The RFQ Comparator: Landed Cost Per Good Unit

An un-normalizable quote gets compared on its best number. This tool normalizes all of them to the only number that compares: the landed, terms-adjusted cost of a unit you can actually use. In the sample buy, the $3.60 import bracket really costs $4.394; the $4.85 local one costs $4.909. The real spread is 11%, not 26% — the import still wins, if your line can wait 45 days. The comparator doesn't hate cheap; it prices it.

How it works

• The Comparator — five quotes, seven inputs each → landed total, a credit for the payment terms at your carrying rate, and cost per GOOD unit, ranked
• The Apples Test — the traps: per-100 pricing, freight "TBD," who owns the tooling (the clause worth more than most discounts), "or equivalent" materials — and the calculator proving 2/10 net 30 is a 37% annualized return you should always take
• Award & Negotiate — when lead time and single-source risk overrule the rank, the 70/30 split award, negotiating with the normalized gap instead of a phantom quote, and the two-sentence debrief that keeps losers quoting

Built for

Whoever does the buying: machine and fab shops · cabinet shops · private-label and e-commerce sourcing · print and promo buyers · any purchasing desk staring at three quotes that refuse to line up.

What you get

One .xlsx file, four tabs, instant download. Excel, Google Sheets, Apple Numbers, LibreOffice. No macros, no subscription. Pairs with The Vendor Scorecard for the ongoing relationship after the award.