ChecklistIntermediate
MCS compliance documentation: the paperwork checklist for every install
8 min read
Guides
Guides and playbooks
In-depth, practical guides for teams running their business on Zigaflow - from quoting to procurement to getting paid on time.
Type
Topic
139 guides, page 1 of 3
How-to guideIntermediate
MCS approved products: how to check the database before you specify a panel or inverter
The MCS Product Directory lists every panel, inverter, and heat pump that carries active certification. Specifying a product that is not on the register invalidates your customer's grant eligibility and puts your own MCS certification at risk. This guide shows you how to search the directory and make the check a standard step in your quoting process.
8 min read
PlaybookIntermediate
Procure-to-pay in a small distributor: the steps from requisition to supplier payment
The procure-to-pay process runs through seven linked steps, from purchase requisition to supplier payment. Most small distributors lose money not inside any single step, but at two specific joins - where a requisition becomes a purchase order, and where a goods received note is compared against a supplier invoice.
12 min read
How-to guideIntermediate
DNO connection applications: who your network operator is and what to submit
Every solar or electrical install connects to one regional distribution network operator's area. This guide explains what a DNO is, how to identify the right one by postcode, and what documents to submit under G98 or G99 before installation can legally begin.
9 min read
How-to guideBeginner
MCS register: how to check an installer or company is genuinely certified
The MCS register is the public directory of certified renewables installers in the UK. Checking it properly requires three distinct lookups: confirming active certification status, verifying the technology scope matches what is being sold, and confirming the installation record in the MCS Installations Database after the work is done.
7 min read
How-to guideIntermediate
Adding an eSignature to a quote so customers can accept it the same day
A commercial quote can be accepted electronically in the UK under existing legislation, and the signing experience takes the customer under two minutes. This guide covers the setup sequence: signature fields, audit trail configuration, and the post-acceptance trigger that moves the job into your pipeline the moment a customer confirms.
7 min read
How-to guideBeginner
Taking card payments on invoices with Stripe: what a UK business needs to set up
Accepting a Stripe credit card payment on a business invoice costs 1.5% plus 20p per UK personal card transaction, with no setup fee and no monthly charge. This guide covers the seven decisions a small B2B business needs to make - from fee handling to reconciliation to which documents carry the payment link.
8 min read
How-to guideBeginner
Taking card payments on invoices with Stripe: what a small B2B business needs to set up
When a customer pays a B2B invoice by card through Stripe, the money reaches your bank in two business days. Whether the 1.5% fee is worth paying depends on how many debtor days it removes - and that calculation should happen before the first pay link goes out.
9 min read
How-to guideIntermediate
Taking card payments on invoices through Stripe: what to set up and what it costs
How to add a Stripe pay-now link to B2B invoices: covering how the payment flows from customer click to reconciled ledger entry, what Stripe costs per GBP transaction, which customers to offer it to, and how to reconcile net settlements back to Xero or QuickBooks.
9 min read
How-to guideIntermediate
Importing a supplier price list from a spreadsheet without breaking your pricing
Most import tools accept a supplier price list without complaint and leave the errors for you to find later, in quotes and purchase orders. This guide covers the four conditions a supplier spreadsheet must meet before import, and seven steps to clean it in one pass.
8 min read
How-to guideIntermediate
Importing your supplier list from a spreadsheet without breaking your pricing
A supplier spreadsheet import fails when supplier codes, lead times, currency codes, and cost prices are inconsistent or missing. This guide walks through preparing those four fields, mapping them correctly, and checking the result after the import runs.
8 min read
How-to guideIntermediate
Importing a supplier price list from a spreadsheet without breaking your product data
Supplier price lists arrive as inconsistent spreadsheets. This guide covers the complete import routine - column mapping, currency standardization, a test batch, and full load validation - that keeps pricing current without corrupting the catalog your team quotes from.
8 min read
TemplateIntermediate
Consignment stock: what to agree before it arrives
Consignment stock puts a supplier's goods at your premises while ownership stays with them. Four clauses decide how the arrangement works: title transfer, insurance, usage reporting, and what happens to surplus stock at the end.
6 min read
How-to guideIntermediate
Setting discount approval limits on quotes
Discount approval limits work when they are expressed as a floor price or a minimum gross margin percentage, not a percentage off list price. This guide explains how to choose the right metric, set the floor by customer tier, assign approval authority to the right roles, and configure your quoting system to enforce the limit automatically.
8 min read
How-to guideIntermediate
How to run a cost value reconciliation on a live job
A cost value reconciliation compares value earned from the client against total cost incurred on a live construction job. This guide covers why CVRs only work on a monthly cycle, why accruals are not optional, and how to run the process step by step.
8 min read
How-to guideIntermediate
What to charge for an AV service and maintenance contract
AV service and maintenance contracts are priced on five variables: response time window, site count, system complexity, parts coverage scope, and the split between remote and on-site resolution. Here is how to build a fee from those cost drivers up, not down from installed value.
10 min read
How-to guideIntermediate
CIS invoicing and the VAT reverse charge, in order
A CIS invoice carries three things a normal invoice does not: the labour and materials split, the CIS deduction, and the domestic reverse-charge wording. This guide walks through the correct sequence, explains what each element depends on, and shows where invoices get rejected most often.
8 min read
How-to guideIntermediate
How to price promotional products for a UK distributor
Every promotional merchandise quote contains five cost lines: blank goods, decoration, origination, carriage, and sampling. Distributor margin is decided by the decoration and origination lines, not the blank goods price. The quotes that lose money are the ones where setup, carriage, and sampling were absorbed into a per-unit figure rather than priced as separate lines.
10 min read
How-to guideIntermediate
How to issue an MCS certificate at handover
An MCS certificate is issued by the installer, not the customer. This guide covers every step in the MCS Installation Database, the data errors that block SEG payments and grant claims, and what goes in the handover documentation pack.
8 min read
How-to guideIntermediate
How to quote and run a commercial piling and foundations contract
Commercial piling contracts require ground investigation data before any firm price can be issued. This guide covers quoting, mobilisation, on-site operations, pile testing, and handover to follow-on trades for piling sub-contractors and civils contractors.
12 min read
ChecklistBeginner
Switching to Zigaflow: everything you can import from your old system
A checklist of every record type Zigaflow imports from spreadsheets - customers, contacts, suppliers, items, kits, variants, stock, client assets, leads and historical quotes, orders, POs, invoices and contracts - with the order that works and the rules each import follows.
7 min read
How-to guideIntermediate
How to quote and run a commercial refrigeration and cold room installation
Commercial cold room installation involves panel fabrication, refrigerant systems, electrical work, and compliance documentation. This guide covers how to survey a site, build a quote that reflects all cost elements, manage the installation sequence, and close the job with a compliant handover pack.
12 min read
How-to guideIntermediate
How to quote and run a commercial refurbishment contract
Commercial refurbishment contracts are won on price and lost on margin. This guide covers how to survey and scope before quoting, build a refurbishment quote that prices risk accurately, manage phased working, control variations, and close the final account without disputes.
10 min read
How-to guideIntermediate
How to quote and manage a phased office refurbishment project
A phased office refurbishment is one of the most operationally demanding projects a furniture dealer handles. Learn how to quote accurately for multi-phase delivery, align your procurement programme with the fit-out contractor, manage swing space requirements, and close each zone with a clean handover.
9 min read
How-to guideIntermediate
How to set up and run a solar panel maintenance contract
Solar PV installation businesses can build predictable recurring revenue through maintenance contracts. This guide covers how to scope, price, and run commercial solar maintenance contracts, from site survey and contract structure through to scheduling recurring visits and avoiding the common operational failures that erode margin.
10 min read
How-to guideIntermediate
How to quote and run a hotel and hospitality AV installation
Hotel AV is not a single installation but a portfolio of interconnected systems. This guide covers how AV integrators should scope, quote, and deliver a hotel AV project - from the zone schedule at survey stage through commissioning and handover to hotel operations staff.
9 min read
How-to guideIntermediate
How to quote and manage a professional services branded merchandise order
Professional services firms - law firms, consultancies, and accountancies - are among the most demanding buyers of branded merchandise. This guide walks distributors through briefing, quoting, artwork approval, presentation packaging, and building a repeat programme from the first order.
8 min read
How-to guideIntermediate
How to set up and run a commercial HVAC service and maintenance contract
For HVAC and mechanical services businesses, a well-structured PPM contract provides a predictable revenue base, a compliance paper trail, and a clear billing mechanism for reactive callouts. This guide covers how to scope, price, and run a commercial HVAC maintenance contract from initial site survey to renewal.
10 min read
How-to guideIntermediate
How to quote and manage a government and public sector branded merchandise order
Public sector buyers - NHS Trusts, local authorities, police, and universities - are among the most consistent buyers of branded merchandise in the UK. This guide covers how to get on framework agreements, quote compliantly, manage approval chains, and get paid on time.
11 min read
How-to guideIntermediate
How to quote and run a commercial industrial lighting installation
A practical guide for electrical contractors on quoting, installing, and commissioning commercial industrial and warehouse LED lighting projects, from the site survey and lux specification through to controls commissioning and handover documentation.
12 min read
How-to guideIntermediate
How to quote and run a building automation and smart controls installation
Building automation and smart controls jobs lose margin in commissioning, not installation. This step-by-step guide covers pre-contract survey, protocol selection, quote structure, stage payments, and handover documentation for BMS and lighting controls contractors.
12 min read
How-to guideIntermediate
How to quote and manage a hotel and hospitality branded merchandise order
Hotel and hospitality merchandise orders span multiple product categories - uniforms, in-room amenities, gift shop items, loyalty gifts, and event merchandise. This guide explains how to quote accurately across all five, manage production timelines, and coordinate delivery to a property that runs on precision.
10 min read
How-to guideAdvanced
How to quote and run a broadcast studio AV installation
Broadcast studio AV installations require a different approach to quoting, project management, and commissioning than corporate AV work. This guide covers the five cost categories integrators most often miss, how IP infrastructure changes procurement sequencing, and what a professional broadcast studio handover looks like.
10 min read
How-to guideIntermediate
How to quote and manage a financial services branded merchandise order
Financial services companies are major buyers of branded merchandise, but most distributors treat the brief like any other order. This guide explains the compliance landscape, approval process, and documentation requirements that separate a stalled order from a delivered one.
12 min read
How-to guideIntermediate
How to quote and run a residential solar PV and battery storage package
Combining solar PV and battery storage in a single package changes how you survey, quote, and close a job. This guide walks MCS-certified installers through every stage, from site assessment to final handover pack.
10 min read
How-to guideIntermediate
How to quote and run a commercial flat roofing and waterproofing contract
A step-by-step guide for commercial flat roofing contractors: how to survey before you quote, select the right system, build a properly itemised quote with provisional sums, and run the contract from strip to handover.
10 min read
How-to guideIntermediate
How to quote and manage an ergonomic seating project
A step-by-step guide for contract furniture dealers and workspace specialists: how to take a brief that covers DSE compliance, specify seating to commercial standard, build a quote with all the line items that generate disputes when missing, and close the job with a documented snagging sign-off.
10 min read
How-to guideIntermediate
How to quote and run a commercial boiler replacement contract
Heating contractors who treat commercial boiler replacement like a bigger domestic job tend to underprice the survey, miss procurement lead times, and absorb variation costs they never quoted. This guide covers every stage from site survey to Gas Safe handover.
12 min read
How-to guideIntermediate
How to quote and run a commercial shop fit-out
A practical guide for fit-out contractors on how to quote a commercial shop fit-out accurately, manage pre-start landlord approvals, coordinate trades on a tight programme, and protect margin through to final account.
11 min read
How-to guideIntermediate
How to quote and manage a brand ambassador merchandise programme
Brand ambassador merchandise programmes are complex to quote and run - quantities move, kits come in tiers, and every ambassador needs an individual despatch. This guide covers how to quote accurately in the ambiguity, hit a hard launch date, and set the programme up for ongoing replenishment.
12 min read
How-to guideIntermediate
How to quote and run a commercial mezzanine floor installation
Commercial mezzanine floor contractors lose margin at three points: the survey, procurement, and handover. This guide covers the full process from site survey to Building Control completion certificate, with practical steps for quoting accurately and collecting payment on time.
12 min read
How-to guideIntermediate
How to quote and run a commercial emergency lighting installation
A practical guide for electrical contractors on quoting and running commercial emergency lighting installations. Covers site survey, luminaire schedules, pricing the certification scope, installation programming, commissioning tests, and converting the job into an ongoing maintenance contract.
11 min read
How-to guideIntermediate
How to set up and run an AV service and maintenance contract
Most AV integrators rely entirely on project revenue. This guide shows how to set up, price, and operationally deliver an AV service and maintenance contract - from scope definition and SLA tiers to PPM scheduling, billing, and renewal.
11 min read
How-to guideAdvanced
How to quote and run a commercial asbestos survey and removal contract
A step-by-step guide for HSE-licensed asbestos removal contractors covering how to structure quotes that capture every compliance cost, manage the 14-day notification timeline, and invoice correctly from survey to Certificate of Reoccupation.
10 min read
How-to guideIntermediate
How to quote and run a domestic EV charging installation
A domestic EV charging installation takes half a day on site but has a compliance chain that catches many electricians out. This guide covers the OZEV grant process from April 2026, BS 7671:2018+A4:2026 requirements, and how to run a clean survey-to-invoice process across every job.
12 min read
How-to guideIntermediate
How to quote and manage a healthcare and pharmaceutical promotional merchandise order
Healthcare and pharmaceutical clients offer high-value, predictable accounts for promotional merchandise distributors - but they come with complex compliance requirements. This guide covers how to identify your client type, navigate the ABPI Code 2024, price for extended approval timelines, and manage multi-site delivery and reorders.
9 min read
How-to guideIntermediate
How to quote and run a retail shop lighting installation
Retail lighting projects are routinely underquoted and overrun because the brief arrives incomplete and the access constraints are priced too low. This guide covers every stage from survey to handover: how to specify against CIBSE LG17, build a compliant quote, manage procurement lead times, and deliver a full documentation pack that passes any landlord or insurance audit.
12 min read
How-to guideIntermediate
How to quote and manage a conference delegate merchandise pack
A conference delegate pack involves five to eight product lines, multiple suppliers, and a fixed event date that does not move. This guide covers how to brief, quote, order, and deliver a complete delegate pack without missing the event.
10 min read
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