Plumbing and heating B2B: a platform for buying and selling between companies

Who buys and sells installation materials between companies?

The platform connects companies that install and maintain plumbing, heating and air-conditioning systems with the companies that make, import or distribute the materials and equipment they need.

• Buyers: plumbing, heating and HVAC installers, general contractors, property developers, building maintenance companies, facility managers and installation shops restocking their shelves.
• Sellers: distributors and wholesalers of installation materials, importers of boilers, heat pumps and radiators, manufacturers of pipes and fittings, and companies offering plumbing and electrical installation works.

Which categories hold pipes, fittings, boilers and sanitaryware?

Markonex has no separate category called "installation materials", so products and RFQs in this field fit into the platform's existing categories. Because you can choose one or more categories and subcategories, you can place a product where buyers look for it.

Search is semantic: it understands the meaning of the request, not just the exact words, and the category raises the relevance of results without strictly filtering them. A request for "PPR pipe 25 mm" finds the right suppliers even if their product sits in a neighbouring category.

• Pipes, fittings, valves, radiators, sanitaryware and insulation materials: Building materials, or Wholesale and retail trade, subcategory Distribution.
• Circulation pumps, water pumps and compressors: Industrial equipment, subcategories Pumps and Compressors.
• Solar panels, heat pumps and energy-efficiency solutions: Energy, subcategories Solar energy and Energy efficiency.
• Installation and execution works: Construction, subcategories Plumbing and Electrical installations.

How do you request quotes for the installation materials of a project?

You publish an RFQ with a single product or a list of up to 200 lines, each with its own quantity. You can paste the materials list from a project as text or upload it from a photo or a PDF, Word or Excel document, and AI extracts the lines, which you check before publishing.

The request stays active for 30 days by default, or until the date you choose. In the description you add what matters technically: diameters, pressures, power ratings, compatibility with the existing system, the site location and the delivery date you want. If you already know the supplier, you send a direct price request with "Request price", from its profile or from a product page.

How do installation distributors receive matching requests?

Distributors list their catalogue with a price range, currency and categories, including through an Excel import, and create following filters for the types of requests they care about. When a matching RFQ appears, they are notified in the app, by push or by email.

On a multi-line request, the supplier quotes the lines it can deliver, and the buyer compares offers line by line and can award lines to different suppliers. Negotiation has up to 20 rounds, with messages and documents; every round shows all the terms, and whatever changed is highlighted. An offer that is not finalised expires after 30 days, and the party expected to reply gets reminders.

How do you check the company you buy from and close the deal?

Each company profile shows the data taken from ANAF by CUI, such as the legal name, CAEN code, VAT and e-Factura status, plus the public financial statements. Companies are then also verified by the Markonex team based on documents; accepting an offer, the agreement and the contract require both companies to be verified by the platform.

After negotiation, one party accepts the offer and the other confirms the agreement. Each party chooses whether it goes with or without a contract; the contract is generated as a PDF from the company template or uploaded, and accepted by both parties. From the agreement, a platform-verified seller can issue the invoice and send it to e-Factura.

Examples of use

The scenarios below show how the platform can be used in the installations field. These are illustrative examples, not cases of real customers.

• An installation company in Timișoara photographs the materials list for an apartment block, with pipes, fittings, manifolds and radiators. AI extracts the lines, the company publishes the RFQ, and three distributors quote the lines they have in stock.
• A distributor of boilers and heat pumps creates a following filter for the counties it delivers to and is notified when a developer publishes an RFQ for the equipment of a residential project.
• A facility manager requests quotes for replacing circulation pumps and for the installation work as two separate RFQs: one for the equipment, one for the plumbing works.
• An installation shop restocks sanitaryware by comparing the offers of several importers on the same RFQ.

Can you do all this from ChatGPT, Claude or with an AI agent?

Yes, if your company is verified by the platform. Through the Markonex MCP server you connect ChatGPT or Claude to your company account and type, for example, "turn this list of installation materials into an RFQ"; the assistant prepares the draft and publishes it only after you confirm. A distributor can let a Markonex AI agent look for new installation RFQs every morning and prepare offers, which a colleague approves before they are sent.

What does Markonex not do?

Markonex does not sell or deliver materials, does not process payments, does not do the installation work and is not a party to contracts between companies. It does not check product certifications or technical approvals: you ask for them and check them directly with the supplier, for instance as documents attached to the offer. Payment, delivery, installation and warranty are agreed directly between buyer and supplier, in the agreement and, if needed, in the contract.