Getting quotes on site: how to replace the phone-round with a price leaderboard

The phone-round nobody has time for

You need six tubes of Hilti epoxy for a pour tomorrow. Or 40 metres of temporary fencing by Friday. Or a concrete pump at short notice because your regular one just broke down.

The traditional approach: call your first supplier. No answer. Call the second. They have it but cannot deliver until Thursday. Call the third. They have it, what time do you need it?

Twenty minutes to find one supplier. If you had called all three simultaneously, you would have had three prices in front of you and made a decision in half the time.

The quote blast mechanic

The alternative: describe what you need in plain English, select the suppliers you want to ask, and send them all a quote request at once via WhatsApp. Each supplier receives a link. They open it — no login, no app — type their price, lead time, and any notes, and submit. You see the results in real time, cheapest first.

When you have the price you want, one tap to accept. The winner gets a WhatsApp: "Your quote was accepted — the site team will be in touch." The others see: "This request is now closed."

Three prices. One decision. No calls.

AI supplier search for when your list is short

If your saved supplier list doesn't have what you need, an AI search finds the nearest options based on what you need and where your site is. Saved suppliers are ranked first — they are trusted, set up with your team, and known to your site. AI suggestions come second, with confidence ratings and a note on why they were recommended.

The goal is always to ring ahead and confirm stock and price before travelling — AI suggestions cannot guarantee live availability. But they narrow the search significantly.

What the leaderboard shows you

The quote comparison view shows each supplier's submitted price, lead time, any notes they included, and their response time. Quoted suppliers sort cheapest first. Suppliers who haven't responded yet show as "waiting." The one you accept gets a Trophy marker in the record.

This is the same price comparison that used to happen in your head across three separate phone calls — made visible and documented.

The record that matters

Every quote request, every supplier response, and every acceptance decision is stored in the project record. If a supply chain dispute arises — "I quoted the lowest price and didn't get the job" — the record shows exactly what was submitted, by whom, and when. Transparent, timestamped, permanent.

SiteLive's Procure Now module handles AI supplier search, WhatsApp quote blasts, and a live price leaderboard. No login required for suppliers. Available on Pro and Complete plans.