Discovery Findings: January 2025

Operational Audit Report

Based on our discovery session, we've identified key operational challenges and mapped a path to AI-assisted transformation—without disrupting your team.

Core Challenges Identified

Three systemic issues impacting your operations

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The Visibility Gap

"Where is this enquiry? What's the status?"

Critical information scattered across email, WhatsApp, and spreadsheets. No single source of truth for enquiry status.

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Cognitive Overload

"There's too much to track. Things fall through."

Team juggling multiple enquiries, suppliers, and deadlines manually. Mental burden leads to missed opportunities.

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Hidden Revenue Loss

"We're leaving money on the table."

Delayed quotes, suboptimal supplier selection, and missed follow-ups directly impact margins and win rates.

Key Insight

This is a system entropy problem, not a people problem. Your team is working hard—they just lack the right tools to work smart.

Current State vs. AI-Enabled Future

A strategic comparison of how operations transform with intelligent assistance

Today

Current Workflow

⚠️ Pain Points

  • Enquiries scattered across email and WhatsApp
  • Manual price comparison in spreadsheets
  • No real-time visibility for owner
  • Frequent follow-ups and status checks
  • Delayed quote turnaround times
  • Risk of missed opportunities

📊 Current Metrics

Quote Turnaround 48-72 hours
Leadership Visibility 20%
Team Efficiency 65%
With AI Intelligence

AI-Enabled Workflow

✨ Key Benefits

  • All enquiries automatically structured
  • AI-powered supplier comparison
  • Real-time dashboard for owner
  • Proactive bottleneck detection
  • Faster response times to clients
  • Team remains in control

📈 Projected Improvements

Quote Turnaround 12-24 hours
Leadership Visibility 95%
Team Efficiency 90%

Built for Leadership Visibility & Team Empowerment

This system gives you complete visibility and control without disrupting your team. AI assists—your people decide.

Current State Analysis

Today's manual, fragmented procurement process

1
Enquiry Received
Manual Entry
Client sends enquiry via Email or WhatsApp. Information is unstructured and scattered.
Time spent: 15-30 mins per enquiry
2
Manual Review
High Effort
Team manually reads and interprets enquiry. Items are identified and separated into stock/non-stock.
Time spent: 30-60 mins per enquiry
3
RFQ Distribution
Repetitive
Procurement sends RFQs to multiple suppliers via email. Tracking is done manually or in spreadsheets.
Time spent: 20-45 mins per enquiry
Bottleneck: Supplier selection based on memory, not data
4
Quote Collection
Waiting
Quotes arrive via email attachments. Each quote must be manually downloaded and reviewed.
Wait time: 24-72 hours average
Bottleneck: No visibility into which suppliers have responded
5
Price Comparison
Error-Prone
Team manually compares prices, delivery terms, and payment conditions in spreadsheets. Time-consuming and error-prone.
Time spent: 45-90 mins per enquiry
Bottleneck: Margin erosion from suboptimal supplier selection
6
Multiple Revisions
Rework
Back-and-forth negotiations with suppliers. Each revision requires re-comparison and updates.
Additional time: 1-2 hours per revision
7
LPO Release
Manual
Local Purchase Orders created and sent. Tracking delivery and payment status happens separately.
Time spent: 20-30 mins per LPO
8
Limited Visibility
Blind Spot
Leadership has no real-time view. Must ask team for updates, creating interruptions and delays.
Impact: 5-10 status inquiries per day
Critical: Leadership decision-making delayed by lack of data

Total Impact Per Enquiry

2-3 hrs
Manual Processing Time
48-72 hrs
Quote Turnaround
20%
Leadership Visibility
High
Risk of Missed Opportunities

Recommended Solution

Structured, transparent, and intelligent procurement process

1
Enquiry Normalization
AI Assisted
Email/WhatsApp enquiries are automatically converted into structured objects with client, items, and requirements clearly identified.
Time saved: 25 mins per enquiry (85% reduction)
2
Automatic Categorization
Automated
Items automatically split into stock/non-stock. Inventory checked in real-time. No manual sorting needed.
Time saved: 45 mins per enquiry (90% reduction)
3
Intelligent RFQ Distribution
AI Suggested
AI suggests best suppliers based on history. RFQs sent with one click. Tracking happens automatically.
Time saved: 35 mins per enquiry (80% reduction)
ROI: Better supplier selection improves margins by 5-8%
4
Quote Aggregation
Automated
Quotes automatically captured and linked to items. All quotes in one unified view—no downloading attachments.
Wait time reduced: From 72 hrs to 24 hrs average
5
AI-Powered Comparison
AI Highlighted
AI highlights best price, fastest delivery, and flags risks. Team reviews and makes final decision.
Time saved: 60 mins per enquiry (75% reduction)
ROI: Optimal selection prevents margin erosion
6
Version Control
Tracked
All quote revisions tracked automatically. History maintained. Easy comparison across versions.
Time saved: 90 mins per revision cycle
7
Streamlined LPO
Automated
LPOs generated with selected quotes. Delivery and payment status tracked in real-time.
Time saved: 20 mins per LPO (70% reduction)
8
Full Visibility
AI Dashboard
Leadership sees everything in real-time. Bottlenecks flagged proactively. No need to interrupt the team.
Leadership visibility: From 20% to 95%
ROI: Faster decisions, happier team, no interruptions

Transformation Summary

2-3 hrs
30-45 mins
Processing Time
48-72 hrs
12-24 hrs
Quote Turnaround
20%
95%
Leadership Visibility
65%
90%
Team Efficiency
Key

How AI Assists (Without Replacing Your Team)

AI acts as an intelligent assistant—structuring data, highlighting insights, and flagging risks. Your team maintains full control over decisions. AI suggests, humans approve.

Process Deep-Dive

This is what complete visibility looks like—real-time tracking at every level

Enquiry #ENQ-2026-0142

Received: January 14, 2026 at 10:23 AM

In Progress
Client
Al Mariya Marine Services
Contact
Ahmed Al-Hashimi
Required By
January 25, 2026
Overall Progress
65% Complete - 4 of 6 items quoted
Item Description Qty RFQ Status Quotes Best Price Status
#1 Marine Engine Oil SAE 40 (20L) 50 3 Sent 3 Received AED 285/unit Ready
#2 Fuel Filter Element FF5320 100 4 Sent 4 Received AED 42/unit Ready
#3 Marine Battery 12V 200Ah 12 3 Sent 2 Received AED 890/unit Pending
#4 Hydraulic Hose Assembly 1/2" 25 3 Sent 3 Received AED 165/unit Ready
#5 Navigation Light LED Port/Starboard 8 2 Sent 0 Received Awaiting quotes Delayed
#6 Bilge Pump Automatic 1100 GPH 6 2 Sent 0 Received Awaiting quotes Delayed
🤖

AI Insight: Supplier Delay Detected

Items #5 and #6: No quotes received from 2 suppliers after 48 hours. Recommended action: Send follow-up or consider alternative suppliers.

AI Suggestion: Ready to Quote

Items #1, #2, and #4 have competitive quotes from all suppliers. You can proceed with client quotation for these items.

Decision Intelligence

AI-powered insights for margin protection and optimal supplier selection

Item #1: Marine Engine Oil SAE 40 (20L)

Quantity: 50 units | Required by: January 25, 2026

🏆 AI Recommended

Gulf Marine Supplies

Dubai, UAE

Unit Price
AED 285
↓ 8% below market average
Total Price
AED 14,250
Delivery
5-7 days
Payment Terms
Net 30
Supplier Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4.8/5)
Best Price
Fast Delivery

Emirates Marine Trading

Sharjah, UAE

Unit Price
AED 310
↑ 3% above market average
Total Price
AED 15,500
Delivery
3-5 days
Payment Terms
Net 45
Supplier Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4.2/5)
Fastest Delivery

Marine Parts International

Abu Dhabi, UAE

Unit Price
AED 335
↑ 11% above market average
Total Price
AED 16,750
Delivery
7-10 days
Payment Terms
Net 60
Supplier Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4.5/5)
Higher Price
🤖

AI Procurement Analysis

Recommended Supplier: Gulf Marine Supplies

  • Best price at AED 285/unit (saves AED 1,250 vs. next best)
  • Competitive delivery timeline (5-7 days)
  • Highest supplier rating (4.8/5 stars)
  • Historical performance: 98% on-time delivery rate

Note: Emirates Marine Trading offers fastest delivery (3-5 days) if urgency is critical, though at a 9% price premium.

Criteria Gulf Marine Emirates Marine Marine Parts Intl
Unit Price AED 285 ✓ AED 310 AED 335
Total (50 units) AED 14,250 ✓ AED 15,500 AED 16,750
Delivery Time 5-7 days 3-5 days ✓ 7-10 days
Payment Terms Net 30 Net 45 ✓ Net 60 ✓
Supplier Rating 4.8/5 ✓ 4.2/5 4.5/5

Leadership Visibility

No more chasing updates. Be proactive, not reactive.

Active Enquiries
23
↑ 15% from last week
Pending Quotes
47
12 overdue by 2+ days
Ready to Quote
18
↑ 23% from yesterday
Attention Needed
5
Bottlenecks detected

Enquiry Pipeline

Current workflow breakdown

New Enquiries 8 enquiries
RFQ Sent 12 enquiries
Awaiting Quotes 9 enquiries
Ready to Quote 18 enquiries
Quoted to Client 15 enquiries

Bottleneck Alerts

Issues requiring attention

Supplier Delays
3 suppliers haven't responded to RFQs in 72+ hours
Pending Approvals
5 client quotes awaiting approval for 48+ hours
Price Escalation
2 items showing 15%+ price increase vs. last month
New Opportunity
Large enquiry from repeat customer (AED 125K est.)

Quote Turnaround

Average time to quote

18 hrs
↓ 67% improvement from baseline (54 hrs)
Target: <24 hours

Team Efficiency

Procurement productivity

87%
↑ 34% improvement from baseline (65%)
Target: 85%+

Win Rate

Quotes converted to orders

68%
↑ 12% improvement from last month
Industry avg: 55%

Recent Activity

Last 24 hours

Time Activity Enquiry Team Member Status
2 mins ago Quote sent to client #ENQ-2026-0145 Sarah Ahmad Completed
15 mins ago Supplier quote received #ENQ-2026-0142 Mohammed Ali In Review
1 hour ago RFQ sent to 3 suppliers #ENQ-2026-0148 Fatima Hassan Pending
3 hours ago New enquiry created #ENQ-2026-0149 Ahmed Khalil New
5 hours ago LPO issued to supplier #ENQ-2026-0138 Sarah Ahmad Completed
💡

Daily Intelligence Summary

Team Performance: Your team is operating at 87% efficiency—34% above baseline. Quote turnaround has improved to 18 hours average.

Risk Areas: 3 suppliers consistently delayed this week. Consider reviewing supplier relationships or adding backup options.

Opportunity: Large repeat customer enquiry received (AED 125K). Fast-track recommended to maintain relationship.

Trend: Your win rate is 68%, outperforming industry average by 13 percentage points. Current momentum is positive.