1. Create one quotation basis
Record the part number, drawing revision, material, supply condition and quantity being compared. Keep forecast annual demand separate from the quantity actually being ordered. If a supplier proposes a different process or specification, record it as an alternative requiring review rather than silently accepting it as an equivalent offer.
2. Separate one-time and recurring costs
Record tooling, fixtures, sample production and any agreed initial qualification work separately from repeat-unit prices. State what is owned by the buyer, where tooling is kept and which services are included. Do not spread a one-time cost over an uncertain annual forecast and present the result as a committed unit price.
3. Check the complete delivered scope
For each quotation, identify machining, finishing, required reports, packing and shipment inclusions. Check the named delivery term and place, the currency and the quotation validity. Leave unknown charges blank or mark them for clarification. Adding a guessed freight or tax figure can make an incomplete quotation look more precise than it is.
4. Compare acceptance and change handling
Confirm the sample approval steps, production-release condition and treatment of drawing changes. Record material or dimensional documentation included in the offer. Ask how a nonconforming delivery would be reviewed and handled under the proposed terms. These are questions to resolve between the parties, not standard promises supplied by this worksheet.
5. Use a transparent first-order calculation
For an identical defined scope, the first-order comparison can show: quoted one-time costs + ordered quantity × quoted unit price + separately quoted inspection, packing and logistics. Include only known amounts and avoid double-counting costs already included in the unit price. Keep non-comparable or missing items visible beside the total. A lower incomplete total is not yet a like-for-like saving.
Illustrative comparison issue
Supplier A includes machining but lists inspection as an optional charge. Supplier B includes the required report but excludes machining. Before comparing totals, ask both suppliers to price the same finished part and report scope. This is an example of a scope mismatch, not an actual customer quotation or a savings claim.
Information to collect
- Supplier / quotation reference / date / validity
- Part number / revision / material / order quantity
- Casting, machining and finishing inclusions
- Tooling, fixture and sample costs; ownership terms
- Production unit price and currency
- Required inspection and documentation inclusions
- Packing, shipment term, named place and separately quoted costs
- Sample approval, production release and proposed commercial terms
- Exceptions, unknown costs and clarification owner
Put the information to work
Send the available files and identify open questions. Keep confidential customer information out of public posts; share authorised project files directly for review.
Drawing-based component enquiries · Email Kai your requirements
Further reading: SFSA information for steel-casting buyers. This JK Casting worksheet organises purchasing information; application-specific design and acceptance requirements must come from the approved project documents.