not blocked or closed automatically. The Valid until date is there for you and the customer to read — the system will still let you convert an out of date quote, so re-check the pricing first.

• Customer, branch, reference and date are all mandatory.
• The reference must be unique for this document type.
• A quotation can be edited freely while it is open, because nothing has been committed.
• Converting a quote does not consume it — the original stays on file as the record of what you offered.

Related pages

• Quotations List — find, filter and action existing quotes
• Sales Quotation View — read a quote and its history
• Quotation to Sales Order — convert an accepted quote
• Direct Sales Order — the step after a quotation
• Customer Credit Status — how credit limits and blocking work
• Sales Types — how price lists and tax inclusion are set up