Oracle CPQ vs. Qvidian RFP & Proposal Automation

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Oracle CPQ
Score 8.0 out of 10
N/A
Oracle CPQ is a cloud-based application that helps sellers configure the right mix of products or services and create accurate, professional quotes to quickly meet their customers’ pricing needs.
$240
per month per user
Qvidian RFP & Proposal Automation
Score 7.1 out of 10
Enterprise companies (1,001+ employees)
Proposal management and RFP response softwareN/A
Pricing
Oracle CPQQvidian RFP & Proposal Automation
Editions & Modules
CPQ Pricing
$240.00
per month per user
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Oracle CPQQvidian RFP & Proposal Automation
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoYes
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeOptional
Additional DetailsPlease contact Qvidian for pricing details.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Oracle CPQQvidian RFP & Proposal Automation
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
Oracle CPQQvidian RFP & Proposal Automation
CPQ
Comparison of CPQ features of Product A and Product B
Oracle CPQ
7.4
17 Ratings
15% below category average
Qvidian RFP & Proposal Automation
-
Ratings
Quote sharing/sending8.416 Ratings00 Ratings
Product configuration7.916 Ratings00 Ratings
Configuration options7.916 Ratings00 Ratings
Pricing rules7.415 Ratings00 Ratings
Price adjustment7.316 Ratings00 Ratings
Purchase history and open contracts6.815 Ratings00 Ratings
Guided selling/Sales portal7.415 Ratings00 Ratings
CPQ reporting & analytics6.116 Ratings00 Ratings
CPQ-CRM integration6.614 Ratings00 Ratings
Attachments to quotes7.316 Ratings00 Ratings
Order capturing8.06 Ratings00 Ratings
Proposal Creation & Organization
Comparison of Proposal Creation & Organization features of Product A and Product B
Oracle CPQ
-
Ratings
Qvidian RFP & Proposal Automation
7.6
3 Ratings
6% below category average
Proposal branding00 Ratings7.93 Ratings
Proposal templates00 Ratings8.03 Ratings
Proposal content library updates00 Ratings8.03 Ratings
Guided proposal creation00 Ratings7.13 Ratings
Searchable proposal database00 Ratings7.03 Ratings
Proposal Collaboration & Workflow
Comparison of Proposal Collaboration & Workflow features of Product A and Product B
Oracle CPQ
-
Ratings
Qvidian RFP & Proposal Automation
7.1
3 Ratings
14% below category average
RFP management & response00 Ratings7.13 Ratings
Proposal collaboration & approval00 Ratings8.03 Ratings
User permissions/proposal editing controls00 Ratings7.03 Ratings
Sales proposal workflow00 Ratings7.23 Ratings
Proposal automation user interface00 Ratings6.23 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Oracle CPQQvidian RFP & Proposal Automation
Small Businesses
QuoteWerks
QuoteWerks
Score 9.1 out of 10
QuoteWerks
QuoteWerks
Score 9.1 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
QuoteWerks
QuoteWerks
Score 9.1 out of 10
QuoteWerks
QuoteWerks
Score 9.1 out of 10
Enterprises
SAP Sales Cloud
SAP Sales Cloud
Score 8.2 out of 10
Responsive
Responsive
Score 6.4 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Oracle CPQQvidian RFP & Proposal Automation
Likelihood to Recommend
5.1
(44 ratings)
7.9
(34 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
7.0
(26 ratings)
8.0
(32 ratings)
Usability
10.0
(7 ratings)
9.0
(8 ratings)
Availability
10.0
(3 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Performance
8.0
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
1.0
(4 ratings)
10.0
(6 ratings)
In-Person Training
8.0
(2 ratings)
6.0
(1 ratings)
Online Training
-
(0 ratings)
9.0
(2 ratings)
Implementation Rating
2.0
(6 ratings)
10.0
(4 ratings)
User Testimonials
Oracle CPQQvidian RFP & Proposal Automation
Likelihood to Recommend
Oracle
I think CPQ had worked so well for our company because of the widespread nature of our associates and tracking orders that were being placed in multiple time zones. My team specifically needed a way of analyzing these orders to track our progress in real time and sort out any supply orders before they became an issue. If you are in a centralized location with a smaller team then this may not yield much use to you.
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Upland Software
This software is very well-suited to companies who find themselves expanding their footprint, the number of their Sales representatives, their territories, and/or their products and services and need to maximize their ability to both keep up with those demands whilst streamlining their proposal resources. Further, this is a very powerful tool with a lot of features and functionality including CRM plug-in and reporting. Thus, it may be less appropriate for a very small organization with only one product and that is also blessed with lengthy cradle-to-grave turnaround windows. In addition, to better the odds for success an investment in upfront personnel training and either a dedicated periodic window of time and/or dedicated person(s) for content upkeep are prudent. Finally, working with the vendor is a delight as they make every effort to maintain and deliver a product that both meets your needs and on which you can rely.
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Pros
Oracle
  • Leveraged automation to minimize headcount costs despite 10% year-over-year business growth, and enabled staff to focus on more strategic tasks.
  • Established a flexible CPQ system that scales on demand to easily accommodate the company’s multiple global locations.
  • Improved customer relations by reducing configuration time and allowing sales more time to meet with customers and close orders.
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Upland Software
  • Using Qvidian as an RFP tool has made a difference in our RFP process, turn-around time, and content development. It's helped us streamline our RFP process so that we are able to produce the majority of the document before the kick-off meeting, which means we have more time to customize and refine the document before it goes to print.
  • Additionally, it took several hours before to gather all of the basic data we needed for an RFP, but now we can have the majority of the response ready in under 15 minutes in most cases. We are also able to start projects from our phones (iPhone thru Safari) or on an iPad. This has been extremely helpful while traveling.
  • Finally, our content is centrally located on a searchable database. Previously we had used several free tools to aid in content storage that would allow us access easily via search. It never seemed to do what we wanted, and when we did find something, we weren't sure if it was the most current or usable. The library functions in Qvidian have been a huge help, and has changes the way we collect data, and retrieve it.
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Cons
Oracle
  • Significant setup time, cost, and maintenance. We have to use an implementation partner
  • Does not always play well with other software, even Oracle software. While this is improved and being further improved, that it was a third party acquisition means things sometimes require a little extra care
  • Additional setup documentation and first walkthroughs would be helpful, especially if it was all in one place
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Upland Software
  • One area where Qvidian occasionally struggles is feature regression. For instance, the editing option that puts multiple records into one document had always been present in Qvidian; however, when the multi-edit feature that only allows editing one record at a time was released in version 9.1, the original editing functionality was removed. This caused me a lot of frustration, as it severely slowed down my work flow since I could now only see and edit one record at a time. It wasn't until a year later when version 10 was released that the old editing functionality was added back. However, one bright spot of version 9.1 was an added feature that allowed organizing records by simply dragging and dropping them into different categories. This was much easier than having to right click on a record, select Move, then right click on a folder and select paste. However, with version 10, this feature was removed and I'm now back to having to right click on records instead of dragging and dropping. It seems that with each release, I never know if something I like will be taken away or if something I don't like will be added -- sometimes it's both.
  • A recent change that was added in version 10.1 that I personally view as a negative is that Qvidian now handles all requests server side instead of on the user's computer. This means that if a user wants to export or edit a large number of records, they have to wait for Qvidian's server to generate a report of those records. Depending on the number of records, this can be very quick (a few seconds) or very long (I've waited up to 20 minutes before) depending on how taxed Qvidian's servers currently are. I understand the reasoning behind the move, in that it takes the load off of a user's computer so that other applications they currently have open aren't affected by added memory usage, but in practice I find that it only slows down my workflow. Any somewhat modern PC shouldn't have any trouble handling a large report request from Qvidian.
  • Although Qvidian is certified for use in several different browsers (Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Chrome for Windows), it doesn't offer the same functionality in each one. For instance, in Explorer, when a record is selected for editing or export, it will automatically open in Word. In Firefox, a pop-up dialog appears and a user has to click Open in order for the record to appear in Word. And in Chrome, the file is added to the download bar and a user must click on the file there for it to open, unless they add an exception to .docx file types to automatically open in Word (which I had to do, since I prefer using Chrome). Other simple features such as right clicking on a folder or record to bring up Qvidian's context menu are hit or miss depending on the browser. In Explorer, everything is generally smooth, though the browser itself is slower than the other choice. In Firefox, right clicking generally works but sometimes has some hiccups, and in Chrome, more often than not right clicking brings up Chrome's context menu instead of Qvidian's, which often leads to having to first select a folder and then click the dedicated Actions button in Qvidian to perform the desired action. No matter which browser you use, there will be some sort of functionality that doesn't quite work as expected.
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Likelihood to Renew
Oracle
So far it is all good with BigMachines, looking for new features since Oracle acquisition has created a lot of expectations. We have outlined our limitations (out of box functionality) in our periodic customer successor advice meetings for a while, hope we get a resolution soon. Also, the BigMachines user license fee has increased a lot in the last three years.
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Upland Software
The tool provides us with the functionality we need to perform more efficiently and we have not identified another product that offers enough "nice to haves" in addition to the "must haves" to warrant a compelling reason for changing tools.
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Usability
Oracle
The software UI can be as complex or as simple as you need it to be (depending on the business). It does require training others on quote configuration and the order in which to build out order positions prior to configuring a quote. Once users are trained;however, it is fairly straight-forward. The UI is still more static than other new wizard/drag-and-drop models, but it get's the job done
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Upland Software
The shift they made in architecting documents from content to outline, is now reversed allowing outline creation first, then content which is more natural. But, due to the fact that we went through a migration of content to get to the new version, it feels less optimized than if we would have re-implemented.

End users having to configure settings more often than desired
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Reliability and Availability
Oracle
Other than one day two years ago and an hour or two a few times since then due to data center outages, it has been very reliable
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Upland Software
Qvidian system maintenance is performed on weekends, usually at odd hours, and advanced notice is given so that teams can plan accordingly.
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Performance
Oracle
It depends upon the day however there are so many failure points with online services, including our internet service, that this is probably closer to 9 with the latest version
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Upland Software
Remote or VPN employees seem to have somewhat slower access time. Server maintenance has improved performance.

Finding occasional recurring prompts to update settings in Microsoft (Explorer, Word, Excel, Powerpoint)
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Support Rating
Oracle
Some specific support personal was good and fixed some problems fast using proper solutions. But when one of them went to sleep when we had critical issues and they do unreported commits to our production environment which caused issues and they were hiding it?? you can not give more than a two (maybe even that is too much). They also failed to add a feature for us which also bring the grade down.
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Upland Software
They are very much in support of great customer service. They respond quickly with emails and in some cases phone calls to resolve any issues and often times user questions in the past when I could not figure something out.
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In-Person Training
Oracle
They have pretty good training. Our business analysts have been able to go to entry and advanced level training. They have a train the trainer model. Our business analyst attended training, then trained the rest of our staff.
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Upland Software
Live instructor training is expensive, though we have had instructors come to our offices for a ‘refresher’ before. The refresher was more of a “let us fix that for you” than a training on how to do it ourselves.
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Online Training
Oracle
No answers on this topic
Upland Software
Online training is limited in my opinion.
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Implementation Rating
Oracle
It was a much more technical implementation than we thought. It involved much more code.

Future releases have made and will make administering the tool easier.

EDL consulting had one good developer, but when he was moved off, they were horrible to work with.

The BMI sales team does a “BOA” or a “Business Operation Assessment” which is extremely valuable, not only for them to scope an implementation and get more reach within the organization, but it is also a documentation of business process that most organizations don’t have. It highlights inefficiencies and allows for correction during implementation.

Having a dedicated team (in-house) for implementation is key
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Upland Software
IT works great. UPgrades are handled automatically. I was not involved in setup but I know they are there when we need them
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Alternatives Considered
Oracle
Oracle engagement is ahead. They are active in the development of the tool and provide great support after implementation. They also listen to their customers and offer opportunities to feedback and provide input through activities like the customer advisory board forum.
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Upland Software
We have been using Qvidian for years, when Compass was introduced in our company. Having spent over a year using Compass, I would not recommend it for writing proposals. In all fairness, that is not Compass' strength. Compass is ok for general document sharing for informational purposes. It does have a Presentation Builder function for creating PowerPoint presentations, but it is cumbersome and not very flexible. Specifically, the linkage is awkward and files may have to be re-linked when they are updated. In addition, the architecture only allows you to create a couple of levels of content. The search function is very limited. Compass is a newer project and has not fully matured.
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Return on Investment
Oracle
  • Increased Sales Rep efficiency. Being able to create multiple quotes ACCURATELY and quickly was a game changer.
  • Large implementation time. It's a little difficult to fit BMI into a SCRUM style build, with multiple working models and prototypes of all 3 simultaneously.
  • A larger fee for licensing and implementation cost. ROI wouldn't be realized in the first year.
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Upland Software
  • The positive impact has been to know we have a system that can house legally-approved responses to questionnaires. The good about this is that if we have a simple RFI that does not require a lot of response customization, we can draw upon previously-approved responses and create output MUCH quicker, without the need of laborious and time-consuming legal reviews of RFIs or DDQs we produce for prospective clients. Quicker, easier output with less internal review = efficient RFI process and quicker turnaround time to respond to our client/prospective client base.
  • The negative impact has only been the time it takes to orient oneself with the program, and REMAIN oriented. As we do not do RFIs on a daily basis, it is easy for us to become rusty, or to take short-cuts because we do not have time to re-train on the program. Those shortcuts and workarounds tend to cause us not to use the program to its full potential and lead to counter-productivity in some cases.
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ScreenShots

Qvidian RFP & Proposal Automation Screenshots

Screenshot of Accelerate responses to RFPs, DDQs, and other docs with automatic content suggestions from AutoFill.Screenshot of In one click, SMEs can view all pending review jobs from a single dashboard.Screenshot of Access answers to FAQs and step-by-step tutorials in the Help Center.Screenshot of Tailor the home screen to streamline access to the tools and information.Screenshot of Build complete RFP packages that are brand compliantScreenshot of Simplify content reviews and approvals, and build audit trails, with automated workflows