Finding and Reusing Precedent Quotes in Ayora Quote Builder

The precedent quote bank helps users find completed quotes and use them as evidence or starting points for new pricing work. In Ayora Quote Builder, users access this workflow from Completed Quotes, where they can search, filter, review, and reuse historical quotes.

Use precedents as decision support. A completed quote can help with pricing, scoping, resourcing, assumptions, and profitability review, but users should still check that the precedent is commercially and operationally relevant to the new matter.

What "quote" means in Ayora
In Ayora, a quote covers two things that are treated identically in our taxonomy:

1. Quotes you create in Ayora Quote Builder — new pricing work built directly in the product.
2. Precedent matters enriched by Ayora — completed matters that Ayora has enriched in the background. Once enriched, a precedent matter is a quote by definition, with the same structured data (work type, characteristics, workstreams, scope items, fees, resourcing).

This is why the precedent quote bank can search and compare across both: they are the same object type, regardless of whether the record began as a live quote or an enriched precedent.

Before You Start

Precedent search works best when you know the main context for the quote you want to compare. Useful inputs include:

• Client or client type.
• Primary work type and secondary work types.
• Practice area.
• Characteristics, such as matter value, sector, side, complexity, jurisdiction, or other fields configured by the organisation.
• Expected fee range.
• Relevant workstreams or scope items.
• Lead fee earners, where relevant.
• Whether you only want to compare won matters.

You do not need every field before searching. Start with the strongest known criteria, then refine the search if the results are too broad.

How Ayora Organises Quote Data

Ayora Quote Builder uses structured quote data to make precedent search more meaningful. This helps Ayora compare like with like, rather than relying only on free-text search.

This applies equally to quotes you create and to enriched precedent matters — both use the same structured data described below.

This structure is configured by the organisation, so available fields, labels, and search options may vary.

Open Completed Quotes

Open Completed Quotes to search the precedent quote bank.

The page shows completed quote rows with details such as quote name, matter, client, lead partner, work type, workstreams, characteristics, assumptions, mandate status, fee values, billing realisation, profit score, hours by grade, completion date, and match percentage where available.

Completed or historical quotes may open in a read-only state. If you need to make changes, use the quote as the basis for a new quote rather than editing the original.

Search for Precedents

Use Search precedents... to look for relevant completed quotes by keyword.

Keyword search is helpful when you know a matter name, quote name, client-related term, summary wording, workstream, or scope detail. Search results may highlight matching text or show a quote summary where available.

For a broader search, start with a few words and then add filters. For a narrow search, combine specific search terms with structured filters such as work type, client, characteristics, or fee range.

Apply Filters

Select Filter to refine the precedent list. Depending on your organisation's configuration and available data, filters can include:

After changing filters, select Apply filters.

Use Clear or the clear-filter control if you want to return to a broader result set.

How Ayora Finds Relevant Precedents

Ayora Quote Builder can use both keyword search and structured filters to retrieve precedent quotes.

Keyword search is useful for finding terms that appear in quote names, matter details, client-related text, summaries, workstreams, assumptions, or scope descriptions. Structured filters are more precise because they use the quote data described above, such as work type, characteristics, workstreams, scope items, fee range, client, and lead fee earner.

The strongest searches usually combine both:

1. Start with the main commercial context, such as work type and characteristics.
2. Add keyword search for matter-specific language.
3. Add workstream or scope item filters when you know the work to compare.
4. Use fee range and won-status filters when commercial outcome matters.
5. Broaden the search if the result set is too narrow.

Ayora can only retrieve and compare data that exists on the historical quote. If a previous quote did not capture a characteristic, workstream, scope item, or resourcing detail, that information may not be available for search or comparison.

Read the Results

When search terms or filters are applied, Ayora Quote Builder can group results by match quality:

Use the Match % column and group summaries as directional guidance. A high match is useful evidence, but it is not a guarantee that the precedent is suitable. Always review the quote details before relying on it.

A lower match percentage does not always mean a quote is irrelevant. It may mean the precedent is missing structured data, differs on one important filter, or matches in narrative scope rather than configured fields. Open the quote and review the details before excluding it.

If no matching rows are available, the page shows No precedents found. Try changing your filters or search terms.

Review a Precedent Quote

Select a quote row to open the completed quote.

When reviewing a precedent, check:

• Whether the work type and characteristics are genuinely similar.
• Whether the scope, workstreams, and scope items match the new matter.
• Whether assumptions still make sense.
• Whether the quoted fees, billed values, billing realisation, and profit score support the comparison.
• Whether the matter was won.
• Whether the hours by grade and resourcing pattern are realistic for the new matter.

Precedents are most helpful when the new matter has a similar scope, complexity, client context, and commercial objective.

Use a Precedent for a New Quote

If a completed quote is a useful starting point, open it and choose Use for New Quote. Ayora Quote Builder creates an editable copy so users can adapt the quote for the new matter.

You can also select rows directly from Completed Quotes:

1. Select one completed quote row.
2. Choose Use for new Quote to copy it into a new quote.

To combine two precedents:

1. Select two completed quote rows.
2. Choose Use for new Quote.
3. Review the new quote carefully before using it for client-facing pricing.

Ayora Quote Builder supports selecting up to two quotes for merge-and-clone. If more than two quotes are selected, reduce the selection before using the action.

Selected Precedents from Agent Results

When a user opens precedent results from an agent-supported flow, some rows may be highlighted as selected precedents. Highlighted rows can show Precedent used to build the quote.

Use this highlight to understand which completed quotes informed the current quote or result set. If you change filters or search criteria, review the updated result set before relying on the previous selection.

Good Practice

• Start with work type and characteristics before adding narrower filters.
• Use Only Won? when you want the comparison set to focus on successful pricing outcomes.
• Review both exact and partial matches; a partial match may still be useful if the commercial context is similar.
• Treat outliers carefully, especially where the fee, scope, or billing realisation is very different from the current matter.
• Open the precedent before copying it so you can review assumptions, scope, fees, and resourcing.
• After using a precedent for a new quote, update the client, matter context, assumptions, rates, scope items, fee range, and resourcing before sharing or exporting.

Troubleshooting