Interview with David Sharp, CalcuQuote CEO

CalcuQuote provides software solutions that optimize supply chain operations across sourcing, purchasing, quoting, and supplier collaboration, serving as a strategic partner to EMS companies, OEMs, and component suppliers. The CQ platform offers access to real-time supply data and seamless API integrations, ensuring end-to-end management that significantly improves the speed, accuracy, and efficiency of supply chain processes. Founded in 2014, CalcuQuote serves hundreds of companies worldwide and has established its platform as an indispensable system for the future of the electronics industry. We recently spoke with David Sharp, CEO, to find out how the company’s innovative solutions help customers stay at the top of their industries. CalcuQuote has been recognized for its innovative solutions in the EMS industry. Can you tell us about some of the latest offerings or updates in your product lineup? Absolutely. We have recently expanded our platform with three impactful features. First is our BOM Import and Scrub tool, which quickly ingests BOMs from various sources and standardizes them. This improves accuracy and significantly accelerates the quoting and procurement process. Second, in partnership with Banyan.eco, we now offer Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) measurement tools that empower customers to assess environmental impact at the component level. Third, our new Landed Cost Calculations enhancement allows users to incorporate tariffs and other fees directly into the quoting process, enabling more precise and flexible cost control. How has CalcuQuote’s technology evolved over the past few years, and what are the most significant improvements customers can expect? Over the years, we’ve moved beyond quoting to supporting comprehensive cost modeling. Our customers can now incorporate complex labor models — including capacity, depreciation, and utilization — directly into their quotes. This gives them full control over costs, pricing strategies, and metrics, allowing for quoting that aligns with their specific business logic and reporting needs. We’ve also scaled our capabilities to support very large projects, including those with over 100,000-line items. What role does user simplicity play in your software design and engineering? Simplicity is essential, but never at the cost of capability. At CalcuQuote, our priority is solving real user frustrations, not just building features that look impressive. Our UX efforts focus on making powerful features intuitive and accessible, whether the user is a junior buyer or a senior engineer. We’re actively revisiting many of our workflows to ensure they are usable for all levels of experience, not just power users. What specific capabilities set CalcuQuote apart from other quoting and procurement platforms? CalcuQuote pioneered API-based quoting in the EMS industry. Our platform now facilitates real-time collaboration with over 1,000 global suppliers, including distributors, manufacturers, and brokers. This enables rapid access to comprehensive, actionable pricing data right at the point of quote generation. How does your solution uniquely enhance efficiency, insight, and data integrity across the supply chain? It’s all about volume and connectivity. To date, we’ve processed over 762,000 BOMs and 59 million MPNs, creating a rich dataset that fuels deeper insights and better decision-making. Our platform creates a direct bridge between EMS companies, distributors, OEMs, and PCB manufacturers, which streamlines communication and reduces data friction across the supply chain. How critical is your level of data reliability, and how do you maintain it? Data reliability is central to everything we do. When you’re managing hundreds of millions of dollars in quotes annually, even minor errors can have major financial consequences. Our customers trust us to safeguard their data and provide accurate information in return. With over 762,000 BOMs processed and 79 million sourcing decisions supported, we’ve built a strong foundation of trust. We also have over 20,000 active users who rely on CalcuQuote to enhance efficiency while maintaining high data accuracy. To ensure this reliability, we continuously monitor and maintain our 40+ supplier API integrations. How does CalcuQuote’s interoperability with ERP, CRM, PLM, and MES systems benefit users? We’ve built OpenAPIs for all core functions, allowing customers to deeply integrate CalcuQuote into their existing systems. This means they can automate processes ranging from CRM deal creation to ERP BOM ingestion and MRP-driven PO generation. If a system supports APIs, it can integrate seamlessly with CalcuQuote. For those that don’t, we offer robust alternatives for data import and manipulation. Our flexible approach allows customers to integrate directly, partner with third parties, or work closely with us. How well does your platform scale for both small EMS shops and large enterprises? Our platform scales exceptionally well. While we initially designed the system to handle BOMs up to 12 levels deep and a few hundred lines, it has evolved into a robust solution that supports the most complex enterprise use cases. Although 95% of BOMs have fewer than 500 lines, we’ve built the platform to handle over 120,000 MPNs and more than 400 BOM levels, making it ideal for large, intricate projects. Can you share any recent collaborations enhancing the value of your platform? We’re especially proud of our recent partnerships with Banyan.eco and Cableteque. Banyan.eco enables carbon footprint tracking across BOMs, supporting sustainability and compliance efforts. Meanwhile, our integration with Cableteque improves automation in cable and wire harness manufacturing. Beyond these, we’re continually expanding our supplier network to provide customers with broader and more reliable price and availability coverage. What trends in the EMS industry are shaping your roadmap? Tariff volatility is a major factor influencing our roadmap. Our Landed Cost feature was developed specifically to help EMS companies manage these fluctuating tariffs and associated fees. It’s designed to be both automated and flexible, giving users the power to control how costs are captured and applied within their quoting workflows. How is CalcuQuote helping manufacturers stay competitive amid digital transformation and supply chain resilience efforts? We’re leading the way with several key initiatives. Our BOM Health Monitoring feature helps users identify risks at both the line and BOM level, enabling proactive management of shortages and obsolescence. Our broad sourcing network of over 1,000 global providers speeds up the material sourcing process through collaboration. Additionally, our PCF tracking supports eco-design and sustainability goals without sacrificing cost efficiency or agility. What’s driving CalcuQuote’s growth, and which markets are you most excited about? Our growth is powered by continuous product innovation and a commitment to customer-centric support. We’re also expanding globally, now serving customers on six continents. If an electronics manufacturer pops up on the seventh, we’re ready to win their business too. We’re also developing more solutions tailored to OEMs and component suppliers to help them manage design, sourcing, and collaboration at scale. While EMS remains our core focus, we’re excited to branch into adjacent verticals facing similar supply chain challenges. What’s next for CalcuQuote? There’s much more on the horizon. We’re rolling out new features and forming partnerships that support our mission to reinvent the electronics supply chain. We encourage readers to stay informed by following our blog, signing up for updates, or attending one of our upcoming events. The best is truly yet to come — and we’re just getting started.