Margins & the handoff
Two questions close out every quote: did we price it well? and what happens now that they said yes? This page covers the margin math the quote screens display, and the handoff from an accepted quote to the order that fulfills it.
The margin math
APEX computes margin on price (gross margin), not markup on cost:
margin % = (price − cost) ÷ price
- Per line: unit cost vs. unit price. A line bought at $7,500 and quoted at $10,000 shows 25%.
- Quote totals: TOTAL COST is the sum of cost × quantity across lines; QUOTE PRICE is the sum of price × quantity; the headline MARGIN is the blended margin on those totals — big lines weigh more than small ones.
Margin figures are color-coded everywhere they appear (line table, quote header, quote list):
| Band | Color | Read it as |
|---|---|---|
| 25% and up | Green | Healthy brokerage margin. |
| 15–24% | Cyan | Acceptable — worth a look on big lines. |
| Below 15% | Amber | Thin. Price deliberately, not accidentally. |
Margin is only as honest as the cost behind it. Quotes created from an RFQ in the console carry zero unit cost today — such a line shows 0% margin unpriced, and a contract-priced line over zero cost reads 100%. Treat margin as reliable on quotes whose costs came in through your data import, integrations, or the + New Quote drawer (which takes a unit cost up front), and read RFQ-created quotes with that caveat.
What the CFO sees
Quoting is a commercial surface, not an accounting one:
- Quotes post nothing to the books. No status change on a quote — not even ACCEPTED — touches the ledger.
- The first accounting event in this module is Closed-Won: the deal’s commission accrual posts when the deal closes won, and reverses if it reopens — see Commissions.
- Revenue and COGS post from orders, downstream: invoicing a sales order, or shipping a work order (Ship + consolidate posts revenue and COGS atomically — see Work Orders). A closed accounting period or a missing account mapping blocks those postings, not anything on the quote.
After ACCEPTED — the handoff
Accepting a quote does not create an order. Whether the customer approved on the portal or you clicked ACCEPTED, APEX records the win and stops there — the fulfillment record is yours to open:
- Selling a part → create the order in the Sales Orders module: pick the customer, reference their PO, and enter the part lines with quantity, condition, and the quoted unit price. Confirm, ship, and invoice from the order.
- A shop job (repair, overhaul, exchange work) → open a work order — see Creating a work order.
- If the quote belongs to a pipeline deal, move the deal along (UNDER CONTRACT → CLOSED WON) so the board and commissions reflect the win — see The deal pipeline.
A confirmed sales order does not reserve stock yet — free-to-sell only respects work-order reservations today. If the accepted quote commits stock you cannot re-source, reserve it through the work order’s material readiness, or move fast on fulfillment. See free to sell vs. reserved.
Exchange sales: marking a sales order line as an exchange raises a core obligation — the customer owes you a core back. Track those under Sales Orders → Exchanges Due.