Metal Fabrication Quoting, Bidding, and Estimating Made Easy with Cetec ERP
If you run a metal fabrication shop, you know quoting and estimating can be a nightmare. Customers want fast, accurate quotes, but spreadsheets, static cost tables, and manual labor calculations slow you down, and one mistake can cost you money, time, or your credibility.
That’s exactly why metal fab shops are turning to Cetec ERP. It ties live material costs, labor standards, and BOM data directly into your quotes, so you can produce fast, consistent, and accurate pricing every time. No more guesswork, scrambling, or bottlenecks.
BOM Quote Worksheet: The Heart of Fast, Accurate Quotes
At the center of this is Cetec ERP’s BOM Quote Worksheet. Think of it as your shop’s command center for quoting, the ultimate estimating and bidding tool. Here’s what it gives you:
- Templates for repeat assemblies: Got welded frames, brackets, sheet metal enclosures, or subassemblies you build over and over? Copy a template into the quote worksheet, tweak quantities or materials, and you’re ready to go. No need to start from scratch.
- Live material costs: Prices pull directly from your vendor data or internal inventory. When steel, aluminum, or hardware prices change, your quotes stay accurate, no outdated numbers sneaking in.
- Labor standards built in: Welding, cutting, bending, assembly, every operation has a defined time standard. Cetec ERP calculates the labor cost automatically, factoring in real shop rates. No more underquoting or hoping your margins survive.
- Optional parts and processes: Powder coating, plating, outsourced work? Add it to the quote without breaking the template or losing control.
With this, your quoting process is fast, accurate, and repeatable, while keeping your engineering and production teams aligned.
Estimating Labor with Accuracy, Speed, and Ease
One of the biggest headaches for metal fab shops is estimating labor: how long will welding, cutting, bending, or assembly take? In Cetec ERP, that’s built right into the system.
- Labor estimates automatically calculated from your BOM: Every operation in the BOM (welding, bending, cutting, finishing, etc.) has a defined time standard. When you load a template into the quote worksheet, Cetec ERP multiplies those times by your labor rates and calculates total labor costs automatically.
- Adjust labor for custom work: If a particular job is more complex or requires special skills, you can tweak the labor time directly in the worksheet and immediately see updated costs.
- Combine labor and materials for full costing: As you build the quote, the BOM Quote Worksheet adds material costs, labor, and optional processes for a total cost and margin view. This gives you full visibility before sending a quote to the customer.
- Easy outsourcing steps: If a part of the job will be outsourced (like powder coating, laser cutting, or specialty machining), you can include those charges in the BOM Quote Worksheet, assign labor and cost rates, and see the impact on total cost instantly.
This feature alone can save hours on estimating and ensure you never underprice a job because of overlooked labor. It keeps your quotes consistent, accurate, and profitable, while still giving your team the flexibility to handle custom jobs.
Seamless Transition from Quote to BOM
One of the biggest headaches for metal fab shops is turning a quote into a production-ready BOM. Too often, quotes live in spreadsheets or PDFs, and someone has to manually reconstruct it in engineering or production. Mistakes happen, materials get missed, and costs get miscalculated.
Cetec ERP solves this:
- Create a BOM straight from a quote: Approved quotes can push directly into production BOMs, keeping all components, quantities, and operations intact.
- Keep costs current: If prices or labor rates have changed since the quote, the BOM can update automatically, so production uses accurate costs while the original quote remains intact for reference.
- Traceability: Every part, labor entry, and cost is traceable back to the quote. This is huge for audits, customer questions, and internal accountability.
This workflow (quote to BOM) is straightforward, reliable, and eliminates the “translation errors” that spreadsheets create.
Live Costs and Labor Standards: No More Guessing
Cetec ERP keeps live, up-to-date data at the heart of your quoting process.
- Material costs: Pull real-time stock prices from vendors or internal inventory. Changes automatically reflect in quotes.
- Labor standards: Each operation has a defined time, and the system multiplies it by your labor rates. Changes in rates or efficiency are reflected automatically.
- Total costing and margin visibility: Cetec ERP calculates total cost and margin instantly, so you know profitability before committing to a customer.
Even for complex, nested assemblies or multi-level subassemblies, Cetec ERP keeps total costs and labor accurate and visible. No surprises.
Handle Customization Without the Headache
Metal fabrication is rarely “one-size-fits-all.” Customers request custom cutouts, unique materials, tighter tolerances, or finishing processes. Cetec ERP handles this seamlessly:
- Add optional components or alternate materials directly in the quote.
- Adjust labor for specialized processes or high-precision work.
- Factor in outsourced work or finishing services without breaking the quote template.
Everything is tracked and auditable, giving your estimators confidence and preserving your margins.
Consistency, Speed, and Collaboration
Using the BOM Quote Worksheet, your shop gains:
- Consistency: Every estimator works from the same templates, cost data, and labor standards. No more rogue spreadsheets.
- Speed: Quotes for recurring assemblies can be done in minutes. Complex jobs take hours instead of days.
- Collaboration: Engineering, production, and sales all see the same data in real time. Changes propagate instantly, reducing miscommunication and rework.
What used to be a bottleneck becomes a competitive advantage. Faster quotes, more accurate pricing, and less wasted time.
The Bottom Line for Metal Fabricators
If quoting and estimating feels like a constant uphill battle, Cetec ERP changes the game:
- Fast, accurate quotes tied to live material and labor data
- Seamless quote-to-BOM conversion
- Support for complex assemblies and subassemblies
- Full traceability for cost, labor, and approvals
- Real-time collaboration across engineering, sales, and production
Metal fab shops that adopt this workflow stop losing money on underquoted jobs, stop scrambling mid-week for missing information, and gain the confidence to quote faster, smarter, and more profitably.
Cetec ERP doesn’t just help you quote, it transforms the way your shop runs.