NDT Quotation Software for Inspection Companies

Inspection quotes built from rates, crews and scope, sent for e-signature. Request a demo. Affordable. Accessible. Fully customizable. Quote on request.

Why NDT quotes go wrong when they live in spreadsheets

Most NDT companies build quotes the same way. Someone opens last month's spreadsheet for a similar client, saves a copy, changes the name, adjusts the technician days and hopes the formulas still point at the right cells. The quote goes out as a PDF attached to an email, and the only record of what was promised sits in someone's sent folder.

That works until it doesn't. A radiography quote goes out without the night-shift premium because the old template was for a daytime MT job. A client accepts a quote that was superseded two days earlier. The operations manager mobilises a Level II crew when the client's specification called for a Level III to interpret. The invoice clerk has to hunt through email to find what mobilisation was agreed, and the client disputes the standby hours because the quote never said standby would be charged.

None of these are pricing mistakes in the usual sense. They are scope and record-keeping mistakes, and they cost margin, time and goodwill. The Quotations app in Atlantis NDT ERP is built to fix exactly that: one place where every NDT quote is built from the same structured fields, sent in your own format, accepted by the client online, and carried forward into the job and the invoice without being retyped.

It runs on Atlantis ERP's sales engine, pre-configured for inspection work by Atlantis NDT, so you are not starting from a generic retail quoting tool and trying to bend it to fit a turnaround, a shop radiography package or a resident inspector contract.

What every NDT quote records

An NDT quote is more than a list of line items. Clients want to know what, where, when and to which standard. The Quotations app adds these as proper fields on the quote header rather than free text buried in a notes box:

• Job type - for example a shutdown or turnaround campaign, a new-construction weld inspection package, an in-service inspection, an emergency call-out or a long-term resident inspector arrangement. Your list of job types is agreed during implementation.
• Site - the plant, yard, shop or location where the work happens, so everyone reading the quote knows whether the work is in your facility or on the client's premises.
• Project dates - planned start and finish, which drive how your operations team plans crews and how the client reads your availability.
• Applicable codes - the construction codes, inspection codes and client specifications the work is performed to, such as ASME Section V, a client's own NDT specification or an EN ISO testing standard.

Because these are fields and not paragraphs, you can search and filter on them. Pull up every open quote for a particular site. See which turnaround quotes are still waiting on client acceptance this month. Check which quotes referenced a client specification before it was revised. Sales managers get a pipeline view that means something for an inspection business, not just a list of totals.

The same fields flow onward when the quote is accepted, so the project team is not chasing sales to find out what the job actually was.

Building a quote from NDT service products

The lines on a quote come from your service catalogue. In the Quotations app, NDT service products are flagged with the inspection method and a category, so a line is not just 'inspection services' but, for example, phased array UT of butt welds, conventional radiography, computed radiography, magnetic particle testing, liquid penetrant testing, visual inspection, eddy current tube inspection or an ultrasonic thickness survey.

Categories separate the kinds of things NDT companies typically charge for: technician labour by level, equipment, consumables, mobilisation and demobilisation, travel and accommodation, reporting and documentation, and specialist services such as Level III review or procedure writing. How you split your catalogue is decided with you during implementation, based on how you actually quote today.

Having method and category on every product brings practical benefits:

• Quotes stay consistent. Two estimators quoting the same scope pick from the same catalogue rather than inventing their own wording.
• You can report on what you are quoting by method: how much radiography versus advanced UT is in the pipeline. That is useful when you are deciding whether to buy another PAUT set or put more people through training.
• Line descriptions carry through to the sales order and then to invoicing, so the invoice speaks the same language as the quote the client signed.

Items specific to one quote, such as a one-off access allowance or a client-requested extra report format, can still be added as a note or a custom line. The catalogue does not have to anticipate everything; it just has to cover the work you do every week.

Handling the way NDT work is actually charged

Inspection companies rarely charge a single unit price. The same client can buy the same method under very different commercial structures depending on the job. Common patterns include:

• Day rate or shift rate per technician level, with trainee, Level I, Level II and Level III each priced separately, often with different figures for day and night shifts.
• Hourly rates with a minimum call-out, typical for short shop jobs and emergency work.
• Overtime, weekend and public holiday premiums applied as a multiplier on the base labour rate.
• Unit rates, such as per weld joint, per radiographic exposure, per length of weld scanned or per thickness location.
• Lump-sum prices for a defined package, where the risk of quantity changes sits with you.
• Equipment charges per day or per week, separate from labour, for kit such as PAUT, TOFD or eddy current systems.
• Consumables charged at cost plus handling, or included in the unit rate.
• Standby rates when the crew is on site but cannot work because of permits, weather or access.
• Mobilisation and demobilisation as fixed items, plus travel, accommodation and per diem.

The Quotations app handles these through the product catalogue, units of measure and pricing set up during implementation. Standby and overtime appear as their own lines, so the client sees them before the job starts rather than for the first time on the invoice. A global discount can be applied across the whole quote when you agree a commercial concession, instead of editing every line by hand and losing track of the original figures.

The goal is simple: the quote the client signs describes, in writing, every way you intend to charge.

Scope, acceptance criteria and exclusions: the part that protects your margin

Experienced NDT managers know that disputes rarely start with the day rate. They start with scope. Who removes insulation? Who erects scaffolding? Who does surface preparation before MT? Is the client providing a radiation-controlled window at night, or are you expected to shoot around other trades? Is the reporting deliverable a signed report per joint or a summary register?

A good NDT quote answers these before mobilisation. In the Quotations app, the applicable codes field fixes the standards on the quote, and the quote's terms and notes hold your assumptions and exclusions. During implementation we set up your standard wording, so estimators start from an approved set of clauses rather than rewriting them each time. Typical items include:

• Extent of examination, and who selects the joints for spot or random inspection.
• The source of acceptance criteria, and who makes the final call on borderline indications.
• Access, lighting, power, scaffolding, surface preparation and insulation removal by the client.
• Radiation safety arrangements, barrier areas and permitted shooting windows.
• Permit-to-work delays and how standby is charged.
• Reporting format, turnaround time and the number of copies or portal uploads required.
• The validity period of the quote and what triggers a revision.

When a Level III reviews a quote before it goes to a demanding client, they can check that the technique implied by the lines matches the codes listed on the header. That review is a human step. The app makes it easier by putting everything on one screen.

A branded quotation PDF that looks like your company

Clients judge an inspection company partly by its paperwork. A quote that arrives as a tidy, consistent document signals that the reports will be tidy too. The Quotations app produces a custom branded quotation PDF built around your identity: logo, company details, the accreditation statements you choose to include, and the layout your clients are used to seeing.

The PDF pulls the NDT header fields onto the page, so the client sees job type, site, project dates and applicable codes up front, followed by lines grouped the way you prefer, then totals, taxes, discount, terms, assumptions and exclusions. Because it is generated from the data, the PDF cannot say one thing while the system says another.

The layout is designed with you during implementation. Some companies want a one-page summary with a detailed schedule of rates attached. Others want a technical proposal style with a scope narrative at the front. Some clients require their own commercial form alongside your quote; in that case the branded PDF becomes your cover and technical submission.

If a client wants inspection results in 3D context, you can quote that deliverable too. Atlantis's companion product, Digital Twin Reporting Software, places inspection results on a 3D model of the asset and works alongside the ERP's NDT Reports app. It is a separate product, and quoting it is a single line in your catalogue.

Online acceptance and conversion to a sales order

Chasing a signed quote is one of the slowest parts of NDT sales. The client says yes on the phone, the purchase order takes a week, and in the meantime you are holding a crew without anything in writing.

The Quotations app uses Atlantis ERP's standard online quote acceptance. Instead of only attaching a PDF, you send the client a link to their quote in a secure customer portal. They can read it, download the PDF, ask questions through the message thread on the quote, and accept it with an online signature. The acceptance is recorded against the quote with the signer's name and date, so there is no argument later about which version was agreed.

Once accepted, the quote converts to a sales order. That confirmation is the trigger for everything downstream: operations sees a confirmed job, the client's purchase order number can be recorded, and the commercial terms become the reference for invoicing.

Many large clients still issue purchase orders through their own procurement systems, and online acceptance does not replace that. What it gives you is a clear, dated record that the client's technical or site contact agreed the scope and rates, which you can point to while the formal PO is raised. For smaller clients and fabrication shops, the online signature is often the whole approval.

Every change is visible in the quote's history, so you can see what was sent, when, and what changed before acceptance.

How Quotations connects to the rest of the ERP

Quotations is one app in a connected system, and much of its value comes from what happens before and after the quote. Here is how it fits into Atlantis NDT ERP:

• CRM - enquiries arrive with the service line, NDT service type, industry sector, site country, and estimated technicians and days. When the estimator opens a quote from the opportunity, that context is already there.
• Project - a confirmed order becomes the NDT job, holding job type, site, client PO, methods, codes, scope and acceptance criteria. How the order hands over to Project is configured during implementation to match your operations team.
• Team Assignments - operations plan crews against the dates on the quote, with double-booking of technicians and equipment serial numbers blocked, and warnings when assigned equipment is out of calibration.
• Certificates - if the quote promised a Level II in UT, the dispatcher can check who holds a current certification before assigning anyone.
• Timesheets and Invoicing - technician hours marked billable, with any rate multiplier, feed billing, and the Invoicing app carries labour, equipment and consumables subtotals so the invoice mirrors the quote.

The benefit is plain: nobody retypes the job. What sales agreed is what operations planned, what the technicians booked time against, and what finance billed. When a client queries an invoice, you open the job and see the original accepted quote.

You can browse every connected module on the ERP apps overview.

Who uses the Quotations app

Quotations is used by more people than sales, which is why the structure matters:

• Business development and estimators build and send quotes, apply the global discount where agreed, and track which quotes are awaiting acceptance.
• Operations managers review large quotes before they go out, checking crew availability against the project dates and flagging scope they cannot staff.
• NDT Level III reviews technique, codes and acceptance criteria on technical quotes, especially for new clients or unusual scopes.
• QA/QC managers confirm that the codes and client specifications on the quote match the procedures the company holds and the qualifications it can offer.
• Finance checks payment terms, tax setup and currency before a quote is sent, and later uses the accepted quote as the reference for invoicing.
• Owners and general managers watch the pipeline by method, site and job type and decide where to invest in people and equipment.

Access rights are set by role during implementation. Estimators can be allowed to create quotes but not change the catalogue; managers can be the ones who apply discounts; technicians do not need to see commercial information at all. Atlantis ERP's standard user groups handle this, configured to fit your team rather than a generic template.

In a small company one person may wear several of these hats. The app works the same way; there are simply fewer handovers.

Setting up Quotations for your company

Atlantis NDT deploys and sets up the ERP for you. For Quotations, implementation usually covers:

1. A review of your current quotes, rate sheets and terms, so we understand how you charge today and where disputes tend to start.
2. Building your NDT service catalogue with method and category flags, units of measure and pricing structures.
3. Setting up job types, site records and your library of applicable codes and client specifications.
4. Designing the branded quotation PDF with your logo, layout, standard terms, assumptions and exclusions.
5. Configuring taxes, currencies and payment terms for the countries you work in.
6. Enabling online acceptance and signature, and deciding what happens when a quote converts to a sales order.
7. Importing open quotes and active clients, so you start with a live pipeline rather than an empty one.
8. Training your estimators and managers on the workflow.

Anything beyond these features, such as a specific approval chain for large quotes or a client-mandated commercial format, is agreed as part of the customization scope. The ERP is affordable, accessible and fully customizable, and implementation is quote on request.

If you want to see how your own quote would look, book a Quotations demo and bring a recent quote with you.

Frequently asked questions

Can one quote mix day rates, unit rates and lump sums?

Yes. Each line is an NDT service product with its own unit of measure, so a single quote can combine day rates per technician level, unit rates per weld or exposure, fixed mobilisation and a lump-sum package. The catalogue and pricing structures are set up with you during implementation.

Can clients accept a quote without printing and scanning it?

Yes. The client receives a link to the quote in the customer portal and accepts it with an online signature. The acceptance is recorded on the quote, and the quote converts to a sales order.

Does the quote show which codes and standards apply?

Yes. Applicable codes are a field on the quote header, alongside job type, site and project dates, and they print on the branded PDF. Your library of codes and client specifications is set up during implementation.

Can we apply a discount to the whole quote?

Yes. A global discount applies across the quote, so you do not edit every line. Who may apply discounts is controlled through user access rights.

Will the invoice match the quote?

That is the design. The accepted quote becomes a sales order linked to the project, timesheets and the Invoicing app, so labour, equipment and consumables are billed against the lines the client agreed.

How much does the Quotations app cost?

Quote on request. Atlantis NDT ERP is affordable and priced according to your users, apps and customization scope. Request a quote and we will come back with a proposal.

See your own NDT quote in the system

The fastest way to judge the Quotations app is to watch one of your real quotes being built in it. Send us a quote you issued recently, with its rate sheet and terms, and we will show you how it would be created, reviewed, sent and accepted in Atlantis NDT ERP, and how it would carry through to the job and the invoice. Book your Quotations demo today.

Quotations by region

• Quotations in United States
• Quotations in Canada
• Quotations in UK & Europe
• Quotations in Middle East
• Quotations in India

Works with

• CRM: Leads and opportunities for inspection, training and consulting work.
• Contacts: One address book for clients, sites, vendors and technicians.
• AI Marketing: AI-assisted outreach and campaign content for NDT buyers.
• Email Marketing: Newsletters and campaigns to clients and prospects.
• Business Cards: Scan business cards from site visits and trade shows straight into CRM.
• Website: Company website and enquiry forms connected to CRM.

Send an enquiry about Quotations · All ERP apps · Atlantis NDT ERP