A quote is a document you can read, and most of what drives the price is written between the lines. These notes cover how to compare quotes, what to ask a supplier, and how to plan a lead time that survives contact with production. 2 articles.
The design that worked as a prototype is not automatically the design that ships. What changes at volume, and which decisions should be made before tooling.
What a machining quote is actually telling you, and how to compare quotes that look different.
A supplier relationship is easier to manage when the specification is written down and the quote states its assumptions. Most of the difficulty in sourcing comes from ambiguity rather than from price.
You get the price with its assumptions stated, priced at the quantity you actually need, plus any change that would reduce it.
