Composable CPQ
CIO blocked IT roadmap on full CPQ replatform. Mercura quote layer shipped in six weeks while legacy rules engine stayed on an API bridge. Composable CPQ swaps one layer at a time instead of ripping out the whole stack.
The challenge
CIO blocked IT roadmap on full CPQ replatform. Mercura quote layer shipped in six weeks while legacy rules engine stayed on an API bridge.
A builder of cleanroom HVAC modules for biotech manufacturing runs a twelve-year-old CPQ suite where configuration rules still work but quote PDF generation takes ninety seconds and cannot embed in the company storefront. IT estimated twenty-four months and a seven-figure budget to replace the entire stack. The CIO paused the project until the business could prove value without stopping quotes for a quarter.
Monolithic CPQ ties rules, pricing, quote documents, and checkout into one upgrade path. Replacing slow PDF generation means touching the rules engine nobody wants to rewrite. Teams run parallel Word templates and custom middleware because swapping one weak layer triggers vendor-led full migration projects that dominate the roadmap for years.
Headless CPQ separates engine logic from prescribed UI so you build custom front ends. API-first CPQ exposes configuration, pricing, and quote endpoints for any channel. MACH-aligned CPQ fits microservice and cloud-native stacks. Multi-tenant CPQ isolates brands on one platform. Composable CPQ is different: Mercura four independent layers, configuration, pricing, quote, and checkout, each with its own API so you replace the quote service in weeks, bridge the legacy rules engine, and migrate configuration when the business is ready without dual-system cutover for every layer at once.
Inquiry to config to price to approval to order should not wait on a full-stack replatform because one layer, usually quote PDF or checkout, blocks the channel the business needs this year.
How it works
How Mercura composable CPQ works
Mercura deploys configuration, pricing, quote document, and checkout as separate services connected by versioned REST APIs and webhooks. Each layer scales and releases on its own schedule. During migration, an API bridge forwards configuration results from a legacy rules engine into Mercura quote generation while pricing stays on the old engine or moves first, your choice. Replace quote PDF and customer send in phase one, add Mercura configuration when rule export is ready, connect your existing e-commerce checkout last. OpenAPI specs, OAuth, and JSON payloads keep integration explicit. Someone must define layer ownership, bridge contracts, and cutover criteria per phase, but no phase requires rewriting unrelated layers.
What's included
What composable CPQ covers
- Four independently deployable layers: config, pricing, quote, checkout
- Versioned REST API per layer with OpenAPI documentation
- Staged migration with legacy layer bridged via API adapter
- Mix and match: keep external pricing engine, use Mercura configurator
- Independent scaling for high-traffic configurator vs quote batch jobs
- Webhook events between layers for approval and order handoff
- Exportable rules and price lists to reduce exit risk per layer
- Replace one layer in weeks without touching the other three
The difference
CPQ migration before and after composable architecture
- IT roadmap blocked until full-stack replacement approved
- Slow quote PDF forces consideration of entire CPQ suite
- Weak checkout layer cannot swap without rules migration
- Dual-system period spans every layer at once
- Business waits years for storefront embed use case
- Quote layer ships in weeks with legacy rules on bridge
- Each layer evaluated and replaced on its own merit
- Storefront embed uses new quote API while rules stay legacy
- Configuration migrates when rule export ready, not on vendor timeline
- Roadmap shows value per phase instead of one big-bang cutover
Real-world application
Example workflow: cleanroom HVAC quote layer before config migration
A cleanroom HVAC module builder for biotech plants paused a full CPQ replatform after IT flagged twenty-four month risk. Mercura quote layer deployed in six weeks with API bridge from the legacy rules engine. Dealers received quote PDFs in under ten seconds while configuration rules migrated twelve months later. Checkout stayed on existing e-commerce until phase three. No quarter ran without quoting capability.
Business impact
Why composable CPQ is staged layer replacement, not a license to skip integration planning
Composable CPQ lets manufacturers replace the layer that hurts today, quote speed, checkout embed, or rigid pricing, without rewriting rules that still work. It complements headless front ends, API-first integration, MACH stack alignment, and multi-tenant deployment. Mercura does not remove the need for bridge design, security review, or rule export work. Someone must own phase cutover and API contracts. If the pain is "CIO will not approve full replatform but quote PDF blocks the storefront", composable CPQ aligns inquiry, configuration, price, approval, and order with migration in layers the business can fund.
See quote layer running in six weeks with legacy rules engine on an API bridge
Book a demo and walk composable CPQ until staged layer swap, bridge contracts, and phase cutover match what your CIO needs to unblock the roadmap.
Let’s build together.
We empower manufacturers to master product modeling, streamline quoting process, reduce errors, and ultimately deliver the tailored solutions that customers demand.