If you're an MSP quoting hardware or licensing, you know the drill: log into Dicker Data, check the price. Log into Ingram Micro, check the price. Log into Leader Systems, check the price. Compare in a spreadsheet. Quote the client. Hope the prices haven't changed by the time they accept.
Why manual price checks don't scale
With three major distributors and hundreds of SKUs, manual price comparison is a full-time job that nobody signed up for. Prices change daily. Stock levels fluctuate. And by the time you've built a quote, the margin you calculated might already be wrong.
The hidden cost isn't just time — it's margin erosion. When quoting takes too long, teams default to a single distributor (usually the one they're most familiar with) and miss better pricing from alternatives.
The automated approach
Distributor API connections. Connect to Dicker Data, Ingram Micro, and Leader Systems through their API or data feed programs. Pull pricing, stock availability, and lead times into a single normalized view.
Price normalization. Different distributors structure pricing differently — some include GST, some don't. Some show RRP, some show cost. Normalize everything to the same format: your cost, recommended sell, and margin percentage.
Best-price routing. When a product is available from multiple distributors, automatically highlight the best price and stock combination. Factor in shipping times and minimum order quantities for a true apples-to-apples comparison.
Connecting to quotes and procurement
The real power comes when automated pricing feeds into your quoting workflow. Instead of manually looking up prices, your quote builder pulls live distributor pricing and calculates margin in real time. When the client accepts, the purchase order routes to the best-priced distributor automatically.
MSPs who automate this workflow typically see 15-20% time savings on procurement and 3-5% margin improvement from consistent best-price routing.