Now in early access for electrical distributors.Apply
Skip to content

Or-equals and cross-reference

Or-equals, competitor part numbers and discontinued parts

"QO120 or equal", a Hubbell number at a Leviton house, a catalog number discontinued last year. Goodshed finds the item you actually stock and tells your rep exactly what changed.

Cross-referencing is where quotes slow down.

Matching a competitor's number or a discontinued part means looking up what it is, finding the equivalent in your own line card, and making sure the rating, poles and features really match. It's detailed work, and a wrong "equal" becomes a return.

What arrives

  • "Or equal" and "or approved equal" lines
  • Manufacturer part numbers you don't stock
  • Competitor quotes to beat, line by line
  • Discontinued and superseded catalog numbers
  • Old numbers carried over from last year's job

How Goodshed handles substitutions

  1. 01

    The customer's item first

    When the customer names an item you stock, that item is quoted, even with "or equal" written after it, and a person confirms.

  2. 02

    A real equal

    Otherwise Goodshed compares ratings, poles, sizes and features across your catalog, and among true equivalents prefers the one you have the most of.

  3. 03

    Follow the replacement

    When your catalog marks a part discontinued and names its replacement, Goodshed quotes the replacement and flags the change.

  4. 04

    Keep the brand consistent

    When the customer uses one brand elsewhere in the request, the equal comes from that brand where you carry it.

What it looks like on a draft

Customer wroteGoodshed readOn the draftStatus
SQUARE D QO120PCAFI x12Discontinued; your catalog names QO120PAFQO120PAF, replacement flaggedReview
20A GFCI or equiv. x6GFCI receptacle, 20A · an equal is allowedStocked 20A GFCI with the most on hand; a person confirmsReview
Hubbell GFTWRST20W x8An older Hubbell numberHubbell GFRTW20W, substitution flaggedReview
Substitution lines, as Goodshed drafts them. Illustrative data.

What stays with your team

Your rep sees every substitution with its reason and decides. A change from the brand the customer named, or a replacement for a discontinued part, comes to Review.

Questions

Does Goodshed use a cross-reference database?
Goodshed matches against your own catalog, comparing ratings, sizes and features rather than relying on a third-party cross-reference list, and it follows any replacement your catalog names for a discontinued part.
Will it substitute without telling us?
No. Any line that allows an equal, changes the brand the customer named, or replaces a discontinued part goes to Review with the reason written out.
What about "no substitutions"?
Goodshed reads "no subs" on the request, and your house rules can make it strict, so anything that isn't exactly what was written is flagged.

The last quote your team retypes by hand.

Opens the early-access application with your email filled in. See our Privacy Policy.