The specified catalog numbers.
Type mark, catalog number, finish, and selection on one project. The customer sees the specification. You stop losing a week to “which finish was that?”
Distributor sales
Quote the catalog numbers that were specified.
A distributor quotes what was specified. An alternate is named as an alternate to that type mark. It does not replace it. List price stays list price until you issue the quote.
How this pays for you
An alternate does not replace the type mark.
If the quote needs something else, add it as an alternate to that type mark. The specifier, or the owner, accepts it. The original catalog number stays on the specification.
Lighting, bath, furniture, and art as one specification.
The owner reviews one project, not four catalogs. You quote the specified items. The finished room still matches what they approved.