What is Paperless Parts? Features, integrations and alternatives
Paperless Parts is a cloud quoting and order-intake platform built for make-to-order manufacturers such as machine shops, fabricators and contract manufacturers. It helps estimators turn customer RFQs and CAD files into priced quotes faster, and gives customers a portal to review and accept them. It typically sits in front of an ERP rather than replacing it.
Also known as: Paperless Parts quoting, Paperless Parts RFQ
Paperless Parts focuses on one painful part of the make-to-order business: responding to requests for quote. Customers upload drawings and 3D models, estimators review the geometry and requirements, build up costs from routings, materials, outside processes and margin, and send a quote. The goal is to cut the time between receiving an RFQ and answering it, since speed often decides who wins custom work.
The typical users are job shops, precision machining companies, sheet metal and fabrication shops, and contract manufacturers that quote many one-off or low-volume parts. These companies usually run a shop-floor ERP such as JobBOSS, E2 or ProShop, or a more general ERP, and they quote from spreadsheets or the ERP's estimating screens. Paperless Parts replaces the spreadsheet step and the email back and forth with a structured, repeatable quoting workflow.
In a manufacturing stack it acts as the front office quoting layer. Won quotes become orders that flow into the ERP or scheduling system, while pricing logic, cost rates and routings are configured in the quoting tool. Because it is cloud software, companies with strict data residency or air-gapped requirements should review what data leaves their environment before adopting it.
Modules and capabilities
RFQ intake and customer portal
Collects requests, drawings and models from customers and lets them review, accept or comment on quotes online.
Quote builder and estimating
Builds a part cost from operations, setup and run times, material, outside services and markup, with reusable templates.
CAD and drawing viewer
Lets estimators inspect 3D models and PDFs in the browser and measure features without separate CAD software.
Pricing and cost configuration
Stores shop rates, material costs, quantity breaks and margin rules so quotes follow company policy.
Order management and handoff
Converts accepted quotes into orders with the data the shop floor needs, ready to pass into an ERP.
Analytics and quote tracking
Tracks quote volume, turnaround time and win rates to show where estimating time is spent.
Integrations and data access
ERP connectors
Designed to hand won quotes and orders to shop ERPs and business systems. The exact list of supported ERPs and the depth of each connector should be confirmed with the vendor.
API
Offers programmatic access for exchanging quotes, parts and orders with other systems. Check current API documentation for supported objects and authentication.
CAD and drawing formats
Handles common 3D neutral formats such as STEP and standard PDF drawings for review and quoting.
Customer systems
Customers interact through the web portal and email notifications rather than needing their own integration.
Accounting and CRM
Quote and customer data can be passed to downstream accounting or CRM tools through the API or integration partners.
Strengths
- Focused on make-to-order quoting, so the workflow matches how job shops actually respond to RFQs
- A customer portal reduces email attachments and keeps a single record of each quote
- Browser-based CAD review means estimators do not need to open a CAD package for every part
- Reusable cost templates make estimates more consistent between estimators
- Complements an existing ERP instead of requiring a full ERP replacement
Limitations
- It is a quoting and intake tool, not an ERP, so scheduling, inventory and accounting still live elsewhere
- Value depends on how well pricing data and rates are configured and kept current
- Cloud delivery may not suit organizations with air-gapped or strict export-control data requirements
- Best suited to custom and low-volume work; it is not a configurator for rule-based product catalogs
Where AI helps Paperless Parts users
- - Extracting dimensions, tolerances, materials and finish notes from customer drawings to pre-fill quote lines
- - Suggesting routings and cycle times from similar past parts and their actual job costs
- - Drafting customer replies and clarification questions for incomplete or ambiguous RFQs
- - Comparing quoted versus actual cost after jobs close, to flag consistently underpriced part families
Evaluating Paperless Parts? Check these
- Map your current quote-to-order flow and measure how long a typical RFQ takes before comparing tools
- Ask which ERPs have maintained connectors and how a won quote becomes a job in your ERP
- Test with real, messy customer drawings from your own history, not only demo parts
- Decide who owns pricing configuration and how often shop rates will be updated
- Review data hosting, access control and any export-controlled drawing handling with your compliance lead
- Check how customer-facing branding and portal access fit your sales process
Common alternatives: Xometry Instant Quoting Engine, Fictiv, ProShop ERP estimating, JobBOSS2 estimating, E2 Shop System quoting, Custom spreadsheet quoting.
Frequently asked questions
What is Paperless Parts used for?
Paperless Parts is used by custom manufacturers to receive RFQs, estimate part costs, issue quotes and manage customer acceptance. It centralizes drawings, 3D models, pricing rules and communications so estimators spend less time on repetitive data entry and respond to customers faster.
Does Paperless Parts replace my ERP?
No. It focuses on quoting and order intake. Inventory, scheduling, purchasing, costing and accounting remain in your ERP or other systems. Accepted quotes are meant to flow into that ERP as orders, so integration quality is an important evaluation point.
Who is Paperless Parts a good fit for?
It fits job shops, precision machining companies, fabricators and contract manufacturers that quote many unique parts. Companies with a small, stable catalog of configurable products may be better served by a CPQ or configurator rather than a part-by-part quoting tool.
Can it run on-premises?
It is offered as cloud software. Manufacturers with air-gapped networks or strict data residency rules should ask the vendor about hosting and data handling directly and consider whether quoting data and customer drawings can leave their environment.
How is it different from a CPQ like Salesforce CPQ?
Paperless Parts is built around estimating custom parts from geometry and process costs. Traditional CPQ products focus on configuring products from rules, bills of materials and price lists. The two solve different quoting problems, though some manufacturers use both.
Running Paperless Parts?
We add AI, chat, automation and integrations to the systems manufacturers already run, on-prem if needed.
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