A purchase requires a comparable price and a delivery compatible with the construction schedule. KOSAN allows you to register suppliers and quotes by resource, preserve the date, validity and conditions, and apply the chosen price to the resource. This makes it easy to prepare a supported comparison before updating the quote.
To decide, it is advisable to review the cost of the entire purchase: quantity, freight, scope of supply, payment conditions and delivery date can change which offer is suitable.
What makes two quotes comparable?
Start by defining exactly what you need to buy. The description must identify specification, unit and quantity. Then verify that the offers use the same currency, tax treatment and delivery scope.
A useful comparison brings together:
- Material specification and unit.
- Price per unit and quantity requested.
- Freight, unloading and other charges included or separate.
- Date, validity and payment conditions.
- Delivery time and place.
- Availability and necessary technical documentation.
If an offer corresponds to another resistance, presentation or unit, convert and verify its data before comparing amounts. The specification difference may be more important than a small price difference.
Example: the smallest unit price does not give the smallest total
Suppose you need 200 m³ of a material and you receive three proposals equivalent in specification. The values are hypothetical, in Mexican pesos, before VAT and with the same download scope.
| Example Provider | Price per m³ | Material for 200 m³ | Freight | Purchase total | Equivalent cost per m³ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | $1,750 | $350,000 | $12,000 | $362,000 | $1,810 |
| B | $1,800 | $360,000 | Included | $360,000 | $1,800 |
| C | $1,720 | $344,000 | $20,000 | $364,000 | $1,820 |
Supplier C has the lowest price of the material per unit. However, when adding the freight, B presents the lowest total: $360,000, versus $362,000 and $364,000.
The operation to approve is:
Equivalent cost per unit = (quantity × price + delivery charges) ÷ quantity.
This analysis shows a difference of $4,000 between B and C for the volume and conditions in the example.
The delivery date also changes the decision
Now suppose that A delivers in seven days, B in three and C in ten, and that the material must be on site within five days. Under these assumptions, only B meets the scheduled date.
If a purchase arrives after the activity that needs it, review the effect on personnel, equipment and sequence. Before contracting, confirm the deadline with the supplier and document how partial quantities and deliveries will be handled.
Also check the payment. An offer with advance payment may require cash before a credit purchase, even if both have the same total. This difference can be studied together with the program and the economic simulation of the project.
How to use Suppliers and quotes in KOSAN
In KOSAN you can create the supplier and register their contact information. Then you select the resource and add a quote with price, date, days of validity and conditions.
The screen shows the current price of the resource, the average of the quotes and the lowest registered offer. These indicators compare captured prices; Freight and other conditions need to be reviewed to decide on an approved basis.
When choosing a quote you can use Apply price to update the resource. Maintain the criteria with which you recorded that price: if freight is analyzed separately in unit price analysis, avoid including it again in resource.
The advantage of working this way is to maintain a reference between the supplier, the revised offer and the price used in the quote. KOSAN also has requisitions and purchase orders to organize the supply process.
A practical method to compare
- Defines specification, unit and quantity of the material.
- Get offers with clearly identified conditions.
- Register each proposal by resource in KOSAN.
- Approves freight, unloading, currency and taxes.
- Confirm validity, availability and delivery date.
- Review the payment needs of the scenario.
- Applies the selected price with a criterion consistent with unit price analysis.
If an offer changed after it expired, keep the new reference and revisit the impact on line items that use that material.
Frequently asked questions
Should you always choose the lowest offer on the screen?
Review the specification and conditions of all proposals. The lowest price indicator is a reference for the decision, along with delivery and scope.
Can I use the average as the budget price?
You can analyze it for reference. Define what it represents and check that the quotes are comparable and current for the budgeted scenario.
How do I avoid doubling freight?
Document if it is included in the price of the resource or if it is integrated separately. Use the same criteria when comparing offers and calculating APU.
KOSAN helps you organize quotes and bring the purchasing decision to the budget, with references that you can review when supply conditions change.
To obtain reference quantities before quoting, check the resource breakdown guide.