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Should you quote this RFQ?
Quote an RFQ when the part is core work for your process, you have capacity in the buyer's window, you hold any required certification, and the drawing package is complete. Pass, the same day and with a reason, when a hard stop applies. Everything in between is a quote with questions. Most job shops win 20–30% of what they quote, so triage protects estimating time.
Is this RFQ worth your estimator's afternoon?
Eight answers, about two minutes. Three of them can stop a quote outright. Anything unclear turns into a question you can copy into an email.
- Process fit
- Certificationcan stop
- Capacity in the windowcan stop
- Quantity
- Drawing package
- Due datecan stop
- Customer
- Payment terms
Quote itFit 100/100
This fits. Quote it inside 48 hours, before the buyer has a short list.
How do you decline an RFQ without losing the buyer?
Fast, specific and with a door left open.
- Same day
- A decline the day the RFQ arrives frees the buyer to go elsewhere. A decline on the due date costs them a week.
- One reason
- No capacity until a date, a certification you don't hold, a quantity outside your range. One line is enough.
- What fits
- Tell them the work you do want: process, size range, quantities. It is the most useful line in the email.
- A referral
- If you know a shop that fits, say so. Buyers remember who helped them close the RFQ.
How can a small shop quote faster?
Most quote time goes to finding information, not pricing.
- Triage every RFQ the day it arrives. Quote, ask or decline; nothing sits unread.
- Keep a rate per machine group, so pricing is hours times a known number.
- Price from a template with setup, run, material, outside processing and inspection as fixed lines.
- Ask for missing tolerances and finishes in one email, all at once.
- Track quoted, won and lost with a reason. After 50 quotes the pattern tells you what to stop quoting.
Questions about quoting
What is a good quote win rate for a job shop?
Industry surveys put most job shops at a 20–30% win rate. Much higher can mean you're priced too low; much lower usually means you're quoting work that doesn't fit, or quoting too slowly.
How fast should a job shop return a quote?
Acknowledge within a day and quote within two to five business days for typical parts. Many buyers expect contact within 24 hours, and a late quote often lands after the short list is made.
Is it bad to decline an RFQ?
No. A prompt decline with a reason, such as no capacity until a date or a certification you don't hold, is remembered better than a late quote or silence. It also tells the buyer what to send you next time.
Why do shops lose quotes they priced well?
Lead time, responsiveness and confidence that the shop understood the part. Surveys find suppliers blame price far more often than buyers do. Questions that show you read the drawing help win.
Get RFQs matched to your shop
Apply with your processes, materials, certifications and open capacity. SSG routes matching RFQs to you with drawings and a DFM check attached, and is paid only as commission on orders you invoice.