Frequently Asked Questions

When you add a project with an installation date and a list of required equipment categories, the AI reads that specification and queries your connected supplier sources for current stock levels, quoted lead times and active pricing per line item. It then produces a ranked order plan: which supplier to use for each item, in what quantity, and by what date you need to place the order to receive delivery before your install window opens. The ranking is configurable between lead time optimization and price optimization depending on the priority for that project.

The AI works backward from your installation start date. It takes the confirmed lead time for the selected supplier on each item, adds a configurable buffer for dock handling and site staging (defaulting to 3 business days), and calculates the order-by date. If the calculated order-by date is already in the past when the plan is generated, the item is flagged as urgent and the engine checks for faster-delivery alternatives across your connected suppliers.

The engine flags the stock gap and surfaces compatible alternative items from your connected supplier catalogs that meet the same technical specification. For example, if a specific module model is unavailable, the AI queries for modules in the same wattage class and efficiency range from other connected sources. You review the alternatives, see the quoted pricing and lead time for each, and approve a swap or flag the item for manual review. The approved order plan updates automatically.

Yes. Every line item in a generated plan can be manually reviewed and adjusted before export. You can swap the recommended supplier for any line item, change the quantity, override the order-by date, or flag an item to hold pending manual follow-up. The AI generates the plan; your purchasing team has final review and approval before anything is exported to your PO system.

Sun Store connects to your existing supplier relationships through three methods: supplier portal credentials (where the distributor offers an online portal with inventory and pricing), direct API connections (where the distributor provides an API for programmatic access), or file uploads (CSV or XLS price list files that you upload on a schedule you manage). During onboarding, your account manager works through each supplier in your network to identify which connection type applies and sets up each one.

The frequency depends on the connection type. Feed-based connections (API or portal crawl) update daily by default, with a manual refresh available any time before generating a plan. File-upload connections update when you upload a new file. The AI surfaces the timestamp of the last data pull for each supplier when displaying a plan, so you know how recent the information is. Distribution inventory moves between snapshot and order confirmation, so Sun Store treats stock levels as directional indicators rather than guaranteed availability.

Sun Store does not restrict you to a specific supplier network. You bring your existing supplier relationships and we configure connections to them. There is no required list of approved distributors. If you work with a supplier that uses a non-standard portal format or does not offer API access, the file-upload path supports any CSV or XLS price list with column mapping configured during onboarding.

For portal-based connections, Sun Store uses read-only access to retrieve inventory and pricing data. Credentials are stored encrypted and are used only for the data pull. Sun Store does not place orders on your behalf through supplier portals. The output of the planning process is a structured order plan that you export and use to place orders through your existing purchasing workflow.

Most teams are running their first plan within 3 to 5 business days of the initial onboarding call. The onboarding call itself takes about 45 to 60 minutes. During that call we confirm your supplier list, determine the connection type for each, and begin the setup. Suppliers with direct API access are typically connected within one business day. Portal-based connections depend on credential verification. File-upload suppliers can be active the same day you receive the price list template.

No. Sun Store is a procurement planning layer used by your purchasing team or operations lead. Your field team's workflow does not change. If you use a project management tool, Sun Store can pull installation dates from it directly so project managers do not need to duplicate information. If you do not use project management software, installation dates are entered manually by your purchasing team when adding a project to Sun Store.

Sun Store imports project dates from commonly used project management tools in the construction and solar installation sector. During the onboarding call, your account manager will confirm whether a direct integration is available for your tool or whether a simple data export and import workflow is the right path. Manual date entry is also available for teams that do not use project management software, with no loss of AI planning functionality.

The pilot gives you full Pro-tier access: unlimited projects, up to 20 supplier connections, historical quote pattern analysis, project management tool sync, multi-user team accounts up to 5 seats, and delivery notifications. No credit card is required to start the pilot. At the end of the 30 days, you choose a paid tier or cancel with no charge. There is no automatic conversion to a paid plan.

Yes. You can upgrade or downgrade at any time. Upgrades take effect immediately. Downgrades take effect at the start of the next billing period. If you downgrade from Pro to Starter and your account has more than 5 supplier connections active, you will need to reduce your active connections to the Starter limit of 5 before the downgrade takes effect.

All published plans are billed monthly. Annual billing is available on the Scale tier for operations that prefer it. Contact the sales team to discuss Scale plan pricing and annual billing options. Starter and Pro plans are monthly only at this time.