How to Compare Two Instant Quote Revisions
No IDs, No Comparison
A comparison is two quote records that share a CAD revision ID and the same RFQ fields, or that differ by a named cause. Line up quote ID, CAD rev, material, quantity, finish, inserts, inspection, and DFM notes. Label each delta as file, RFQ, or DFM. A screenshot of the second number is not a comparison.
Read why an instant quote changes after CAD review for the three cause classes. This page only covers how to line the records up.
Two quote IDs before any delta talk
A screenshot of Q-4408 alone is not a comparison. Two IDs in one table is. Sourcing pastes two numbers into a slide and asks which one is real. Without quote IDs, CAD revision IDs, and a field list, that slide is an argument. Comparison starts with two records you can open.
Guest preview vs logged-in review cannot be compared
A guest preview and a logged-in review are two paths. Do not put them in one table as if they were two revisions of the same record. Logged-in quotes include a system prelim and a later engineer-reviewed figure. Guest preview is a read-only look.
Keep history; do not delete the baseline row
Keep both quote IDs. Deleting the first quote so the table has one row removes the baseline. History is how you prove what changed. If the two records sit in different accounts, export the field list from each and paste both into one table. A forwarded screenshot plus a remembered number will not survive the first DFM note.
What to tell sourcing: no comparison without two quote IDs. Upload the current package through the instant quote platform if the old record is stale. Keep both records in the online quote and order workspace.
Build the Field Table First
Rows = CAD rev, material, quantity, finish, inserts, inspection, DFM notes
A fair comparison holds the package still except for the named cause. Use what information a quote needs as the rows. CAD revision. Material. Quantity. Finish. Inserts. Inspection. DFM notes. Quote ID.
A blank cell is itself a delta
A blank field is not nothing. It is a delta you have not named yet. If a row is blank on one side, that blank is a delta. If half the rows are unknown, stop the comparison and reopen the records.
Prelim vs reviewed = stage label, not a mystery
Prelims move. That is why review exists, not why the first number was wrong. Do not compare a prelim to a reviewed number and call it the same unlabeled record. Those are two stages of one package, or they are two records. Label the stage.
A worked table: both rows CAD Rev C, ABS, same quantity, no paint, no inserts. Row 1 has no FAI. Row 2 asks FAI on five balloons. The only delta is inspection. Cause class: RFQ. That table can be discussed.
Common mistakes: matching on part name only; ignoring a finish note that appeared in review; comparing STL to STEP as if format were not a file change. Format is a file class. Read STEP vs STL for an injection molding quote when the format moved.
What to tell sourcing: fill the field list first. Write the two quote IDs in the subject line of any internal thread so the table can be rebuilt.
Label the Cause Class
File: solid or format moved (Rev B to Rev C, STEP to STL)
If the revision ID moved, or the format moved, write file. Q-4401 used CAD Rev B. Q-4408 used CAD Rev C. Those records are comparable because the IDs exist. The file class is named.
RFQ: only a field moved (quantity, resin, FAI note)
If quantity, resin, finish, or inspection moved and the solid stayed, write RFQ. The second number is a different scenario, not a correction of the first. Material, finish, and inspection still need to match or be listed.
DFM: review changed steel scope (slide, lifter, shutoff)
Write DFM when a design for manufacturing note changed steel scope. Keep both quote IDs. If the note changed steel scope, re-quote instead of arguing. Flags are notes, not a refusal.
Other is not a class
If you cannot name the cause class, you are not comparing yet. You are arguing. The sister article already explains why a number moves: file, RFQ, or DFM. Use those three classes as the only cause labels. If you need three lines, write three.
What to tell sourcing: one line per cause. Mixing three classes into one complaint is the argument.
When to Stop Comparing and Re-Quote
New solid = new package, always
A new solid is always a new package. Read how to re-quote after a CAD revision for the steps. This page only says when to stop comparing.
Steel scope moved = new record, old one stays as baseline
A DFM note that changes steel scope is a new package even if the filename stayed. The new record points at the new file. The old record stays as the baseline. After accept, that baseline is history. Read what happens after you accept a quote.
Do not edit the old number in place
Do not ask review to edit the old number in place. Do not treat a reviewed number as an error because the prelim was different. If the solid or the steel scope moved, re-quote. If only one RFQ field moved, you may compare, but label that field.
A worked stop: CAD Rev C became CAD Rev D overnight. Sourcing wants to know why the number moved. The answer is file change. The action is re-quote Rev D. Comparing Rev C to Rev D without naming the revision is the argument.
What to tell sourcing: if they are unsure, fill the table first. If they still cannot name a class, they are not ready to argue the second number.
Comparison Checklist
Use this list as the comparison table.
- Put both quote IDs in one table.
- Write both CAD revision IDs.
- Mark which fields match and which do not.
- Name the cause class: file, RFQ, or DFM.
- Upload the current package if the old record is stale.
Step 1 is identity. No IDs, no comparison.
Step 2 is the solid. If a revision is missing, open the file properties and write it. Rev current is not an ID.
Step 3 is the field list from the information article. Match or delta. No third state called probably.
Step 4 is the sister article's three classes. One line per cause.
Step 5 is the current package. If neither record matches the solid on your desk, upload again.
A worked submit block: Q-4401 versus Q-4408. CAD Rev B versus Rev C. ABS match. Quantity match. Inspection empty versus FAI. Causes: file, RFQ. Current package is Rev C. That block ends the screenshot fight.
Common mistakes at submit:
- One ID only.
- Part name as the key.
- Cause class other.
- Comparing a guest preview to a logged-in review.
- Deleting the baseline so the table has one row.
What to tell sourcing: send the table with the current CAD. Hold the second number as comparable only after the rows are filled.
What to tell purchasing: two IDs and a field table are the comparison. A screenshot is not. If the solid changed, re-upload. Do not delete the old record.