Field note
What is quote mapping?
Quote mapping is matching every line of a vendor's quote to the contractor's own resource codes so pricing lands on the bid sheet without retyping.
The estimator usually starts with two records that do not speak the same language: the contractor's material list and a vendor's PDF. Quote mapping connects them line by line.
What does the estimator match?
A match ties the vendor description, quantity, unit, and price to the contractor's own item and resource code. Similar wording is not enough. Size, material, class, end treatment, and unit all affect the decision.
Is quote mapping the same as bid leveling?
Quote mapping assigns a vendor line to the contractor's item. Bid leveling compares vendors after scope, quantities, units, freight, tax, and exclusions are visible. A clean comparison depends on trustworthy mappings.
What does a safe quote-mapping workflow look like?
- Keep the contractor's material list as the row authority.
- Read each vendor quote without rewriting the source.
- Propose a resource-code match with quote-page evidence.
- Check description, quantity, unit, and commercial adjustments.
- Let the estimator confirm, change, split, or reject the proposal.
- Carry only confirmed pricing into the comparison sheet.
Why does the carried price need a receipt?
A plausible match is only a proposal. The useful output is a price the estimator can defend. The carried cell should retain the vendor, quote revision, source line, mapping decision, and person who confirmed it. An unresolved line stays unresolved instead of becoming a silent blank.
How does Coffer handle quote mapping?
Coffer reads the existing quotes, proposes line matches, and keeps the quote beside the decision. The estimator confirms every carry. Confirmed mappings can improve later proposals for that vendor, while the estimator still reviews the work.