Quoting Parts That Need Inspection

You’ve seen the RFQ: a precision CNC part, tight tolerances, and a note at the bottom — “Full FAI required per AS9102” or “CMM report with every shipment.” The geometry looks straightforward, but that inspection line changes everything. If you treat it like a standard job, you’ll either lose money on the inspection labor or lose the bid because your price looks high without explanation.

Inspection isn’t a line-item afterthought. It drives machine time, labor, equipment scheduling, and sometimes even the process route you choose. Here’s how to quote inspection-heavy work accurately so you protect margin and win the jobs that fit your shop.

Identify the Inspection Type Early

Not all inspection is created equal. The first step is classifying what the customer actually needs — and what the drawing or spec calls for. Common categories include:

• First Article Inspection (FAI): Full dimensional verification per AS9102, PPAP, or customer-specific form. Often requires a dedicated setup, ballooned drawings, and sign-off before production starts.
• In-Process / First-Off Inspection: Operator or probe-based checks after setup, before the batch runs. Less documentation, but still consumes machine and labor time.
• Final / CMM Inspection: Coordinate measuring machine report on critical features. May be 100% or sample-based (AQL).
• Source Inspection: Customer or third-party rep comes to your floor. Adds scheduling constraints and potential downtime.
• Material / Cert Verification: CoC, mill certs, heat lot traceability. Low labor but high administrative overhead if not systematized.

Ask for the inspection plan or quality clause upfront. If the customer can’t provide one, flag the risk in your quote assumptions.

Break Out Inspection as a Distinct Operation

Don’t bury inspection time inside “setup” or “per-part” rates. Create a separate operation in your quote with its own cycle time, labor rate, and equipment allocation. This does three things:

• Makes the cost visible to you and the customer.
• Lets you apply the right rate — CMM time isn’t the same as CNC operator time.
• Enables capacity planning: your CMM is a bottleneck resource just like your 5-axis mill.

For FAI, quote the ballooning, documentation, and review time separately from the measurement time. A complex FAI package can take 2–4 hours of engineering admin before the CMM even starts.

Account for Fixturing and Programming

Inspection often needs its own fixtures, soft jaws, or CMM programs. If the part is new, you’re writing a CMM routine from scratch — that’s engineering time. If it’s a repeat job, you’re verifying the program still matches the current revision. Both have cost.

Include:

• CMM programming time (offline or at-machine)
• Fixture design/build or modification
• Probe qualification and stylus changes
• Temperature soak time for high-accuracy parts

If the customer provides a CAD model with PMI (Product Manufacturing Information), you can import it directly into your CMM software — saving hours. Note that in your quote assumptions.

Factor in Sample Size and Frequency

A “CMM report with every shipment” means something very different for a batch of 5 vs. 5,000. Clarify the sampling plan:

• 100% inspection: every part measured, every feature reported.
• First article + periodic: FAI on lot 1, then 2 parts per shift, etc.
• AQL / statistical: per ANSI/ASQ Z1.4 or customer spec.

Quote the worst-case sampling the contract allows. If the customer later reduces frequency, you can offer a credit — but never quote best-case and hope for the best.

Build in Revision and Disposition Risk

Inspection finds nonconformances. When it does, you need a disposition path: rework, scrap, use-as-is with customer approval, or concession request. Each burns time.

Add a contingency line or percentage (typically 2–5% of inspection labor) for:

• Rework setup and re-inspection
• MRB (Material Review Board) coordination
• Customer engineering back-and-forth
• Documentation updates (revised FAI, new CoC)

If the part has a history of high scrap on a specific feature, reflect that in your per-part cost, not just the inspection line.

Use Your Quote to Set Expectations

A detailed inspection breakdown isn’t just for internal costing — it’s a sales tool. When the customer sees “FAI Programming: 3 hrs @ $95/hr” and “CMM Time: 1.5 hrs/part @ $120/hr,” they understand the value. It also gives you levers to pull if they push on price:

• Reduce sampling frequency (if contract allows)
• Accept customer-supplied FAI data for repeat orders
• Shift in-process checks to machine probing vs. CMM
• Batch FAI documentation across multiple POs

You’re not just selling parts — you’re selling traceability, compliance, and risk reduction. Make that visible.

Automate the Repeatable Parts

If you’re quoting similar inspection profiles repeatedly — same customer, same spec, same equipment — build templates. Your quoting system should let you:

• Store standard FAI/CMM operation packages with default times and rates
• Link inspection plans to part families or quality clauses
• Auto-calculate CMM time from feature count and tolerance band
• Flag when a new revision requires re-ballooning

This is where Solvi helps: the quoting engine lets you define inspection operations once, attach them to process templates, and apply them instantly to new RFQs — so you’re not reinventing the FAI breakdown every time.

Conclusion

Inspection requirements are a profit lever — if you quote them right. Treat them as engineered operations with real time, real equipment, and real risk. Break them out, document your assumptions, and use the detail to justify your price or negotiate scope. The shops that win profitable inspection-heavy work aren’t guessing — they’re calculating. Ready to quote FAI, CMM, and in-process checks without the spreadsheet gymnastics? See how Solvi handles inspection operations in your quoting workflow.