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Quoting software for job shops: how to choose

Job shop quoting software turns a customer's drawing or model into a priced quote. Shops quote in four main ways: a spreadsheet, the quoting screen in an ERP, instant quoting from 3D models, and software that drafts the quote from the PDF drawing. They differ in what they read, whose rates they price on and how much typing is left for the estimator.

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What are the ways job shops quote today?

A spreadsheet

Most shops start here. The estimator reads the drawing, types in each operation with a setup and a run time, and the sheet multiplies by the shop's rates. It is flexible and costs nothing. Every quote takes as long as the typing does, and the know-how sits with whoever built the sheet.

The quoting screen in an ERP

The quote lives beside the jobs, routings and purchasing, so a won quote becomes an order without retyping. The estimator still reads the drawing and enters the routing by hand, so the time per quote is close to a spreadsheet's.

Instant quoting from 3D models

The software reads the geometry in a STEP or CAD file and prices it by rules. It is fast for the processes it supports. It needs a 3D model, and many RFQs arrive as a PDF print only. Notes, tolerances, finishes and hardware called out on the drawing can be missed unless someone adds them.

Drafts read from the PDF drawing

The software reads the drawing the way an estimator does: the title block, material and finish callouts, dimensions, holes, bends, hardware, notes and the bill of materials. It drafts the routing and prices it on the shop's own rates, then the estimator checks the draft and sends it. This is how OneThou works.

What should you check before you choose?

  1. What it reads. PDF drawings, 3D models or both. Look at the last twenty RFQs you received and count how many came with a model.
  2. Whose rates it prices on. Your work centres, hourly rates, material prices and markups, or a cost model built into the software.
  3. Whether you can see where each number came from. Every line should trace back to something on the drawing.
  4. Whether a person reviews the quote. A draft your estimator can change is worth more than a number you cannot explain to a customer.
  5. How the quote leaves the system. An Excel or CSV export, or a link to your ERP.
  6. How long setup takes, and who does it. Someone has to load your rates, your price list and your way of routing parts.
  7. How your customers' drawings are handled. Ask before you send anything controlled or covered by ITAR.
  8. How it is priced. Per seat, per quote or per shop.

Which kind fits which shop?

A shop that quotes a handful of simple parts a week can stay on a spreadsheet. A shop whose customers send 3D models for one process may do well with model-based quoting. A shop that receives PDF drawings across cutting, forming, machining and welding, and has one or two estimators who cannot keep up, gets the most from drafts read off the drawing.

Where does OneThou fit?

OneThou is the fourth kind. A customer's PDF drawing goes in and a draft quote comes back in under a minute: the operations with setup and run times, the material, any outside services and a price at each quantity break. Every setup is built on the shop's own work centres, rates, material prices and past quotes. Each quote exports to Excel or CSV, and an estimator reviews every one.

The fact sheet lists what goes in and what comes out, and the FAQ answers the questions shops ask about setup, data and cost.

Questions about quoting software

What is job shop quoting software?

Software that helps a machine shop, sheet metal shop or fabricator turn a customer's request for quote into a priced quote: the operations a part needs, the time each one takes, the material, any outside services and the price at each quantity.

Do I need a 3D model to use quoting software?

Only for software that prices from geometry. Software that reads PDF drawings, such as OneThou, needs only the print the customer sent.

Can quoting software use my own shop rates?

It should. Check that it prices on your work centres, hourly rates, material prices and markups. OneThou builds every setup on the shop's own numbers.

Does quoting software replace the estimator?

No. It takes away the typing. The estimator still decides whether the routing and the price are right, and with OneThou every draft is reviewed before it is sent.

See how a quote is built for sheet metal parts, machined parts and weldments and assemblies, or try the free calculators.