Many solar companies start with an Excel proposal template. In the early years that is enough: the price list sits on one tab, the calculation on another and the printout on a third. As the number of proposals grows and new people join the team, though, copies of the template multiply, formulas break and nobody is sure which file is current. This article looks at the hidden costs of quoting in Excel and walks through moving to solar proposal software step by step.
The hidden costs of Excel proposals
- Copied files: every proposal is a copy of the template. When the price list is updated, older copies keep the old prices.
- Formula errors: mistakes such as a total that doesn't include a newly inserted row reach the customer unnoticed.
- Exchange rates and margin: typing exchange rates by hand and confusing margin with markup lead to quietly underpriced proposals. Our proposal guide shows the difference with an example.
- Disconnected from design: panel counts and mounting materials are copied over from the design tool by hand; when the design changes, the proposal may not.
- No tracking: which proposals were sent, how long they have been waiting and why they were lost lives in people's memory, not in a file.
- Manual next steps: the contract for an approved proposal is prepared separately, the stock issue is written separately and installation is planned separately.
Each item looks small on its own. Together they add up to minutes per proposal, hours per month and, now and then, a mispriced project.
Seven steps to switch
1. Clean up your product catalogue and price list
The price list you import should be tidier than the Excel version. Merge rows where the same product appears under different names, and make brand, model, unit, currency and VAT rate explicit for every item. Prepare your panel and inverter catalogue with technical values.
2. Decide on the sections of the proposal document
Define which sections appear in the document the customer receives, and in what order: cover, yield analysis, financial analysis, bill comparison, main offer, attachments, datasheets, pro forma. You may want a different order for residential and commercial customers.
3. Write down margin, discount and approval rules
Put in writing the target margin per line, the maximum discount a sales rep can give, and who approves proposals that exceed it. Card commission and exchange rate policy should be settled at this step too.
4. Prepare the contract template
Turn the contract you generate from an approved proposal into a single template with payment plan and signature blocks. Have the wording legally checked before you switch.
5. Move open proposals, archive the rest
Recreate proposals that are still open in the new software; closed ones can stay in your Excel archive. That way your follow-up list is accurate from day one.
6. Give the team a short training
Show each person their own part rather than the whole system: proposals and follow-up for sales, design and calculations for engineers, stock movements for the warehouse.
7. Run a short parallel period
For the first two weeks, prepare some proposals in both Excel and the software and compare the results. If they differ, find out why; once they match, retire the Excel template. Keep the parallel period short, otherwise the team will return to familiar habits.
What to measure after switching
| Metric | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Time to prepare one proposal | Measure it | Measure it |
| Revisions per proposal | Measure it | Measure it |
| Average days pending per proposal | Usually unknown | Visible in the list |
| Proposal-to-contract conversion | Estimated | Calculated from records |
Timing a few proposals with a stopwatch before you switch is enough for a baseline. The comparison lets you see the return on the change in concrete terms.
Proposals in PVAGE
In PVAGE, a proposal is prepared for a selected or new customer, with on-grid, off-grid, hybrid and agricultural irrigation system types. You can use catalogue lines, labour and logistics services, per-line margin and discount, a discount approval threshold, card commission and TRY, USD and EUR with Central Bank exchange rates. The sections of the proposal document and their order are set per company, and proposals and pro formas can be produced fully in English.
The customer opens the proposal from a personal link and approves it, or rejects it with a note. An approved proposal becomes a contract, a scheduled job and a stock deduction in one step. During onboarding your price list, panel catalogue, contract text and proposal layout are set up with you, and the stock list can be bulk-updated via Excel. See the proposals and contracts feature page for details.
Explore the feature: Solar Proposal Software with Online Approval