TRAINING LAB

Hardware Procurement: Drafting a Multi-PC Quote

Hardware Sizing · Excel Devis · Component Research · Greta du Val d'Oise

Context

As part of the TAI training at Greta du Val d'Oise, I was given a client brief describing a workstation use case (office productivity + light virtualization) and asked to produce a complete hardware procurement quote (devis). The exercise covered the full sourcing workflow: identifying technical requirements, researching compatible components, validating compatibility, comparing suppliers and prices, and formalizing the quote in a structured Excel document — the standard deliverable in professional IT procurement.

Client brief

The client required a mid-range desktop workstation suitable for: daily office productivity (Office suite, browser, email), running 1–2 VMs simultaneously (VirtualBox for testing), local storage of professional files, and multi-monitor support. Budget constraint: under 1 000 € ex-VAT. The machine would join an existing Windows Active Directory domain.

Procurement process

1
Requirements analysis
Read and analysed the client brief to extract hardware constraints: minimum RAM for virtualization (16 GB), SSD for OS responsiveness, discrete or integrated GPU for dual-monitor, compatibility with Windows 11 Pro, and standard ATX tower form factor for easy maintenance.
2
Component research
Used French B2B supplier catalogues (LDLC Pro, Materiel.net, Inmac Wstore) to identify candidate components for each category: CPU, motherboard, RAM, storage, PSU, case, and GPU (or verified iGPU sufficiency). Checked technical sheets for compatibility (socket, DDR generation, PCIe lanes).
3
Compatibility validation
Cross-checked CPU–motherboard socket compatibility, RAM generation and speed support, storage interface (M.2 NVMe vs SATA), and PSU wattage adequacy using an estimated TDP calculator. Verified that Windows 11 hardware requirements (TPM 2.0, Secure Boot, minimum CPU list) were met.
4
Quote formalisation
Entered all selected components into a structured Excel devis: reference, supplier, unit price ex-VAT, quantity, total ex-VAT, VAT (20%), and total inc-VAT. Added a summary row with the grand total and verified the budget compliance. The quote was presented for instructor review.

Quote summary

Form factor: ATX mid-tower desktop workstation
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 or Intel Core i5 (12th/13th gen) — selected based on price/performance
RAM: 16 GB DDR4 (2× 8 GB) — upgradeable to 32 GB
Storage: 512 GB M.2 NVMe SSD (OS) + 1 TB HDD (data)
OS: Windows 11 Pro (OEM licence included in quote)
Budget: Under 1 000 € ex-VAT — budget compliant
Deliverable: Excel quote with references, unit prices, quantities, totals ex/inc VAT
Skills: Hardware sizing, compatibility research, B2B procurement, Excel devis, supplier comparison