Shipper inbox booking agent
Hypothetical. Not a client, not a result.
// The problem
Load tenders and rate requests arrive as emails, spreadsheets and PDFs in every layout, and a coordinator retypes each one into the TMS before anyone can quote.
// What we would build
An agent that reads each tender, pulls out origin, destination, dates, weights and references, checks them against the customer's lanes and prepares the load in the TMS for a coordinator to approve. It runs on a frontier model through its API, the fastest way to start, because tenders are routine commercial data the provider handles under its business terms.
// What is in it
- Inbox watched for tenders, rate requests and changes to existing loads
- Fields read from emails, PDFs and spreadsheets, with the source line shown
- Checks against customer lanes, accessorials and the rate sheet
- Load created in the TMS only after a coordinator approves it
- Evaluation set of past tenders, run before every prompt or model change
// Stack
- Frontier model API
- Python
- Next.js
- PostgreSQL
- TMS API
- DigitalOcean
// estimate
- Build
- ≈ US$113,000 to US$173,000, delivered within 21 weeksCAD 160,800 to 245,800
- Hosting
- ≈ US$558 a monthCAD 795 a month
- Support
- ≈ US$1,000 a monthCAD 1,425 a month
Prices in your currency are estimates from today's Bank of Canada rate. All invoicing is in CAD or USD.
- AI route
- Frontier model
- Model running cost
- ≈ US$383 a monthCAD 545 a month
Timeline by milestone
- Discovery
- 2.9 to 3.4 weeks
- Specification and evaluation plan
- 0.4 weeks
- Design approved
- 2.4 to 3.4 weeks
- Core features
- 1.4 to 1.9 weeks
- Full build
- 0.9 to 1.4 weeks
- Working pilot
- 3.9 to 6.4 weeks
- Testing and fixes
- 0.9 to 1.9 weeks
- Launch
- 0.9 to 1.4 weeks
- Production
- 0.9 to 1.4 weeks
Outside our hands, and added to the calendar
- Partner EDI testing and certification
- 2 to 6 weeks
- Test access to your TMS or WMS
- 1 to 4 weeks
How it is paid
- Deposit 20%
- CAD 32,160 to 49,160
- Discovery 2%
- CAD 3,216 to 4,916
- Specification and evaluation plan 10.2%
- CAD 16,401.60 to 25,071.60
- Design approved 2%
- CAD 3,216 to 4,916
- Core features 6.2%
- CAD 9,969.60 to 15,239.60
- Full build 4.1%
- CAD 6,592.80 to 10,077.80
- Working pilot 30.7%
- CAD 49,365.60 to 75,460.60
- Testing and fixes 2%
- CAD 3,216 to 4,916
- Launch 2%
- CAD 3,216 to 4,916
- Production 10.8%
- CAD 17,366.40 to 26,546.40
- Holdback, 30 days after launch (10%)
- CAD 16,080 to 24,580