What to send for a metal fabrication quote (and get a firm price)

The checklist

1. Drawings or files. DXF for flat profiles, STEP for 3D, plus a dimensioned drawing. A PDF alone means someone redraws it.
2. Material and grade. Or a description of the environment and the loads so the fabricator can advise.
3. Thickness and section sizes. On the drawing, not in the covering email.
4. Tolerances. Tight where it matters, general everywhere else, and say which is which.
5. Welding requirements. Whether the welds are structural, whether procedures and welders must be qualified, and any inspection or testing required.
6. Finish. Including a RAL or BS colour reference where relevant.
7. Quantity, and whether repeats are likely.
8. Delivery address and access. Plus whether installation is needed and what is on site to unload.
9. The date you need it. A real one, including whether the finishing lead time is inside it.

If you do not have drawings

You still have options, and saying so honestly is better than sending a vague enquiry. A photograph with a tape measure in it, a sample or the broken original, or a marked-up sketch with the critical dimensions will all get you a sensible conversation. Many fabricators offer design and build, where they produce the drawings as part of the job. It costs more than making to drawings, and it is often quicker and cheaper than commissioning drawings separately and then discovering they are not manufacturable.

Questions worth asking every quote

• Is this a fixed price or an estimate, and what would change it?
• Is material included at today's price, and for how long is the quote valid?
• Is finishing included, and is its lead time inside your quoted delivery date?
• Who is responsible if the part does not fit: you, or the drawings I supplied?
• What certification do you hold for this kind of work, and can I see it?
• What are the payment terms, and is a deposit required for material?

Material prices move. A quote that was firm three months ago may not be firm today, and a fabricator who tells you that up front is being straight with you rather than hedging.

Comparing quotes fairly

Put every quote against the same specification before comparing totals. The common differences are material grade, whether finishing is included, whether delivery is included, tolerance assumptions and what the price does if the drawings change. A quote that is twenty per cent cheaper because it assumed a lighter grade and no galvanising is not cheaper, it is a different part. Where structural steelwork is involved, also compare what the fabricator is certified to produce, and check it against what your designer specified.