A fast quote isn't a lucky accident. It's what happens when the RFQ contains exactly what a quoting engineer needs — and nothing that starts a week of email ping-pong.
We answer standard RFQs within 4 working hours and fully analyze complex multi-process projects within 3 days. The difference between those two speeds is almost never the part — it's the completeness of the request. Here's what a 4-hour RFQ contains.
1. A native or neutral 3D file. STEP is the lingua franca; IGES works. 2D alone costs a day of modeling back-and-forth. 2. A drawing with tolerances — even a PDF over the model view. Mark the functional features; leave the rest general. 3. Quantity and horizon. "50 now, 200/month from Q3" prices differently than "50, someday" — and the price per piece should reflect it. 4. Material and condition. 6061-T6 is not 7075 is not 316L; if you're flexible, say so and let the shop propose. 5. Finish requirements. Anodize, black oxide, passivation, paint — with color and thickness if specified. 6. Inspection expectations. FAI? CMM report per shipment? Full dimensional layout? Say it now, not after delivery.
Read every quote against the same checklist: piece price at the stated quantity, with breaks at higher volumes; setup or tooling charges, separate; surface treatment priced, not "TBD"; lead time in working days from order, not "usually about"; and the inspection plan included. A quote that states its assumptions — material condition, tolerance interpretation, finish standard — is a quote from a shop that actually engineered the part before pricing it.
Quote speed is a proxy for how a shop runs. A 4-hour turnaround means a quoting engineer — not a salesperson with a calculator — looked at your file, that the DFM questions got asked immediately rather than after the order, and that process planning and costing are running on live shop data instead of folklore. When quotes take a week, it's usually because the engineering input arrives last, after the sales cycle, if at all.
Watch for: single-number quotes with no breakdown; lead times that only appear after you ask twice; "material equivalent" substitutions offered without asking; no mention of inspection at all; and prices so far below the field that something is being skipped — it's usually inspection, finish or both. The cheapest quote and the most expensive mistake are often the same document.
After the quote, one email settles almost everything: "Confirm material certs, first-article inspection report and final CMM report are included, and that finish is per [standard]." If the answer is yes in writing, you've just avoided the three most common post-order disputes — before you paid a deposit.
Send an RFQ — answer within 4 working hours →
Related: 10 sourcing mistakes · Supplier evaluation checklist (free download)
