How can buyers obtain comparable garment factory quotations?
Direct answer
Comparable garment quotations come from asking factories to respond to the same specification, the same quantity breakdown, the same quotation scope and the same commercial basis.
Matching unit prices do not necessarily represent matching offers, and the lowest unit price may not produce the lowest final cost. Differences in fabric quality, weight, wastage, colour count, packaging, testing, sampling charges, tooling, payment terms or delivery point can make two quotations fundamentally different.
The purpose of a quotation comparison is not simply to rank prices. It is to establish what each factory is supplying, what it has excluded, which responsibilities it accepts and where its proposal differs from the original brief.
Scope
This guide applies when comparing two or more OEM, ODM or custom garment factories for underwear, uniforms, workwear, fashion, sportswear, childrenswear and other knitted or woven products. Early concept estimates can be useful when a product is still being defined, but they should not be treated as confirmed bulk-production prices.
What the buyer should provide
One controlled RFQ version
Every candidate factory should receive the same version of the technical information, quantity breakdown and timing requirements. Documents should carry a date or version number, and later changes should be issued consistently to every factory that remains in the comparison.
Defined quotation quantities
State the style, colour and size breakdown and request quotations at the same volume levels. The same total quantity can result in different costs when the number of colour and size combinations changes.
A common commercial basis
Specify currency, tax basis, delivery point or trade term, packaging, payment expectations, target shipment timing and required quotation validity. An ex-factory price cannot be compared directly with a price that includes export documentation or transport.
Rules for alternatives
If alternative fabrics, trims or construction methods are acceptable, require the factory to describe and price them separately. A substitute should not be built into the main quotation without disclosure.
What the factory should confirm
A clear quotation should identify:
- the RFQ version and quotation date;
- product, material, weight and construction assumptions;
- quantity and colour-size breakdown;
- included fabrics, trims, labour, packaging and documents;
- whether sampling, patterns, tooling, testing or inspection are charged separately;
- MOQ and any surcharge below the normal minimum;
- sampling, material preparation and bulk-production lead times;
- payment and delivery terms, plus the quotation validity period;
- every deviation, substitute or provisional item.
Where a cost or condition still depends on supplier confirmation, it should be labelled provisional rather than left blank or silently assumed.
What NiceDay Tex coordinates
NiceDay Tex can convert the buyer's requirements into a common RFQ and normalise factory responses for comparison. We review the specification basis, material source, MOQ, one-off charges, testing, packaging, lead time, payment terms and stated deviations.
We do not reduce different offers to a simple “lowest price” ranking. If a lower price depends on lighter fabric, different trims, less testing, simplified packaging or an omitted cost, we make that difference visible so the buyer and factory can decide whether it is acceptable.
The factory confirms its quotation, capacity and commercial terms. The buyer selects the preferred proposal. NiceDay Tex coordinates the information and closes the open questions between them.
Checklist
- Every factory received the same RFQ version
- Quantity and colour-size breakdowns are aligned
- Material specifications and substitution rules are aligned
- Currency, tax basis and delivery terms are aligned
- Packaging, labelling and document requirements are aligned
- Sampling, testing, tooling and inspection charges are stated
- MOQ and below-minimum surcharges are stated
- Lead-time starting point and quotation validity are stated
- Deviations and provisional items are listed separately
- The full offer is compared, not only the unit price
Related articles
- What information is needed for a garment enquiry?
- Why does changing fabric affect price, testing and lead time?
- What should be confirmed before approving a garment sample?
If you have received several quotations but cannot identify why they differ, send NiceDay Tex the product information and quotation terms. We can help establish a common comparison basis and list the questions that still need factory confirmation.