Three demo invitations in your inbox, three vendors, all promising to read bills of quantities automatically: Tendos, Scalera and Mercura. When it comes to the BoQ, the websites sound similar. The difference shows up as soon as the whole inside sales team is involved: email orders, supplier price requests, photographed notes from the construction site, handwritten additions and distributor ranges with many manufacturers. If you are looking for a Tendos alternative or a Scalera alternative, compare the whole inside sales workflow, not just the BoQ.

Disclosure: This article is published by Mercura, one of the three vendors compared. All information about Tendos and Scalera comes solely from their public websites (as of October 27, 2026, sources listed at the end of the article). "Not mentioned" means: not mentioned on those pages; this does not mean it is missing. Found an error? Write to us via /contact; we review and correct within 5 business days.

Key takeaways

• Mercura covers quotes from the BoQ, order entry and supplier price requests for distributors and manufacturers in one system.

• Formats: Mercura reads email, PDF including scans, Excel, CSV, Word and GAEB, plus photos, technical drawings and handwritten additions.

• Tendos positions itself for manufacturers, per its own website ("100% manufacturer focus"). Scalera addresses suppliers and general contractors; it describes order processing only in resource articles.

• ERP: Mercura is connected to SAP S/4HANA, SAP ECC, SAP Business One, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Salesforce, proALPHA and UniTrade. Tendos names SAP, Microsoft Dynamics and Salesforce; Scalera names SAP S/4HANA, Microsoft Dynamics and Abacus.

• Pricing: per its website, Scalera's licence costs "€8,000-€60,000 annually"; Tendos and Mercura publish no prices.

• Getting started: With Mercura, the technical test with your data usually runs within two business days.

What distinguishes Tendos, Scalera and Mercura?

All three read BoQs and match line items to a product catalog. The differences lie in the target group, supplier requests, distributor features and what happens after matching. In the same system, Mercura also processes email orders, requests prices for items not in stock from suppliers and writes approved quotes and orders directly to the ERP.

Mercura is an AI software for quote and order automation in technical sales. It reads incoming requests, BoQs and orders in any format, whether email, PDF, scan, photo, Excel or GAEB, and also understands technical drawings and handwritten additions. Each line item is matched to your own catalog including long texts, inconsistencies are flagged, and suitable options are sorted by margin. Mercura works with distributors and manufacturers in Europe and the US.

Tendos describes itself as "an AI platform built specifically for manufacturers in the construction industry", with modules for tenders, inbox, quotes, orders, integrations and insights. Per its own website, Tendos positions itself for manufacturers: "100% manufacturer focus."

Scalera is an AI platform by Scalera AG, Zurich. With Product Matching, it matches tender line items with a supplier's catalog and sorts incoming tenders by estimated contract volume. Supplier Matching assigns BoQ line items to suitable suppliers and subcontractors and sends requests; it is aimed at general contractors.

Tendos, Scalera and Mercura compared directly

The table compares the criteria that usually decide the selection process for technical distributors and manufacturers.

Legend: ✅ documented · ◐ partly (reason in brackets) · – not mentioned = not mentioned on the vendor's website, as of October 27, 2026; this does not mean it is missing · ✗ not offered, per vendor. Mercura: standard features, as of October 2026.

Why do technical distributors and manufacturers choose Mercura?

Because the bottleneck in inside sales is rarely just the BoQ. Mercura automates the whole path from the incoming request to the document in the ERP, with the formats that actually arrive, and with documented results at customers.

More than the BoQ. In inside sales, many hours go into email orders with customer descriptions instead of item numbers. Mercura picks them up from the shared inbox, assigns them to the right branch, translates old item numbers, adds freight and packaging and books the order in the ERP. For items not in stock, Mercura creates the supplier price requests as well.

Formats from everyday reality. Requests do not only arrive as a clean GAEB file. Mercura also reads the phone photo of a note from the construction site, handwritten additions on a printed BoQ and technical drawings.

Specific ERP integration. Mercura is connected to SAP S/4HANA, SAP ECC, SAP Business One, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Salesforce, proALPHA and UniTrade. With SAP, Mercura creates approved quotes in real time via OData. Other systems are connected via API or SFTP. The ERP remains the leading system, and prices and costing stay there.

Fast start. A technical test with your own data is usually possible within two business days, without prior training. The first workflows usually run in under four weeks.

Documented results. At the building technology manufacturer REHAU, Mercura delivers product suggestions for up to 98% of BoQ line items with a match rate of up to 90%. Sanitär-Heinze answers requests up to 90% faster, in 2 hours instead of 2 days. Muffenrohr processes 100% of incoming requests, up to 60% faster.

Security you can verify. Mercura is certified to ISO/IEC 27001 as a company. Every customer has its own tenant with hosting in Europe, customer data does not train external AI models, and your team approves every quote before it reaches the customer.

How to test Tendos, Scalera and Mercura with the same BoQ

The most meaningful comparison is a test with a real, completed BoQ for which you know the correct quote. Give all vendors the same file, ideally as a scan with your team's notes, and compare the match rate, flagged line items and the effort until the quote is ready to send.

When is a different vendor a better fit?

For technical distributors and manufacturers who want to automate requests, BoQs, orders and supplier requests in one system and write them into the ERP, Mercura is the better fit. A different vendor fits better if your focus is different:

• Tendos, if you are a manufacturer and want public tenders and project data searched automatically, sales insights such as hit rates and competitive activity, or configuration parameters from the tender prepared for configurators, CPQs and SAP KMAT. Mercura starts with the incoming request, not with project search.

• Scalera, if you are a general contractor and want to assign BoQ line items to suppliers and subcontractors, send requests, get automatic reminders for missing quotes and compare incoming bids in a bid tabulation. Scalera's website also names the NPK and ÖNORM tender formats and publishes a price range.

You will find every criterion in the 1:1 comparisons Mercura vs. Tendos and Mercura vs. Scalera. For an overview of all comparisons, see Mercura vs. competitors.

Bring a real bill of quantities: in 30 minutes we show you how Mercura handles it in your process, ideally the same BoQ you give Tendos or Scalera. Book a call

Conclusion

Tendos, Scalera and Mercura all read bills of quantities. For the day-to-day work of a technical distributor or manufacturer, what happens next matters. Mercura covers quotes from the BoQ, order entry from emails, supplier price requests, distributor features such as branches and legal entities, and handover to SAP, Dynamics 365, proALPHA or UniTrade in one system as standard, and also reads photos, drawings and handwriting. Tendos positions itself for manufacturers, per its own website, and documents tender search and sales insights; Scalera publishes a price range and also serves general contractors with Supplier Matching. Test all candidates with the same real BoQ: the results show the difference fastest.

Further reading: Mercura vs. Tendos, Mercura vs. Scalera, Mercura vs. competitors, Quoting software compared, Automate quote creation, Automate order entry, GAEB format explained. More about Mercura: Quotes and tenders, Order entry, Integrations.

Further reading

• Quotes and tenders: turn every request into a quote

• CPQ Software or AI: What Technical Suppliers Need

• ChatGPT for Quotes: What AI Can Do in Sales

• Customer story: REHAU (building technology manufacturer)

Frequently asked questions

What is Tendos?

According to its own website, Tendos is an AI platform for manufacturers in the construction industry with modules for tenders, inbox, quotes, orders, integrations and insights. Tendos positions itself for manufacturers, per its own website ("100% manufacturer focus").

What is Scalera?

Scalera is an AI platform by Scalera AG, Zurich, that reads tenders and matches line items to a supplier's products or, for general contractors, to suitable suppliers. Scalera describes order processing in resource articles on its website.

Is there a Tendos alternative for wholesalers?

Yes. Mercura works with distributors and manufacturers and covers order entry and supplier price requests in addition to quotes from the BoQ. Tendos describes itself with "100% manufacturer focus".

Can Mercura read handwritten notes and technical drawings?

Yes. In addition to email, PDF, Excel and GAEB, Mercura also reads scans and photos, handwritten additions and technical drawings, and matches the line items to your own catalog.

Which ERP systems do Tendos, Scalera and Mercura work with?

Mercura is connected to SAP S/4HANA, SAP ECC, SAP Business One, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Salesforce, proALPHA and UniTrade, and other systems via API or SFTP. Tendos names SAP, Microsoft Dynamics and Salesforce. Scalera names SAP S/4HANA, Microsoft Dynamics and Abacus, plus interfaces in SAP IDoc format and a REST API.

What do Tendos, Scalera and Mercura cost?

Per its website, Scalera's licence costs typically range from €8,000-€60,000 annually depending on the number of tenders processed. Tendos' website does not mention pricing. Mercura publishes no prices either; pricing on request via /contact.

How long does implementation take?

With Mercura, a technical test with your data is usually possible within two business days, and first workflows run in under four weeks, without prior training. Tendos states "In a few weeks", Scalera says implementation "typically takes 2-12 weeks".

Sources

• Tendos website, homepage with FAQ (German): information on positioning, the six modules, security and hosting, and connected systems. Retrieved October 27, 2026.

• Tendos website, English version of the website text: English wording of the homepage, used for the English quotes. Retrieved October 27, 2026.

• Tendos website, page "Angebotserstellung" (quotes, Platform section): information on BoQ import, line matching and configurators. Retrieved October 27, 2026.

• Tendos website, page "Auftragserfassung" (orders, Platform section): information on order intake and the handover to the ERP. Retrieved October 27, 2026.

• Tendos website, all pages listed in the site's sitemap (checked for the "not mentioned" rows). Retrieved October 27, 2026.

• Scalera website, homepage (English): information on positioning, sorting by estimated contract volume and server certification. Retrieved October 27, 2026.

• Scalera website, page "FAQ": information on file formats, interfaces, price range and implementation time. Retrieved October 27, 2026.

• Scalera website, page "Product Matching": information on matching tender lines, rationale and AI confidence score, and export formats. Retrieved October 27, 2026.

• Scalera website, page "Supplier Matching": information on matching BoQ lines to suppliers and subcontractors, sending requests and reminders. Retrieved October 27, 2026.

• Scalera website, resource article on order processing automation: information on order entry and the ERP systems named. Retrieved October 27, 2026.

• Scalera website, resource article on bid comparison in construction: information on comparing incoming supplier bids. Retrieved October 27, 2026.

• Scalera website, resource article comparing CPQ and AI for quote calculation at building materials manufacturers: information on the quoting flow and on order processing. Retrieved October 28, 2026.

• Scalera website, resource article comparing AI assistants for bills of quantities: information on order processing agents and export formats. Retrieved October 28, 2026.

• Scalera website, page "Pricing": information on plans by tenders per year and locations. Retrieved October 27, 2026.

• Scalera website, Imprint: information on the operator, Scalera AG, Zurich. Retrieved October 27, 2026.

• Scalera website, all pages listed in the site's sitemap (checked for the "not mentioned" rows). Retrieved October 27, 2026.