Manufacturing RFQ and Quote Readiness Checklist
Most quoting losses come from items nobody checked: a drawing revision, an outside process, a setup spread over too few parts. This checklist walks an estimator through the review in four groups.
0 of 32 items complete
11 critical items still open - these are the highest-risk gaps.
Scope and drawings
Material and purchased items
Routing, time and rates
Risk, price and terms
Aim to clear every critical item before submitting. A quote with unresolved critical items should be held or sent with explicit assumptions and exclusions.
Compare quotes with actual job cost
An optional review of how to track quoted versus actual cost from your ERP.
Optional. The tool and every export work without this. No spam.
How to use the checklist
Work through the groups in order for each RFQ. Tick items as you confirm them, and treat the flagged critical items as blockers. When a check cannot be completed, turn it into a written question to the customer or an explicit assumption on the quote. Export the completed list as a PDF and attach it to the quote file.
- One checklist per RFQ
- Critical items block submission
- Convert gaps into assumptions or questions
Why these checks matter
Drawing revision and characteristics decide inspection effort. Material and outside processing often make up most of the price, so stale supplier quotes hurt. Setup time spread across the lot size is the largest sensitivity on small orders. Margin policy, validity and terms protect the shop once the order is won. Together they cover the points where a quote most often differs from the final job cost.
After the quote
Record the quoted time, material and margin so you can compare them with actual job cost when the order closes. A repeated gap on one operation tells you to change the standard rather than argue about it. Keep win and loss reasons next to the quote. Over time the checklist should be tuned to your shop by adding items that caused a past loss.
Common mistakes
Quoting from an old drawing revision, forgetting to price inspection and documentation, using list rates that no longer match the cost base, and leaving validity open-ended are the most common. Another is hiding one-time costs in the piece price, which makes repeat orders look unprofitable. State tooling and NRE as separate lines.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who should review a quote before it goes out?
At minimum the estimator completes the checklist. Quotes above a value or risk threshold should be reviewed by a second person such as the plant controller or operations manager. Set the threshold in writing so it is applied consistently.
How long should a quote stay valid?
It depends on how volatile your material and supplier quotes are. A validity period should not exceed the shortest validity among your key supplier quotes. State the date clearly on the quote and re-price after it expires.
What should I do when the RFQ is unclear?
Ask in writing and keep the reply with the quote file. If the customer cannot answer in time, state your assumption on the quote and price on that basis, noting what changes if the assumption proves wrong.
Should setup be in the piece price or separate?
Both approaches are used. Spreading setup over the quoted lot size is common for small runs. If lot sizes may change, show setup as a separate one-time line so repeat orders at different quantities remain fair.
Netray can help connect your quote history to actual job cost in your ERP so that estimating accuracy is measured, not guessed.
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