The verdict in three sentences
For a manufacturer selling configurable products such as boarding stairs, ground power units or maintenance tooling, a custom CPQ costs between EUR 40,000 and 90,000 (about USD 43,600 to 98,100) and ships in 4 to 6 months. It encodes compatibility rules, generates the bill of materials and the price, then produces a quote in 20 minutes instead of 4 engineering hours. Against an off-the-shelf licence at EUR 60 to 150 per user per month, custom wins when technical rules are numerous and specific to the company.
The real cost of an engineer-built quote
In a design office, the sales rep passes on the customer's need, the engineer checks compatibilities (drive, height, load, standards), rebuilds the bill of materials in a spreadsheet, asks purchasing for component prices and sends back a costing. Response times stretch and the engineer stops doing engineering.
| Indicator (2026 order of magnitude) | Manual quoting | With custom CPQ |
|---|---|---|
| Engineer time per quote | 3 to 5 h | 0 to 20 min (standard cases) |
| Response time to customer | 5 to 10 working days | 1 to 2 working days |
| Quotes with a configuration error | 8 to 12% | under 2% |
| Price gap between sales reps | 5 to 15% | controlled discount rules |
| Quotes per rep per month | 6 to 10 | 15 to 25 |
| BOM sent to production | re-keyed | generated automatically |
At 300 quotes a year and 4 engineering hours each, that is 1,200 hours, almost 0.8 full-time equivalent, spent copying known rules.
What a custom CPQ includes and its price
CPQ (Configure, Price, Quote) guides the rep question by question. Each choice filters compatible options, rules block impossible combinations, the BOM builds in the background and the price is computed from component costs, labour and target margin.
| Building block | Content | 2026 budget (excl. VAT) | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rules engine | Compatibilities, exclusions, mandatory options | EUR 15,000 to 30,000 | 6 to 8 weeks |
| Configurator | Guided flow, visuals per option, save | EUR 8,000 to 18,000 | 4 to 6 weeks |
| BOM and pricing | BOM generation, costs, margin, controlled discounts | EUR 10,000 to 22,000 | 4 to 6 weeks |
| PDF quote | Branded template, terms, validity, signature | EUR 3,000 to 8,000 | 2 weeks |
| Integrations | ERP for costs, CRM for opportunities | EUR 4,000 to 12,000 | 3 to 5 weeks |
| Project total | Depends on product families and rules | EUR 40,000 to 90,000 | 4 to 6 months |
The most variable item is the rules engine. A range of 3 families with 200 rules sits at the low end; 10 families and over 1,000 rules push toward the top.
Custom or off-the-shelf CPQ licence
| Criterion | Off-the-shelf CPQ licence | Custom CPQ |
|---|---|---|
| Running cost | EUR 60 to 150 per user per month | hosting and enhancements |
| 5-year cost for 20 users | EUR 72,000 to 180,000 in licences, plus integration | EUR 40,000 to 90,000 + operations |
| Setup | integrator required, 3 to 6 months | 4 to 6 months |
| Complex technical rules | modelable, with limits | no structural limit |
| Link with existing ERP | vendor connectors | built for your ERP |
| Ownership of code and rules | vendor | manufacturer |
A licence still makes sense for a team already on the vendor's CRM selling less technical products. For a design office handling mechanical and regulatory constraints, custom avoids bending the tool.
Mini case study
Need a professional website?
Kolonell builds websites that attract clients, optimized for the Sénégalese market. Free quote in 2 minutes.
Katrin, sales director at a ground support equipment manufacturer in Berlin, issues 320 quotes a year. Each ties up an engineer for 4 hours at a loaded cost of EUR 65 an hour, so EUR 83,200 a year. She picks a custom CPQ at EUR 68,000. 80% of quotes now take 20 minutes; the remaining 20%, non-standard, still take 4 hours. Engineering time drops to about 340 hours, saving close to EUR 61,000 a year. The project pays back in 14 months, and response time goes from 7 to 2 days, which counts in tenders.
FAQ
Who writes the compatibility rules?
The design office engineers, with our team during workshops. Allow 6 to 10 two-hour workshops for a range of 3 to 5 families.
Can rules change without a developer?
Yes, an admin interface lets you edit options, prices and exclusions. Deep structural changes are still handled by the technical team.
Can the CPQ show a visual of the configured product?
A 2D visual built from option images is included in most projects. Interactive 3D is priced separately depending on available CAD models.
How does the CPQ know component costs?
It reads costs from the ERP, through daily or real-time sync. Without an accessible ERP, a monthly import of purchase prices is enough to start.
Can the configurator be opened to customers or dealers?
Yes, with public prices or dealer-specific discounts. This usually adds 2 to 4 weeks for permissions and the external flow.
Let's scope your project. Describe your product families, number of known rules and your ERP: we will price a CPQ between EUR 40,000 and 90,000 with a 4 to 6 month plan. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
