The Challenge
Many specialty businesses face a unique challenge: their products and services don't fit neatly into standard pricing models. Whether selling custom artwork, engineered-to-spec products, or highly configurable goods, these businesses struggle with Odoo's out-of-the-box quoting capabilities.
These companies share common pain points with their manual quoting processes:
- Pricing depends on multiple variables - size, material, quantity breaks, customization options, and more
- Complex calculations required for every line item (square footage, cubic dimensions, material costs, labor rates)
- Multiple fee types to calculate - shipping, installation, framing, curation, mounting
- Subscription and rotation plans with recurring discounts that vary by material type and contract length
- Manual data entry creating opportunities for errors and inconsistencies
- Lengthy quote preparation time limiting sales team productivity
- Difficulty maintaining pricing accuracy as materials, vendors, and costs change
- No standardized way to capture special requirements or customer preferences
These businesses need quoting systems that can handle their complexity while remaining flexible enough to adapt as their business grows.
The Solution: Configurable Quoting Systems
Rather than forcing businesses to adapt their processes to standard Odoo functionality, S4 Solutions develops custom quoting modules tailored to each company's specific needs. These solutions share several key design principles:
Configuration-Driven Logic
Rather than hard-coding business rules, the systems rely on configuration tables that business users can update as needs evolve - no developer required.
Wizard-Based Configuration
Complex products open specification wizards where users configure all relevant options in a guided interface.
Automated Calculations
The system calculates prices, fees, dimensions, and other values based on configurable formulas and lookup tables.
Material-Specific Rules
Different material types drive different pricing models, vendor requirements, production processes, and shipping calculations.
Dynamic Form Behavior
Fields appear and disappear based on product type, ensuring users only see relevant options for each item.
Quote Summary Views
Professional summaries aggregate line items by category, display all fees, and format pricing for client-ready proposals.
Real-World Implementations
Art and Print Industry Implementation
One company in the art industry needed to quote both original artwork and custom prints across multiple material types (framed paper, canvas, wallcoverings, glass film) with complex pricing that varied by:
- Long edge dimension and aspect ratio
- Material type and finish
- Frame requirements
- Shipping destination (using regional and cubic-foot calculations)
- Installation needs (site-dependent)
- Quantity breaks for unit-based items
- Subscription plans with rotation schedules
The Solution Included:
Configuration Tables:
- Material Type - Material types with framing, mat, and pricing rules
- Product Costing - Base pricing by material type and dimension
- Pricing Matrix - Detailed specifications linking materials, dimensions, suppliers, and frame products
- Product Costing By Square Footage - Square footage pricing for wallcoverings
- Original Art Framing Pricing - Framing costs by size and material
- Shipping Cube Thresholds - Shipping rates by cubic footage
- Installation Cube Thresholds - Installation rates by volume
Pricing Sheet Wizard:
- Opens from gear icon on each order line
- Calculates print size, framed size, cube measurements
- Custom crop and reorientation functionality
- Square footage calculator for area-based products
- Automatic frame cost lookup
- Shipping estimation by cube or regional rates
- Results stored in pricing.sheet records
Fee Calculation Buttons:
- "Calculate Curation" - Applies material-specific curation rates
- "Calculate Framing" - Looks up framing costs or accepts manual entry
- "Calculate Installation" - Uses cube-based calculations with minimums and oversized surcharges
- "Calculate Shipping" - Factors in cube, distance, material type, and special handling
Subscription Support:
- Recurring plans with rotation schedules
- Discount tables by material type, plan, and term length
- Rotation tabs showing planned artwork for each period
- Pre-creation of draft invoices for the full subscription term
- Deposit handling for upfront payments
Visual Indicators:
- Pink/red highlighting for values exceeding pre-approved maximums
- Orange highlighting for manually overridden prices
- Yellow text for stale or manually adjusted fees
- Warnings when quantities fall below minimums
Engineered Products Implementation
A manufacturer of custom framed products needed specification sheets for highly configurable items where each quote required:
- Multiple component selection (substrate, mat, glass, frame, hardware)
- Material and dimensional calculations
- Labor rate lookups by station and operation
- Country-specific tariff calculations
- Assembly BOM creation for complex items
- Subassembly tracking for kit components
The Solution Included:
Product Type Hierarchy:
- Product Type Detail - Base product types (e.g., "Framed Art with Mat", "Floated Frame")
- Specification Sheet Item Categories - Component categories (glass, mat, moulding, hardware)
- Mapping tables linking product types to applicable component categories
- BOM quantity strategies for different component types
Configuration Tables:
- Labor Rates - Station-based labor costs
- Default Country Tariffs - Default duty rates by country
- Hanging Methods - Available mounting options
- Base product templates that duplicate to create configured products
Specification Sheet Wizard:
- Opens for each order line
- Header section displays component selection fields based on product type
- Only shows relevant component categories for selected product type
- Second column shows key modifiable variables
- Detail section contains allowable fields for the product type
- Calculates dimensions with material-specific padding
- Applies quantity breaks for print and canvas pricing
Automatic BOM Creation:
- System generates custom BOM when specification is saved
- Parent product named: Product Type + Sales Order Number + Tag Number
- Component products pulled from specification sheet selections
- Kit BOM structure for subassemblies
- Integration with manufacturing module for production
Implementation Approach
The implementation process follows a structured methodology:
Discovery Phase:
- Document existing quoting process and pain points
- Identify all variables that affect pricing
- Map material types and their unique requirements
- Catalog all fees and calculation methods
- Define product hierarchies and configurability rules
Configuration Design:
- Design configuration table structures
- Define relationships between tables
- Create formula logic for calculations
- Establish visual hierarchy for forms and wizards
- Plan data migration from existing systems
Development Phase:
- Build custom Odoo modules
- Create configuration tables and forms
- Develop wizard interfaces with conditional field visibility
- Implement calculation engines
- Build summary reports and exports
Testing and Refinement:
- Test calculations against historical quotes
- Validate edge cases and special scenarios
- Refine user interface based on feedback
- Optimize performance for large quotes
- Train key users and gather input
Deployment and Training:
- Load configuration data
- Train sales team on new workflows
- Provide documentation for configuration updates
- Establish processes for maintaining pricing tables
- Plan for ongoing enhancements
The Impact
Organizations implementing these custom quoting solutions consistently report significant improvements:
Faster Quote Generation
What previously took hours of manual calculation and lookup now takes minutes. Sales teams can respond to customer inquiries more quickly, improving competitiveness.
Improved Accuracy
Automated calculations eliminate manual errors. Pricing stays consistent across sales team members and over time. Changes to configuration tables immediately affect new quotes system-wide.
Better Customer Experience
Professional quote summaries provide clear, organized pricing information. Customers receive detailed specifications showing exactly what they're buying. Visual presentation improves proposal acceptance rates.
Scalability Without Complexity
As businesses add new materials, products, or pricing models, they update configuration tables rather than requesting code changes. This allows rapid adaptation to market changes.
Reduced Training Time
New sales team members can create accurate quotes after minimal training. The system guides them through the configuration process and handles complex calculations automatically.
Enhanced Visibility
Management gains insight into quoting patterns, pricing trends, and product mix. Configuration tables make it easy to analyze and optimize pricing strategies.
Maintainability
Business users can update pricing, add new materials, adjust calculation formulas, and modify product types through simple configuration screens. IT dependency is minimized for routine updates.
The Technology Stack
These custom quoting solutions integrate deeply with Odoo's core modules while adding specialized functionality:
Sales Module Integration
- Custom fields on the Sales Order and Sales Order Line models
- Wizard interfaces for line configuration
- Automated calculation engines
- Quote summary generation and export
- PDF report customization
Product Module Integration
- Material type hierarchies
- Product configurability flags
- Custom costing and pricing tables
- Product matrix for specification lookup
- Base products for duplication
Purchase Module Integration
- Automatic RFQ generation for configured items
- Vendor assignment by material type and delivery location
- Custom purchase order reports
- Delivery address handling for drop-ship
Inventory Module Integration
- Stock level checking for configurability
- Location-based product availability
- Custom delivery validation rules
Manufacturing Module Integration (where applicable)
- BOM creation from specifications
- Subassembly handling for kit products
- Work center and routing integration
Accounting Module Integration
- Custom invoice reports matching quote format
- Fee line item handling
- Subscription invoice generation
- Tax calculation support
Custom Data Models
- Configuration tables for pricing, materials, labor rates
- Specification storage for configured items
- Historical tracking for pricing changes
- Lookup tables for dimensions, weights, costs
Key Features Across Implementations
While each solution is unique, successful implementations typically include:
Guided Configuration:
- Wizards that adapt based on selections
- Required field validation
- Warning messages for unusual configurations
- Default value population
Flexible Calculations:
- Multiple pricing models within single system
- Conditional logic based on product type
- Threshold-based pricing (quantity breaks, size ranges)
- Composite calculations (e.g., area × rate + setup fee)
Visual Communication:
- Professional quote summaries
- Product images in quotes and orders
- Clear categorization of line items
- Transparent fee breakdowns
Workflow Automation:
- Purchase order generation
- BOM creation
- Invoice preparation
- Special requirement flagging
Audit and Tracking:
- Change history on key fields
- Manual override indicators
- Calculation recency tracking
- Configuration completeness flags
Looking Forward
Companies with these custom quoting solutions continue to expand and refine them based on evolving needs:
- Adding new product types and material options
- Expanding subscription and rotation capabilities
- Integrating with external services (shipping APIs, tax calculation services)
- Building customer portals for quote review
- Developing mobile-friendly configuration interfaces
- Creating analytics dashboards for pricing optimization
The configurable nature of these systems means enhancements rarely require code changes - most improvements come through configuration updates.
Is a Custom Quoting Solution Right for Your Business?
Consider a custom quoting module if your business:
- Has complex pricing based on multiple variables
- Offers highly configurable products or services
- Requires fee calculations beyond simple unit pricing
- Uses material-specific business rules
- Needs professional quote presentations
- Wants business users to maintain pricing without IT involvement
- Plans to scale product offerings without system limitations
- Requires integration with purchasing, manufacturing, or project management
These solutions work particularly well for:
- Custom manufacturing and made-to-order production
- Specialty retail with configurable products
- Service industries with project-based pricing
- Distribution of customizable goods
- Businesses with subscription or recurring revenue models
Getting Started
The process begins with understanding your current quoting challenges and future needs:
- Initial Consultation - We discuss your products, pricing models, and pain points
- Process Documentation - We map your current workflows and identify improvement opportunities
- Solution Design - We propose a configuration-driven approach tailored to your business
- Phased Implementation - We build and deploy in stages, starting with highest-value features
- Training and Support - We ensure your team can use and maintain the system
- Ongoing Partnership - We help you expand and refine as your business evolves
Contact us at info@sfour.io to discuss how a custom quoting solution could transform your sales process.
Looking for other Odoo solutions? Check out our All Apps page to see our full range of modules.