Your estimators are drowning in RFQs.
Your best jobs are slipping away.
Forgepoint reads drawings, extracts specs, calculates estimates, and responds to RFQs — so your estimators can focus on the complex jobs that actually need their expertise.
Sound familiar?
RFQs piling up, estimators maxed out
Every RFQ feels urgent. The drawing packages keep coming — 15 pages, 47 pages, 200 pages. Your estimators are working nights and weekends just to keep up.
Hours spent on jobs you won't win
Your estimator spends 4 hours pricing a job. You submit the quote. Radio silence. The customer went with whoever responded first — three days ago.
Reading drawings is the bottleneck
Extract dimensions. Identify materials. Count the parts. Calculate bend deductions. Estimate weld inches. Before you even open your estimating software, half the day is gone.
Can't scale without hiring more estimators
You want to quote more jobs. But good estimators are impossible to find, expensive to hire, and take years to train. Growth feels capped by your quoting capacity.
See how Forgepoint handles a fabrication RFQ
Sarah Chen, Engineering
RFQ - Mounting brackets (qty 200)
Attached are drawings for a custom mounting bracket we need fabricated.
- Qty: 200 pieces
- Material: 11 gauge mild steel
- Finish: Powder coat (black)
- Tolerances per drawing
- Need assembled with PEM studs (included in drawing)
Looking for pricing and lead time. This is for a production run with potential for ongoing orders.
Let me know if you have questions.
Sarah Chen
Procurement Manager
Midwest Industrial Equipment
AI Inside Sales Rep
DRAWING ANALYSIS: MIE-4472
Material: 11 GA mild steel (0.120")
Flat size: 8.5" x 6.25"
Operations:
- Laser cut (perimeter + 4 holes)
- 3 brake bends (90°, 90°, 45°)
- PEM stud insertion (2x per part)
- Powder coat (black)
| OPERATION | PER UNIT |
|---|---|
| Material (11 GA mild steel) | $3.85 |
| Laser cutting | $2.40 |
| Forming (3 bends) | $1.80 |
| Hardware (PEM studs) | $0.90 |
| Powder coating | $4.50 |
| Unit cost | $13.45 |
| Total (Qty 200) | $2,690.00 |
Lead time: 2-3 weeks (subject to confirmation)
Quote Sent
Thank you for the RFQ on the mounting brackets (P/N: MIE-4472).
Based on the drawings, here's our estimate:
- Qty 200: $2,690.00 ($13.45/unit)
- Lead time: 2-3 weeks
This includes laser cutting, forming, PEM insertion, and black powder coat per your specs.
For ongoing production runs, we can discuss volume pricing.
Happy to jump on a call if you have questions.
- Pacific Coast Metalworks
Drawing analyzed and quote delivered in 13 minutes.
Your AI Estimator, working 24/7
Reads the drawings
Extracts dimensions, materials, tolerances, and operations from drawings and CAD files. Identifies laser cutting, bending, welding, hardware, and finishing requirements.
Calculates the estimate
Applies your shop rates, material costs, and production time estimates. Factors in setup, run time, and outside processing — using your logic, not generic formulas.
Sends for approval
Routes estimates to your team for review. Your estimators approve, adjust, and send — or let Forgepoint send routine quotes automatically.
- 3-5 days to turn around an estimate
- Estimators working nights and weekends
- Losing jobs to faster shops
- Hours wasted on jobs you won't win
- Can't scale without hiring more estimators
- Same-day estimates, often within an hour
- Estimators focused on complex, high-value jobs
- First to quote, first in consideration
- Quote more jobs without adding headcount
- Scale your capacity without scaling your team
35%
Average win rate in metal fabrication
Respond faster and you'll beat the average
4+ hours
Time a typical estimator spends on a single job
Time that could go toward complex, high-margin work
2-3 weeks
Average time to hire and train a new estimator
Forgepoint is quoting in 30 days
Connects to the systems you already run
Up and running in days, not months. No rip-and-replace.
- Pulls your shop rates and material costs
- Uses your estimating logic and formulas
- Logs all quotes and estimates automatically
JobBOSS
E2 Shop System
ProShop
Epicor
SAP
Netsuite
SecturaFAB
Custom ERP
Frequently asked questions
Stop losing jobs to shops that quote faster.
See how Forgepoint handles RFQs for metal fabricators. 15 minutes. No commitment.