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Quotrum

BOM Generation

What is a BOM?

A Bill of Materials (BOM) is a comprehensive list of all equipment, components, and labor required to provision a service. In telecom, BOMs are essential for:

  • Engineering handoff - Detailed specs for implementation
  • Procurement - Ordering equipment and materials
  • Installation planning - Coordinating technicians and resources
  • Inventory management - Tracking what’s needed where
  • Cost validation - Ensuring quoted prices match actual costs

Quotrum automatically generates BOMs from your quotes, eliminating manual spreadsheet work.

Generating a BOM

From the Quote Wizard

After completing your quote configuration:

  1. Navigate to Step 6: Review
  2. Click Generate BOM (below pricing summary)
  3. BOM is created based on configured services
  4. Review or export immediately

From an Existing Quote

To generate a BOM for a saved quote:

  1. Open the quote from Quote Library
  2. Click Actions → Generate BOM
  3. BOM opens in a new view

Bulk BOM Generation (Professional/Enterprise)

Generate BOMs for multiple quotes at once:

  1. Go to Quote Library
  2. Select multiple quotes (checkbox selection)
  3. Click Bulk Actions → Generate BOMs
  4. Choose export format
  5. BOMs generated as separate files in a ZIP

BOM Components

A Quotrum-generated BOM includes:

Equipment List

All required hardware:

  • Routers - Model, quantity, location
  • Switches - Type, port count, power requirements
  • Fiber optics - Media converters, SFPs, patch panels
  • CPE - Customer premises equipment (modems, ONTs)
  • Power - UPS, power supplies, backup batteries
  • Mounting - Racks, rack units required, wall mounts

Each item includes:

  • Part number / SKU
  • Manufacturer
  • Quantity per site
  • Total quantity
  • Unit cost (optional)
  • Total cost (optional)

Cabling Requirements

Physical connectivity needs:

  • Fiber type (single-mode, multi-mode)
  • Cable runs (length, routing)
  • Connectors (LC, SC, ST)
  • Inside plant vs outside plant
  • Conduit requirements

Installation Requirements

Labor and logistics:

  • Estimated installation hours
  • Technician skill level required
  • Special equipment needed (bucket truck, splice trailer)
  • Site access requirements
  • Permits required

Service Configuration

Technical configuration details:

  • IP addressing plan
  • VLAN assignments
  • Routing protocols
  • QoS policies
  • Security policies

Documentation

Supporting information:

  • Site contact information
  • Building access codes
  • Preferred installation windows
  • Special instructions
  • Delivery addresses (if different from site)

Customizing BOMs

BOM Templates (Professional/Enterprise)

Create custom BOM templates:

  1. Go to Settings → BOM Templates
  2. Click New Template
  3. Choose fields to include/exclude
  4. Set field ordering
  5. Add custom fields
  6. Save template

Use templates to generate BOMs for specific audiences:

  • Engineering BOM - Technical details, no costs
  • Procurement BOM - Part numbers and costs
  • Installation BOM - Labor and logistics only
  • Customer BOM - High-level equipment summary

Custom Fields

Add organization-specific fields:

  1. Go to Settings → BOM Configuration
  2. Click Add Custom Field
  3. Choose field type (text, number, dropdown, date)
  4. Set field name and description
  5. Choose which BOMs include this field

Examples:

  • Internal job number
  • Project code
  • Cost center
  • Purchase order number
  • Warranty information

Equipment Substitutions

Override auto-selected equipment:

  1. Generate BOM as usual
  2. Click equipment line item
  3. Choose Substitute Equipment
  4. Select alternate model
  5. BOM updates with new specs and pricing

Use cases:

  • Customer requests specific vendor
  • Preferred equipment in stock
  • Cost optimization
  • Equipment refresh to newer model

Export Formats

Quotrum supports multiple BOM formats:

Excel Spreadsheet

Multi-sheet workbook:

  • Summary - Overview of all sites and totals
  • Equipment - Detailed equipment list
  • Cabling - Cable runs and requirements
  • Labor - Installation tasks and hours
  • By Site - Separate sheet per site (for multi-site quotes)

Format: .xlsx Best for: Procurement, engineering, internal use

PDF Document

Professional formatted document:

  • Cover page with project details
  • Organized sections
  • Site-by-site breakdown
  • Summary totals
  • Your branding

Format: .pdf Best for: Customer delivery, documentation, approvals

CSV Export

Simple comma-separated values:

  • Single file, all equipment listed
  • Easy import to other systems
  • No formatting, pure data

Format: .csv Best for: ERP integration, custom tooling, data analysis

JSON (Enterprise)

Structured data for API integration:

  • Complete BOM in JSON format
  • Programmatic access
  • Integration with other tools

Format: .json Best for: API consumers, custom integrations, automation

BOM Validation

Before finalizing a BOM, Quotrum validates:

Completeness

  • All required equipment included
  • No missing components
  • Dependencies resolved (e.g., router requires power supply)

Compatibility

  • Equipment works together (correct interfaces, power, protocols)
  • Cables match equipment ports
  • Bandwidth requirements met

Availability

  • Equipment is in catalog
  • Part numbers are current
  • Not obsolete or end-of-life

Cost Accuracy

  • Equipment costs match catalog
  • Labor hours reasonable
  • Total cost aligns with quote pricing

Validation errors and warnings appear before export. Fix issues before generating final BOM.

Working with Installation Teams

BOM Delivery

Share BOMs with field teams:

Email (Professional/Enterprise)

  1. Generate BOM
  2. Click Share → Email
  3. Enter recipient emails
  4. Add message
  5. Send (PDF attachment)

Cloud Link (Professional/Enterprise)

  1. Generate BOM
  2. Click Share → Create Link
  3. Copy link
  4. Share link (view-only, no download required)
  5. Set expiration date (optional)

Download and Forward

  1. Generate and export BOM
  2. Download to your computer
  3. Forward via your email or file sharing

BOM Updates

When quote changes after BOM generation:

  1. Update the quote
  2. Regenerate BOM
  3. Quotrum highlights what changed:
    • Added items (green)
    • Removed items (red)
    • Changed quantities (yellow)
  4. Export updated BOM
  5. Notify installation team of changes

Installation Notes

Add notes for technicians:

  1. Open BOM view
  2. Click Add Note next to any section or item
  3. Enter instructions (e.g., “Install router in telco closet, 3rd floor”)
  4. Notes appear in exported BOM

Advanced BOM Features

Multi-Site Optimization (Enterprise)

For quotes with many sites, optimize BOMs:

Consolidated Equipment List

  • Combines all sites into single equipment list
  • Shows total quantities needed across project
  • Enables bulk ordering

Site-Specific BOMs

  • Individual BOM per site
  • Distributed to local technicians
  • Includes only that site’s requirements

Regional Grouping

  • Group sites by region
  • Create regional BOMs
  • Coordinate regional resources

Inventory Integration (Enterprise)

Connect to your inventory system:

  1. Configure inventory integration in Settings → Integrations
  2. BOMs show real-time availability:
    • In stock (green)
    • Low stock (yellow)
    • Out of stock (red)
  3. Option to auto-order missing items
  4. Track BOM fulfillment status

Labor Estimation

Quotrum estimates installation labor based on:

  • Service type complexity
  • Number of equipment pieces
  • Site conditions (building type, floor, access)
  • Historical data (learns from past projects)

Labor estimates include:

  • Hours per task
  • Task description
  • Required skill level
  • Number of technicians

Customize labor rates in Settings → Labor Rates.

Cost Rollup

See cost summary:

  • Equipment cost
  • Cable and materials cost
  • Labor cost
  • Shipping and logistics
  • Total BOM cost

Compare BOM cost to quote pricing:

  • Margin analysis
  • Cost vs price variance
  • Identify high-cost items

Only visible to users with cost visibility permissions.

Troubleshooting

BOM generation fails

Common causes:

  • Quote missing required configuration
  • Equipment not in catalog
  • Network timeout (large multi-site quotes)

Solution:

  • Complete quote validation first
  • Check catalog for missing items
  • Try generating BOM per site for large quotes

Missing equipment in BOM

If expected items aren’t in BOM:

  • Verify service configuration (item may be optional)
  • Check if equipment was manually excluded
  • Review BOM template (field may be hidden)
  • Regenerate BOM to pick up catalog updates

Incorrect quantities

If quantities seem wrong:

  • Check quote site count (1 site vs 10?)
  • Verify if item is per-site or per-project
  • Review equipment rules in catalog
  • Contact support if persistent issue

Export formatting issues

If exported BOM looks wrong:

  • Try different export format (Excel instead of PDF)
  • Update Quotrum to latest version
  • Check that custom templates are valid
  • Clear cache and regenerate

Best Practices

  1. Generate BOMs early - Catch configuration issues before customer delivery
  2. Use templates - Standardize BOMs for consistency
  3. Review before export - Validate all fields are correct
  4. Version control - Keep copies of BOMs as quotes evolve
  5. Include notes - Add context for installation teams
  6. Update promptly - Regenerate BOMs when quotes change
  7. Archive completed BOMs - Reference for future similar projects

Next Steps

Learn more about working with BOMs: