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Playbook · Mining

How to automate the RFQ and sourcing process in Mining (2026)

Last updated September 2026

The short answer

Quote in minutes, not days — and never overpay again. 4 steps, in order, for a mining operation.

What you are working against in Mining

  • Idle heavy equipment far from resale channels
  • Cash tied in remote-site spares
  • No FMV view of surplus assets

Before you start: where Mining usually sits

MetricTypical for MiningWhat good looks like
Inventory Turnover Ratio 1.5–3 turns Remote spares lower turns; target idle equipment

Published ranges, not targets. Take your own baseline before step one.

The steps

  1. 1Compress RFQ cycles from days to minutes
  2. 2Benchmark every quote against fair market value to flag overpriced buys
  3. 3Compare supplier options and internal surplus in one pass
  4. 4Cut maverick and off-contract tail spend

Why it pays off

days → under 2 hours
Manual RFQ cycles of 3–4 days can be compressed to under two hours with structured automation.
Elisa IndustriQ
20–30%
20–30% of indirect spend leaks to maverick, off-contract buying.
McKinsey (via GEP)
10 days
Top-performing procurement teams reach a 10-day procure-to-pay cycle versus roughly two weeks at the median.
APQC (via SDCExec)

Frequently asked questions

How do you tell whether this is working in mining?

Recompute the same way each period. Quote Turnaround Time: Quote Turnaround = Time(quote sent) − Time(RFQ received).

What does Mining start from?

Inventory Turnover Ratio of 1.5–3 turns is the published band for mining — remote spares lower turns; target idle equipment. The 4 steps above are the same in any sector; the band you start from is not.

See what your inventory is really costing you.

Tell us where the cash is trapped — excess stock, idle surplus, slow RFQs — and we'll show you the outcome Maintained can unlock.

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