Frequently Asked Questions

mercantis.ai is an AI-powered bid leveling and procurement platform. Upload messy supplier quotes (PDFs, Excel) and the AI extracts, normalizes to landed cost, and builds a source-linked comparison dashboard. It also handles supplier discovery and RFQ orchestration.

mercantis.ai is for strategic buyers and category managers who prioritize high-level sourcing over manual administration — especially buyers and estimators who regularly deal with complex quote comparisons across multiple supplier formats. It serves procurement teams in sectors like manufacturing, construction, and electronics who need to find suppliers, orchestrate RFQs, and normalize responses to ensure fair, accurate comparisons. It is built for the professional who wants to focus on negotiation and supplier relationships rather than manual data processing.

mercantis.ai is focused on Manufacturing, Construction, and Electronics — industries where procurement teams deal with complex material lists, multiple supplier formats, and data-heavy bid leveling. The AI adapts to other B2B procurement contexts as well, including Automotive, Healthcare, and Technology.

mercantis.ai acts as an information technology provider and does not verify the existence, legal standing, financial capability, or quality of suppliers. We provide comprehensive business intelligence analysis to help you make informed decisions, but any commercial relationship is strictly between you and the supplier. We recommend conducting your own due diligence.

Upload your material list in Excel, CSV, or PDF — no matter how messy. The AI extracts and categorizes every line item, normalizes quantities and specifications, and then discovers suppliers matched to each category. From there you can orchestrate RFQs, collect quotes, and level bids — all from one conversation. You stay in control of every decision; the AI handles the data heavy lifting.

mercantis.ai connects to your Gmail account through secure authentication. When you orchestrate an RFQ, the AI drafts professional emails personalized for each supplier. You review and approve them before sending. Emails are sent from your own email address, maintaining your professional identity. Responses come directly to your inbox.

Our AI extracts structured data from PDF documents and Excel spreadsheets — including pricing sheets, technical specifications, material lists, and quotations. Suppliers can upload files up to 10MB through secure upload portals. The AI handles different layouts, inconsistent formats, and varying unit notations.

Yes! Each of our core capabilities (Bid Leveling, Material Analysis, RFQ Orchestration, Supplier Discovery) can be used independently or combined for a complete workflow. Use just bid leveling if you already have quotes, or use the full suite for end-to-end procurement orchestration.

When you orchestrate an RFQ, each supplier receives a unique, encrypted link to a secure upload portal. They can upload their quotation files (PDF or Excel) through a simple drag-and-drop interface — no account creation required. Files are automatically extracted and normalized by AI upon upload.

Initial supplier discovery typically takes 30-60 seconds. Comprehensive AI analysis of supplier websites and business intelligence takes 3-7 minutes. Final curation and recommendations are ready in 30-60 seconds. Total process: under 10 minutes for a complete, analyzed supplier list.

Yes, security is our top priority. All data is encrypted in transit and at rest. We use secure authentication for Gmail integration — we never store your email password. Supplier upload links are unique and encrypted. Your procurement data, pricing, and supplier contacts are isolated and never shared with other users or used to train AI models.

mercantis.ai currently supports English and Portuguese (Brazil). Our AI can search for suppliers globally and process documents in multiple languages, though the interface and generated emails are in the supported languages.

Yes, you can export supplier lists, bid leveling comparisons, and analysis reports. Data can be exported in common formats for use in your existing systems and workflows.