How to design a useful quote approval workflow
Choose the rules, the approvers and what happens when a quote changes, so approval protects your margin without slowing every quote.
By Rekozo. Updated .
Start with the decision you need to protect
Approval should answer one question. Does the business accept this offer on these terms? Approval should not add a manager’s name to every quote.
List the cases that need a decision. For example, a margin below your limit, or a deal large enough for a second check. Your business sets the limits. Another company’s numbers are not your policy.
Try it
A margin rule on six quotes from last month
- Q-2026-0391Al Noor Facilities LLCSharma Facilities Pvt LtdAED 18,463.72INR 4,70,932.10, 5% discount27.0%27.0%Ready to send
- Q-2026-0396Gulf Pearl HotelsMalabar Pearl HotelsAED 26,565.00INR 6,77,740.08, 8% discount23.4%23.4%Ready to send
- Q-2026-0402Marina Tower BMSWorli Tower BMSAED 13,429.50INR 3,42,436.00, 0% discount32.4%32.3%Ready to send
- Q-2026-0407Emirates Cold ChainKonkan Cold ChainAED 20,124.72INR 5,13,384.96, 12% discount20.7%20.7%Waiting for approval
- Q-2026-0411Jumeirah ClinicKothrud ClinicAED 10,541.48INR 2,68,739.10, 10% discount25.6%25.6%Ready to send
- Q-2026-0415Ras Al Khor MotorsChakan MotorsAED 35,958.82INR 9,17,243.50, 15% discount18.2%18.1%Waiting for approval
2 of 6 quotes would wait for approval, AED 56,083.54 in total.2 of 6 quotes would wait for approval, INR 14,30,628.46 in total.
Agree what every approver looks at
An approver needs the current offer, the background and the reason for the approval. Agree which costs belong in the quote. Agree whether you judge gross margin or net margin, and whether figures include tax. If people use different meanings, they disagree even when the sums are correct.
Keep what the customer sees apart from your internal figures. A rep may need to send a quote without seeing the supplier cost. Check permissions at the same time as the approval rules.
- Name each approval rule and the person who owns the rule.
- Write down where each figure comes from and when.
- Keep customer terms and internal costs apart.
- Decide what the rep sees while a quote waits for approval.
Give every decision one approver
Choose who approves each case, and who approves when that person is away. If a salesperson is also an approver, agree how the team handles a request for their own quote. Do not let a chat message become the only record of an approval.
Make every answer something the rep can act on. “Not approved” helps less than “Change the delivery date and send the quote again.” Keep the reason on the quote, so a colleague can read the decision later.
See approval rules on your own quote, with your margin line and your approver.
Decide what happens when the quote changes
An approval for yesterday’s offer should not cover a very different offer today. A change to price, quantity, discount, cost or terms may need a new approval. Your policy decides which changes count.
Keep a clear link between the version the approver saw, the decision and the version the customer received. With a good history, the team can see what was offered without comparing files called “final” and “final 2”.
- Test one offer just inside each limit and one just outside.
- Change an approved quote and check whether the quote needs approval again.
- Try to send the quote while the quote waits for approval.
- Check what happens when two people edit the quote at the same time.
Test the process with two real quotes
Choose one simple quote and one quote that should need approval. Take both through the full process with a salesperson and an approver. Watch where they stop and whether the next step is clear.
Bring the same two quotes to a Rekozo demo. Check the rules, the route and who sees what in your own workspace. A good demo shows the quote that needs approval as clearly as the simple one.