MCP Quoting System

# MCP Quoting System An MCP (Model Context Protocol) based intelligent quoting system that compares incoming RFPs against historical quotes to generate accurate cost estimates and lead times. ## 🚀 Quick Start (Windows) **New to the system?** Just double-click **`START.bat`** and choose option [1] for automatic setup! See these guides: - **[QUICKSTART.md](QUICKSTART.md)** - Visual guide with workflows and examples - **[BATCH-FILES-README.md](BATCH-FILES-README.md)** - Complete batch file documentation - **[TEST-CASES.md](TEST-CASES.md)** - Sample RFQs to test the system ### Available Batch Files - `START.bat` - Main interactive launcher (recommended) ⭐ - `setup.bat` - First-time installation wizard - `start-dev.bat` - Start development server - `start-prod.bat` - Start production server - `quick-test.bat` - Automated testing - `stop.bat` - Stop the server - See [BATCH-FILES-README.md](BATCH-FILES-README.md) for complete list --- ## Features - **RFP Parsing**: Automatically extracts material, processes, quantities, tolerances, and other key information from text-based RFPs - **Historical Matching**: Compares new requests against past quotes using intelligent similarity scoring - **Cost Estimation**: Activity-based costing with material, processing, labor, tooling, and overhead calculations - **Lead Time Prediction**: Estimates delivery time based on quantity, processes, and historical data - **Confidence Scoring**: Provides low/medium/high confidence ratings based on data completeness and match quality - **Human-in-Loop**: Requires approval before sending quotes, with full audit trails - **Idempotency**: Prevents duplicate processing of the same RFP ## Architecture The system is built as an MCP server with the following capabilities: ### MCP Functions (Capabilities) 1. **ingestRfp** - Parse RFP text and extract structured information 2. **findSimilarQuotes** - Search historical database for similar past quotes 3. **estimateCostLeadTime** - Calculate cost and lead time estimates 4. **generateQuote** - Create formatted quote documents 5. **approveQuote** - Mark quotes as approved (human-in-loop) 6. **sendQuote** - Send quotes via email (dry-run enabled) ### Coordinator - **evaluateRfpAndDraftQuote** - Orchestrates all functions to produce a complete quote evaluation ## Installation ```bash npm install ``` ## Configuration 1. Copy `.env.example` to `.env`: ```bash cp .env.example .env ``` 2. Edit `.env` with your settings: ``` PORT=3789 SMTP_HOST=smtp.gmail.com SMTP_PORT=587 SMTP_USER=your-email@example.com SMTP_PASS=your-app-password ``` ## Usage ### Start the Server Development mode: ```bash npm run dev ``` Production mode: ```bash npm run build npm start ``` ### Load Sample Historical Data Copy sample quotes to the main database: ```bash cp data/sample-quotes.json data/quotes.json ``` ### Example API Calls #### 1. Full Quote Evaluation (Coordinator) ```bash curl -X POST http://localhost:3789/mcp/invoke/evaluateRfpAndDraftQuote \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{ "rfp": { "rawText": "We need 200 pcs of a 6061-T6 aluminum widget, CNC machined, anodize finish, tolerance +/-0.005, delivery by 2025-02-28. Contact: buyer@acme.com", "qty": 200, "contactEmail": "buyer@acme.com", "customerName": "Acme Corp" } }' ``` #### 2. Get Formatted Review ```bash curl -X POST http://localhost:3789/mcp/utility/formatReview \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{ "result": {<evaluation_result_from_previous_call>} }' ``` #### 3. View Historical Quotes ```bash curl http://localhost:3789/mcp/utility/historicalQuotes ``` #### 4. Add Historical Quote ```bash curl -X POST http://localhost:3789/mcp/utility/addHistoricalQuote \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{ "id": "Q-NEW", "quoteDate": "2024-11-12T10:00:00Z", "customerName": "New Customer", "normalized": { "material": "steel", "processes": ["laser", "bend"], "qtyRange": [51, 100], "tolerances": "+/-0.010" }, "costPerUnit": 25.00, "totalCost": 1875.00, "leadDays": 14, "approved": true }' ``` ## Similarity Matching The system uses rule-based similarity scoring with weighted components: - **Material** (35%): Exact, family, or partial matches - **Processes** (30%): Overlap of required processes - **Quantity** (20%): Same range or adjacent ranges - **Tolerances** (10%): Matching precision requirements - **Finish** (5%): Surface treatment matching ### Confidence Thresholds - **High confidence** (≥85%): Very similar to past work, reliable estimate - **Medium confidence** (70-85%): Similar family, adjust with caution - **Low confidence** (<70%): New type of work, requires engineer review ## Cost Estimation Activity-based costing model: ``` Total Cost = Material + Processing + Labor + Tooling + Overhead + Margin ``` ### Components - **Material Cost**: Unit price × quantity (from material price list) - **Processing Cost**: Sum of process times × machine hour rate - **Labor Cost**: Operator time × labor rate - **Tooling Amortization**: Setup cost / quantity - **Overhead**: 15% of direct costs - **Margin**: 20% profit margin - **Contingency**: 10% for low-confidence quotes ### Lead Time Calculation ``` Lead Time = Procurement + Setup + Run Time + QA + Shipping ``` Adjustments based on: - Quantity (higher volume = longer lead time) - Process complexity (heat treat, plating add time) - Historical actual lead times from similar quotes ## Data Storage Currently uses JSON files in the `data/` directory: - `quotes.json` - Historical quotes database - `evaluations.json` - Recent RFP evaluations (last 100) For production, consider migrating to: - PostgreSQL for relational data - Vector database (Pinecone, Weaviate) for semantic similarity search - Redis for caching and idempotency ## Safety Features 1. **Human-in-Loop**: All quotes default to "draft" status 2. **Dry-Run Email**: Email sending requires explicit enablement 3. **Idempotency**: Duplicate RFPs return cached results 4. **Audit Trails**: All evaluations logged with timestamps 5. **Confidence Scoring**: Flags uncertain estimates for review ## Extending the System ### Add New Materials Edit `src/config.ts`: ```typescript materials: { 'titanium-grade-5': 18.0, // Add more... } ``` ### Add New Processes Edit `src/config.ts`: ```typescript processes: { 'EDM': 40, // minutes per part 'Grinding': 25, // Add more... } ``` ### Integrate Vector Search Replace the rule-based matcher in `src/matcher.ts` with: 1. OpenAI embeddings for RFP text 2. Vector DB (Pinecone, Weaviate, FAISS) 3. Cosine similarity search 4. Metadata filtering (material, process) ### Add Database Backend Replace `src/storage.ts` with database adapters: - Use Prisma or TypeORM for PostgreSQL - Implement connection pooling - Add transactions for data integrity ## Testing Create test RFPs: ```javascript // Test 1: High similarity match { "rawText": "Need 250 units of 6061-T6 aluminum, CNC milled and anodized, +/-0.005 tolerance", "qty": 250 } // Test 2: New material { "rawText": "100 titanium brackets, laser cut and polished", "qty": 100 } // Test 3: Low detail (low confidence) { "rawText": "We need some metal parts", "qty": 50 } ``` ## API Documentation See full API documentation in the console output when starting the server. ## Troubleshooting ### No historical matches found - Check that `data/quotes.json` exists and has content - Verify material names match (case-insensitive) - Lower similarity threshold in `src/config.ts` ### Costs seem incorrect - Review material prices in `src/config.ts` - Adjust machine hour rate and labor rate - Check overhead and margin percentages ### Lead times too short/long - Adjust `defaultLeadDays` in config - Review process time estimates - Check quantity-based scaling logic ## Future Enhancements 1. **ML-based similarity**: Train model on historical quote-to-win patterns 2. **Drawing analysis**: Extract features from CAD/PDF drawings 3. **Supplier integration**: Real-time material lead times from vendors 4. **CRM integration**: Auto-populate customer info 5. **Dashboard UI**: React frontend for engineers to review/approve 6. **Analytics**: Win/loss tracking, pricing optimization 7. **Multi-currency**: International quote support 8. **Revision tracking**: Quote version history ## License MIT ## Support For issues or questions, please contact your system administrator.