QuoteClerk AIQUOTECLERK AI / QUANTITY BREAKS
Quantity break pricing in quotes, applied line by line
If your price file has quantity breaks, such as one price from 1 and a better one from 10, every draft quote I prepare applies them line by line. The highest break the line quantity reaches is used, inside the right price level for that customer, and only while the price is in date. A tie between two breaks, or a price that has run out, is flagged for a person instead of being guessed.
Why breaks get missed
Quantity breaks are where hand typed quotes leak money in both directions. A busy desk quotes 12 lengths at the single length price and the contractor finds a better number elsewhere. Or a break from last year's promotion is still on someone's printout and goes out on a quote long after it ended. Neither mistake is visible on the finished quote, which is why both keep happening.
The fix is not a sharper person at the desk. It is the same rule, applied the same way, to every line, with the reason shown next to the price.
The rule for each line
- Find the price level for this customer: their own price, then their group price, then the list price.
- Inside that level, keep only the prices whose minimum quantity the line reaches and that are valid today.
- Of those, use the one with the highest minimum quantity.
- If two prices sit at that same break, block the line as a tie.
- If none is left at any level, block the line as missing or expired.
The break is read against the quantity on that line, in the unit of the product. A quantity in the wrong unit, such as metres against a product sold by the drum, is flagged as a unit mismatch, never converted.
A worked example
One product, 22mm copper tube in 3 m lengths, with these list prices. The figures are only an illustration:
| From quantity | Price per length | Valid until |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | £24.00 | 31 March |
| 10 | £21.50 | 31 March |
| 50 | £19.80 | 31 March |
- A line for 6 lengths is priced at £24.00.
- A line for 12 lengths reaches the break at 10 and is priced at £21.50.
- A line for 60 lengths reaches the break at 50 and is priced at £19.80.
- On 1 April, all three have expired, so the line is blocked as missing or expired until a new price is in the file.
Breaks and price levels
Breaks are compared inside one level, not across levels. If an account has its own price for a product, the breaks of that account price apply, and the list price breaks are not weighed against it. So if an account has a single agreed price from 1, and the list price has a lower break from 50, the account still gets its agreed price at 60. If that is not what you intend, the account price needs a break of its own in your price file. This is the same order described on the customer price levels page, and it keeps the outcome predictable: the level decides first, the break second.
Price dates
Each price can carry a valid from and a valid until date. A price is used only between those dates, so a promotion starts and stops on the day your file says, without anyone remembering to switch it. Each draft line carries the date its price is valid until. Approval is refused while any line's price would run out before the quote's own valid until date, so a quote never promises a price your file no longer supports.
What is flagged
- A tie. Two prices for the same product, level and break. Usually a duplicate row in the export.
- Missing or expired. No price the line qualifies for today.
- Unit mismatch. The line's unit does not match the product's unit.
Flagged lines stay on the draft with the reason, and the draft cannot be approved until a person has settled them. During the pilot, the ties and gaps found in your file are listed in the catalogue issues report.
Pricing
Starter is £390 a month for up to 20 requests, and Team is £790 a month for 3 users and up to 200 requests, both with no setup fee. The full rollout is £1,290 a month for up to 500 requests and 10,000 line items, or £3,900 a month for up to 1,500 requests and 30,000 line items, plus £5,950 onboarding including the £1,490 paid pilot. How the paid pilot works ↗
Frequently asked questions
Which break is used?
The highest break the line quantity reaches, inside the customer's price level, among prices valid today.
Are breaks compared across account, group and list prices?
No. The level is chosen first, then the break inside it.
What if my file has two prices at the same break?
The line is blocked as a tie, and a person decides.
Do promotions end on their own?
Yes. A price is used only between its valid from and valid until dates.
Is the break applied to the whole quote or each line?
To each line, against the quantity on that line.
Where do the breaks come from?
From your own price file, exported as XLSX, CSV or TSV.
