A bid is only as good as what it is built on. When the details are thin, the price has to cover the unknowns, or it comes back with a list of questions first. A few minutes of prep on your end usually means a tighter number and a faster answer.

The drawing, or the next best thing

A dimensioned drawing is the gold standard. A PDF works. So do the files a design program exports, like DXF or STEP.

No drawing? That is fine. A clear sketch with measurements written on it does most of the same job. So do phone photos of the old part next to a tape measure, taken straight on rather than at an angle.

Material and thickness

Say what it should be made of if you know. If you don’t, say what the part has to do: hold weight, sit outside in the weather, look good on a wall. That points to the right material.

How many

One piece and fifty pieces are priced differently. Setup is a real part of the cost, so a run of the same part usually comes out cheaper per piece than a one-off. If you might need more later, say so.

Finish

Raw, painted, powder coated, polished? A finish changes the price and the timeline, so it belongs in the request.

When you need it

A real date helps us tell you straight whether it can be done in time. “No rush” is useful to know too.

Where it goes

A line about how the part will be used catches problems early: a hole that needs to line up with something, a clearance that matters, a load it has to carry.

Ready to send one? The bid request form has a spot for each of these, and room for up to three files.