Meet-or-Beat Pricing

How it works

Send the same package the other quote was built on (model, print, quantity, and the lead time it was quoted at) plus the competing price. Redact the supplier’s name if you like; the number and the terms are what matter. Apples to apples is the whole point: same part, same quantity, same timeline.

Say what lead time the other quote was priced at, so the two are compared at the same speed. Rush: 1-2 weeks. Standard: 4-6 weeks (typical). Extended: 6-8 weeks, for jobs that aren't time-sensitive. Lead time starts at order approval. Put your need date in the part description and the quote answers it.

Within 24-48 hours you get one of two answers, and both are useful: a price that meets or beats the one in your hand, or a clear no with no follow-up pestering.

Why two quotes for one part can differ

Two quotes compare only on the same basis. Setup comes once per run, and on a very small lot it can far exceed the time to run the parts (source 1); a fixed cost spread over more pieces weighs less on each one (source 2). So a quote at one quantity says little about another quantity. Tolerance counts too: the tighter the tolerance, the more a part costs to machine (source 3), so a quote built on a looser tolerance than your print is not the same part. Ask for more than one quantity, such as 1, 25 and 100, and the quote shows each.

What sets the cost of a CNC machined part goes through the rest of the list: material, geometry, finish, inspection and date.

When it can’t be beaten, and you’ll be told

Sometimes the number in your hand is genuinely strong. You’ll hear exactly that (“that’s a good quote, take it”) because pretending otherwise wastes your time and torches credibility that’s worth more than one order. The straight no is part of the service.

A lower price never touches the print

Meeting a price never quietly relaxes your drawing. The print is the contract: same dimensions, same tolerances, and the same inspection against it before anything ships. The DFM review that comes with a quote can flag a callout the part does not need; any change it suggests arrives with your name on the approval line: your call, always.

Sources

All accessed 4 October 2026. Where a figure here differs from your print, the print governs.

1. Mike Lynch, "The Effect of Lot Size on Productivity", Modern Machine Shop, 21 December 2017, mmsonline.com/articles/the-effect-of-lot-size-on-productivity (setup is the time from the last piece of the previous run to the first good piece of the next; on very small lots it can far exceed the run time).

2. Wikipedia, "Average fixed cost", last edited 29 July 2026: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Average_fixed_cost (fixed cost divided by quantity; the share per unit falls as output rises).

3. Wikipedia, "Design for manufacturability", last edited 11 September 2026: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Design_for_manufacturability (the tighter the tolerance, the more expensive the component is to machine).