A Request for Quote (RFQ) is the starting point of most manufacturing engagements. The buyer sends a package that typically includes drawings, 3D models, material specifications, quantity requirements, and delivery expectations. The manufacturer must review every detail, assess feasibility, estimate costs, and return a formal quotation.
In high-mix manufacturing environments, shops may receive dozens of RFQs per day. The challenge is not just quoting accurately, but quoting fast enough to win the work. Teams that can quickly parse requirements, retrieve similar past jobs, and generate structured estimates have a significant competitive advantage.
Modern quoting systems use AI to extract requirements from RFQ documents, match them to historical jobs, and build cost estimates from actual shop data rather than estimator intuition alone.