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Quotes and parts

How do I add supplier parts and prices to quotes automatically?

Get your supplier's parts and your account prices into the price book in one of three ways, from least to most current: a price file you import on a schedule (CSV or Excel), a price book the supplier emails that your software loads automatically, or a live connection where the software reads your account pricing from the supplier when you quote or order. Then build quotes from the price book with your markup rules applied, and check supplier invoices against the quoted cost so a price rise does not eat the margin. Which way you can use depends on what your supplier offers, so ask them first.

  • Three levels: imported price files, emailed price books loaded automatically, live account pricing.
  • Quote from your price book with markup rules; do not paste raw supplier prices onto quotes.
  • Match on the supplier's part number, never on description.
  • Check supplier invoices against the cost you quoted, and flag differences.
  • Public web prices are a fallback for one-off parts, not your account price.

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60 minute video call

Your negotiated price lives in your supplier account. Unless the supplier sends it or allows a connection, no software can see it.

Facts checked as of November 2026. Sources at the end of the page.

Step by step

How it works, step by step

The same steps apply to HVAC, plumbing, electrical and fire contractors. What changes is which suppliers offer files or connections.

1. Ask each supplier what they offer

Three questions for your account manager: can you send our account price file (CSV or Excel) and how often; can you email price updates automatically; do you have an integration or punchout for our software. Note the part number format they use.

2. Load parts into the price book by part number

Import supplier code, description, unit, your cost, list price and category. Match on the supplier part number so the next file updates existing items instead of creating duplicates. Housecall Pro, for example, imports materials with category, name, description, price, cost, unit of measure and a markup flag; Jobber updates existing items' unit cost and price on import.

3. Set markup rules, not prices

Sell price = cost plus a markup that can vary by category or cost band (higher on small parts, lower on equipment). When cost changes on the next import, the sell price follows. Keep a margin floor so a quote cannot drop below it.

4. Keep prices fresh on a schedule

Re-import monthly, or let the supplier's emailed price book load itself. Simpro's automatic catalogue import checks for new supplier records every 7 days; Fergus loads price books that suppliers email to a unique address; ServiceTitan's Ferguson integration updates vendor cost nightly.

5. Quote from the price book on site or in the office

The technician or estimator picks parts by name or code; cost, markup and sell price fill in. Quotes do not change when prices are updated later; Jobber, for one, notes that imports do not change items already on quotes, jobs or invoices, which is what you want.

6. Check the invoice against the quote

When the supplier invoice arrives, match it to the job and the purchase order and flag any line where the cost is above what you quoted. That is where price rises surface before they quietly reduce margin.

7. One-off parts: look them up, then add them

For a part you do not stock and no file covers, look up the price (supplier site or public listing), add it as a line with your markup, and save it to the price book if you will use it again.

Where it breaks

Why it goes wrong

Contractors on our sales calls described logging into supplier portals and copying parts and prices onto quotes by hand, and said a parts-and-quote agent would change their day. These are the usual failure points.

Copy and paste from a portal

Every quote means a supplier tab, a search, a copy of the price and a retype into the quote. It is slow, and one wrong digit goes to the customer.

The price book goes stale

A file imported once at setup is out of date within months. Quotes go out on last year's costs and the margin disappears without anyone noticing.

Duplicates from description matching

The same part described three ways becomes three items. Matching on supplier part number avoids it.

Live pricing only at the order, not the quote

Some live integrations check cost when the purchase order is created, not when you quote. ServiceTitan's glossary, for example, says its real-time cost lookup is only triggered when the purchase order is created. If quotes and POs are days apart, quote from the latest file and check at the PO.

Retail prices treated as cost

A public web price is not your account price. Using it as cost overstates cost on common parts and understates it on others.

The options

Ways to do it

How common tools get supplier prices into quotes, from their own pages.

ApproachExamplesHow currentWatch for
Import a price file (CSV)Housecall Pro and Jobber price book importsAs current as your last importManual each time; Jobber caps each file at 2.5MB
Supplier emails the price book, software loads itFergus automated price books; ServiceM8 automated supplier importWhenever the supplier sends itMostly Australian and New Zealand suppliers
Scheduled catalogue syncSimpro automatic catalogue import with your supplier loginChecked every 7 daysSupplier list varies by country; failed imports need a manual file
Live supplier integration (US)ServiceTitan with Ferguson, Johnstone Supply, Winsupply and othersFerguson cost updates nightly; live cost at PO creationItems still need mapping or auto-update switched on
Supplier catalogue or punchout from inside the softwareAroFlo supplier catalogue (AU/NZ); Ferguson PunchOut from a procurement systemLive at the moment you browseDepends on supplier and region
Price book import plus AI lookup and invoice checks (Fieldproxy)Price files imported to the price book with markup rules; web lookup for one-off parts; supplier invoices matched to POsAs current as the file, plus live lookups on requestNo ready-made supplier connections listed; ask about yours

As of November 2026, from each vendor's own help pages (sources below). Supplier lists change often, so check your own suppliers by name.

Worked example

A worked example: a condenser fan motor quote

Say an HVAC contractor gets a monthly price file from its main supplier and marks parts up 45% under $200 cost and 30% above. Made-up numbers.

StepBeforeAfter
Find the partLog into the supplier portal, search, copy the priceType the part number on the quote; the price book fills the line
Price it$148 cost, markup worked out in the head$148 cost, 45% rule gives $214.60 sell
Capacitor (not in the file)Second portal searchLooked up, added at cost plus 45%, saved to the price book
Next month's fileNot importedMotor cost now $156; new quotes sell at $226.20, sent quotes unchanged
Supplier invoicePaid without checkingLine at $156 against $148 quoted: flagged on the job before payment

The quote takes one lookup instead of two portal searches, and the price rise shows up on the job instead of in the year-end margin.

Before you buy

What to check before you buy

Good signs

  • Price book import matches on supplier part number and updates existing items
  • Markup rules by category or cost band, with a margin floor
  • Your suppliers are named on the vendor's integration or import list
  • Sent quotes keep their prices when costs are updated
  • Supplier invoices are matched to POs and jobs, with price differences flagged
  • Technicians can add parts on site without seeing your cost, if you choose

Red flags

  • Import creates duplicates instead of updating
  • Markup is a single global percentage
  • "Supplier integration" turns out to be a one-time catalogue load
  • Live pricing only on the PO, with no way to refresh the quote
  • Public retail prices used as your cost

In Fieldproxy

Setting it up in Fieldproxy

Fieldproxy is set up around your process. It does not list ready-made connections to named suppliers; it works from the files and documents your suppliers already send. The AI agents below do the lookups and checks.

Your price book, your markups

Items, costs, markups and kits are yours, by trade, and a margin floor stops a quote going below it. Quotes are built from the price book on the phone or in the office: see custom estimates.

Price files imported, with every change shown

Your supplier's price file is imported at setup. Later updates can be imported from Claude or ChatGPT through the MCP server: up to 1,000 rows at a time, each row shown with before and after values, applied only when a person confirms, and undoable as one change.

Look up a one-off part and add it

The Command Center's web search can look up a part's current retail price online and add it to the job or quote as a line item with your markup, staged behind a Confirm. That is a public price, so treat it as a quick estimate, not your account cost.

Supplier invoices checked against the job

The Document intelligence agent reads supplier invoices and delivery dockets, matches them to the purchase order and the job, and flags price differences, so job cost stays current without retyping.

Stock and purchase orders

If you carry stock, parts used on a job come off the van, and a purchase order to the supplier is drafted when a part drops below its minimum. See spare parts and inventory.

Your supplier's own connection

If a supplier offers an API or an automated price feed, bring it to the setup call. A custom agent can be scoped for one business's job; we will tell you whether your supplier's feed can be used before you commit.

How switching works

How switching to Fieldproxy works

We move your data over and set the system up to the way you already work. Fieldproxy replaces the old tool; it does not run alongside it.

  1. Send us your supplier files

    Your latest price file from each main supplier and your markup rules.

  2. We build the price book

    Items by supplier part number, markup by category, margin floor, kits, live within a day.

  3. We connect the invoice inbox

    Supplier invoices are read, matched to POs and jobs, and price differences flagged.

  4. Quote from it

    Technicians and estimators quote from the price book; monthly files update costs with each change shown first.
AI agentsCustom estimatesPricing: one price per company, unlimited users

FAQ

Questions people ask

Can field service software pull my supplier's prices automatically?
Only if your supplier sends a price file, emails a price book or offers an integration. Ask your account manager which of the three they support, then pick software that handles it.
Should I use list price or my account price?
Your account price as cost, with your markup on top. List prices are useful as a check on what customers can see elsewhere.
How often should I update supplier prices?
Monthly at least, or whenever the supplier announces a change. Equipment with volatile prices may need checking at the purchase order.
What happens to quotes already sent when prices change?
They should keep their prices. New quotes use the new cost. If a big job's quote is weeks old, recheck the main equipment price before ordering.
Can an AI agent build the quote from the parts list?
It can fill lines from your price book and look up one-off parts, then stage the quote for a person to check and send. Keep a person on the final price.
Can technicians add parts without seeing my cost?
Yes, with a role that shows the sell price but not cost or margin. See the page on hiding prices from technicians.
Does Fieldproxy connect to my supplier's portal?
Not as a ready-made connection. It imports your supplier price files, reads supplier invoices, and can look up public prices. If your supplier offers an API or feed, we will check it with you during setup.

Sources

Competitor details on this page come from the vendors' own pages and documentation, checked as of November 2026. Plans and prices change, so check the vendor's current page before you decide.

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