A customer sends a parts list and a drawing with an RFQ. The list specifies S355JR steel; the drawing says S355J2. Your sales team can find both grades, but cannot know which one the customer intends from the documents alone.
Before preparing the NetSuite quote, someone has to resolve that conflict. Technical clarification is the exchange that establishes the requirement or gets the customer’s agreement to an alternative. Done well, it gives engineering a precise decision to make and leaves sales with an answer they can price. Done poorly, it creates a long email thread that nobody can confidently turn into an offer.
Send engineering the conflict, with both sources
In the steel example, the rep should identify the affected line and attach the drawing revision and spreadsheet. Engineering can then assess whether the difference matters for the intended application and whether the customer needs to confirm the governing specification. Asking engineering to “review the RFQ” would leave them to discover the conflict again.
Keep the question with the quote so the next rep can see what remains open. For a configured product, identify the option that depends on the answer. That lets sales continue the parts of the quote that engineering does not need to resolve.
Oracle’s CPQ Configurator handles predefined product choices. Technical clarification covers uncertain requirements, contradictions and work outside that model. Use both where the product family needs them.
Ask for confirmation or propose an alternative, as appropriate
Missing information means you cannot establish the requirement. A deviation means you understand it but propose something different. The customer should not receive the same message in both cases.
| Situation | Useful question | Release condition |
|---|---|---|
| Conflicting drawing and RFQ | Which document governs this line? | Confirmed source and revision |
| Requested finish unavailable | Will the proposed finish meet your requirement? | Accepted deviation and updated scope |
| Missing tolerance | What tolerance applies to this dimension? | Explicit requirement or agreed assumption |
| Equivalent part proposed | Can you approve these stated differences? | Authorized acceptance |
During item matching, keep a proposed equivalent separate from an exact match. A high similarity score is not customer approval.
For a machined part, a missing tolerance also changes the inspection question. ASME Y14.5 covers the language used to state and interpret geometric requirements. Copying a nominal diameter without its tolerance or datum references does not give the estimator a complete requirement. Ask the engineer which document and edition govern before pricing the machining and inspection operations.
Record the answer at the affected feature or line: the requested requirement, the offered difference, the person who accepted it and the quote revision that incorporates it. “Customer approved” in a general account note is too broad. If only one bracket has an accepted hole-pattern change, the approval should not carry into every bracket on the order.
Reprice the quote after the technical answer
Engineering may approve an alternative that changes cost or lead time. Include those effects in the same decision record before sales sends the quote.
If the customer confirms S355J2 and the rep had priced S355JR, purchasing needs to check the correct grade’s cost and availability. Sales then revises the offer and checks margin. The technical answer tells them what to quote; it does not establish whether the earlier price or delivery date still works.
If the customer authorizes a deviation verbally, have the account owner capture and confirm it through the normal commercial process. The order desk should not depend on a rep remembering the call weeks later.
Carry the decision into the delivered document
Use the quote template to show offered scope and material exclusions clearly. Oracle’s advanced template system provides document customization; your team must decide which technical decisions the customer needs to see.
Before PO reconciliation, make the accepted clarification available to the reviewer. A PO that repeats the original specification may conflict with the later agreement. Resolve that conflict before production receives instructions.
Bourne can prepare the comparison from drawings, messages and records, then route a focused question to the responsible person. It can also carry the approved answer into a quote draft. We configure the evidence sources and review steps with your team; engineering retains authority over suitability.
Frequently asked questions
Can we quote before every technical question is closed?
You can issue a clearly qualified offer if your commercial policy allows it. State the unresolved scope and assumptions explicitly. Do not present a firm commitment for a requirement your team cannot yet confirm.
Who should approve an equivalent item?
The responsible technical owner should establish suitability. The customer may also need to accept the deviation under the agreed buying process. Keep both decisions where applicable.
Does a customer’s PO override an earlier clarification?
Treat a conflict as an issue to resolve, not an automatic hierarchy. Ask the commercial owner to reconcile the documents and obtain the necessary confirmation before release.
Further reading
ASME Y14.5: dimensioning and tolerancing
How engineers communicate dimensional requirements and design intent.
Arda Bulut
Arda Bulut is the co-founder and CTO of Bourne and HockeyStack. He leads engineering at Bourne, building the platform people use to create AI products, agents and automations.