Quotation Comparison Sheet for Custom Bag Orders

Two suppliers return different prices for your custom bag. One quotes the requested color split and inside pocket. The other names only the total quantity and a zipped opening. Before choosing a price, put the replies against the same brief and mark every requirement that remains unanswered.

A quotation comparison sheet gives your procurement team a place to put each supplier's reply against the same requirement. Keep the original brief beside it and mark each row as confirmed, different or unanswered. Then ask suppliers to return revised quotations against the same version before comparing the totals.

Download the editable quotation comparison sheet for bag orders (CSV). It opens in Excel or another spreadsheet application and has separate columns for your requirement, two supplier replies, their document references and follow-up status. The response columns are blank so your team can record actual quotations without assumed prices or scores.

How to use the quotation comparison sheet

1. Enter the brief revision and your requirements before copying in prices.
2. Add a row for every style, body color and artwork combination, with its quantity.
3. Copy each supplier's confirmed specification and quote reference into the matching columns; label missing details as unanswered.
4. Record exclusions and proposed substitutions separately. Request a corrected scope before treating different offers as comparable.
5. Keep the selected quotation revision with the sample approval record so later changes remain traceable.

Give the comparison a fixed starting point

Choose one brief revision and write its name on your comparison sheet. Include the drawing, component list and artwork version in the same folder. An email saying “please add a lining” can easily be missed when the attachment still shows the earlier construction.

Ask each supplier which revision they priced. If one used an older file, request a correction before comparing anything else. For a brief that is still being developed, our bag tech pack guide explains what information belongs in the attachment. Here, the task is checking the replies to that brief.

Do the same with quantities. A quotation for one body color and one logo is a different request from the same total divided between several color and artwork combinations. Send the assortment as rows, with a quantity against each row. Keep proposed alternative quantities separate from the quantity you actually need.

Check the quantity behind the unit price

Truedrape's MOQ is 300 pieces per style per color. A 600-piece total does not make every proposed split eligible. For example, 300 navy and 300 black pieces of the same style meet that quantity minimum. A split of 450 navy and 150 black does not, because the black version is below 300. These are arithmetic examples, not quotations or approvals of materials and construction.

If a supplier prices 600 pieces in one color while your brief requests two colors, ask for a revised quote against the requested rows. Do not assume that the quoted unit price carries over. Identify each logo variation as well, so artwork and setup assumptions remain visible even when the body color is unchanged.

Ask the supplier to distinguish the bag MOQ from any separate sourcing requirement for a custom component. Record whether the quotation includes the full required component purchase or leaves a cost unresolved. Use the MOQ and color-planning guide to revise the assortment if needed, then send the same revision to all suppliers being compared.

Mark the differences before discussing the total

Use a short sheet that follows the order of your specification. Copy the supplier's wording into it rather than translating every answer into a vague “yes.” A blank answer stays unanswered until the supplier confirms it.

In the downloaded sheet, use the document-reference columns to identify the page, line item or email that supports a reply. Use the status column for the decision still needed. A bare check mark cannot show whether an internal pocket, second logo position or specific lining was actually priced.

Consider a hypothetical tote brief that specifies a zipped opening and an inside pocket. Supplier A names both. Supplier B names the zipper but says nothing about the pocket. Do not add an estimated pocket cost to Supplier B's quotation yourself. Ask for an explicit inclusion and a revised total. The supplier may have included it already, omitted it, or interpreted the drawing differently.

Keep those possibilities open. Missing wording is a question to resolve, not proof of poor workmanship or an attempt to hide a charge.

For a custom zipper tote in cotton canvas, identify the opening construction, inside pocket, lining and handle attachment separately. The product page provides a design reference. It does not confirm the specification or price for your order. Ask the supplier to name the fabric and component references actually included in the proposal.

A custom foldable cooler tote raises a different comparison: what happens to the base when the bag folds? If one proposal includes separate support and another leaves support unspecified, request a drawing or sample review before treating them as equivalent. Any required thermal, leakage or fold-performance assessment needs its own agreed scope and quoted responsibility. The word “insulated” does not confirm a tested duration.

Material descriptions deserve the same treatment. If the brief names a shell swatch and a lining reference, “canvas bag” does not confirm both. Ask the supplier to identify the proposed shell and lining separately. Likewise, “logo included” leaves the printing method, number of positions and artwork size open. Resolve those details before treating the quotes as equivalent.

Where branding is still undecided, attach the logo placement approval record. For multiple colors or logos, attach a carton assortment instruction so “packing included” refers to the work your receiving team actually needs.

Put proposed substitutions in a separate column

A supplier may suggest a different lining, handle construction or logo method. That can be useful, provided the original request and the alternative remain distinguishable.

Ask for two clearly named options: the requested specification and the proposed change. Against the change, record what your team needs to assess on a sample. A different handle attachment, for example, belongs in the drawing and sample review; it should not disappear into a general note that the bag will be “similar.”

If an alternative is accepted, issue a revised brief to every supplier still being considered. Otherwise, you may finish the comparison with several different bags under the same project name. The tote bag references can help describe a construction direction, but a reference page does not replace the specification for your order.

Separate an order cost from a unit price

Create another small list for charges outside the bag unit price. Ask whether sampling, artwork preparation, special tooling, testing, packing or delivery arrangements are included, excluded or not yet quoted. Record only the items that apply to your project.

For sampling, clarify what the charge covers and what happens when you request a design change. For tooling, ask about ownership, storage and possible charges on a repeat order. Do not assume a future credit or reuse arrangement unless the supplier has confirmed it.

Also align the delivery basis, named location, currency and quotation validity. A manufacturing price and a price that includes additional transport services do not belong in one unlabeled column. Leave an unconfirmed cost open rather than entering zero. Confirm any destination-specific charges separately before treating the comparison as a complete delivered budget.

For the scope you are comparing, calculate the confirmed order subtotal as the sum of each variant's quantity multiplied by its quoted unit price, plus separately confirmed charges. Keep excluded and unanswered items beside that subtotal. Only compare per-unit equivalents when both quotations cover the same quantities and scope; dividing an incomplete subtotal by the order quantity can make an omission look like a saving.

Request packing assumptions if transport is included: packed dimensions, units per carton and the proposed folding arrangement. A fold-flat design reference alone does not establish freight savings. Ask which figures are provisional and when the packed sample will confirm them.

Send one consolidated clarification request

Sort unresolved rows by whether they could change the comparison. A missing lining specification, unpriced second logo or unknown delivery scope should remain open before you select a price. A proposed alternative can stay beside the requested specification, but label it as a separate option. This keeps a cheaper, different bag from silently becoming the basis of the decision.

Return your marked sheet with a short instruction: “Please quote brief revision B with the attached assortment. Confirm the highlighted inclusions, list exclusions, and show proposed substitutions separately.” Replace the revision label with your actual file name.

Ask for one revised document that includes the agreed corrections. Keep the original for reference, but label the current version clearly. Before accepting it, check that the new price still covers the components and approval conditions already agreed.

Once the scope matches, your team can consider price alongside the sample, communication and proposed schedule. Matching quotations still do not guarantee matching production results. Carry the agreed specification into sample approval, and record any later change before approving bulk production.

For a Truedrape quotation, send the brief and the points that still need a decision. Include quantities by style and color, the required construction, destination and target timing. Mark any inspection or testing work that needs a separate quotation, using the bag quality inspection checklist to explain the evidence you require. This gives the team a defined scope to review before sampling.