How to Compare Supplier Quotes for a Multi-Item Print Programme

When you run a print programme for a corporate client, you rarely buy one job. You price a basket: brochures, stationery, point-of-sale, event kits, perhaps stock held and released over twelve months. Suppliers quote that basket in different shapes, and the cheapest total on the cover email is often not the cheapest programme. This guide walks an estimator through a repeatable method to compare supplier quotes for a print programme on a true like-for-like basis.

Step 1: Fix the specification before you send the RFQ

Most comparison problems are created at the request stage. If two suppliers interpret "A5 brochure, 16pp, silk" differently, their prices cannot be compared however carefully you analyse them.

Build one specification sheet per item and send the same sheet to every supplier. Include:

• Finished size, extent, orientation and binding method
• Stock: weight, finish, brand or accepted equivalents, and whether FSC or other certification is required
• Colours, coatings and any special finishes such as spot UV or foiling
• Proofing requirement (PDF, hard copy, press proof)
• Quantities, including every break you want priced
• Packing, labelling and delivery points
• Artwork status and who is responsible for preflight

If you allow alternatives, say so explicitly and ask suppliers to price the base specification first, with alternatives as separate lines.

Step 2: Ask for quotes in a common layout

Supply a response template with one row per item and quantity, and fixed columns for the cost elements. A free-form PDF from each supplier means you re-key everything and risk errors.

Useful columns are:

1. Unit or run price per quantity break
2. Origination or set-up charges
3. Proofs
4. Packing and palletising
5. Carriage, by delivery point
6. Price validity and lead time
7. Notes and assumptions

Separating carriage and set-up from the run price is what makes the later steps possible.

Step 3: Normalise every quote

Now convert each response into the same basis. Work through these checks for every line.

Check what is included

Tick off proofs, packing, carriage, VAT or sales tax treatment and any one-off tooling such as cutting forms. A quote that looks 4% cheaper may simply exclude carriage to three delivery points.

Check the stock

Confirm the paper actually quoted. "135gsm silk" from one mill can differ in bulk and opacity from another, and a substitute may change the finished thickness or spine width. Note any deviations and decide whether they are acceptable to the client.

Check the quantities and tolerances

Some suppliers quote "plus or minus 10%" on quantity and bill for what is delivered. Others guarantee a minimum. Record the tolerance, because over-delivery on a programme with release-based billing can distort your cost against the client price.

Check lead time and validity

A cheaper price with a ten-day turnaround is not equivalent to a five-day price if the client's calendar needs the shorter time. Likewise, note how long prices hold; programmes that run all year need either fixed pricing or a stated review mechanism.

Step 4: Build a landed cost per item

For each item and quantity, calculate the landed cost to your client's required location:

landed cost = run cost + set-up + proofs + packing + carriage + any known extras

Hypothetical example: Supplier A quotes 5,000 leaflets at 410.00 with carriage at 65.00 per delivery. Supplier B quotes 395.00 with carriage at 110.00 per delivery. For a single delivery A is 475.00 and B is 505.00. For a split into two deliveries A is 540.00 and B is 615.00. The apparently cheaper supplier loses once the delivery pattern is included. These figures are illustrative only.

Step 5: Weight the basket by real volumes

Unit price comparisons mislead when suppliers are strong on some items and weak on others. Multiply each landed cost by the forecast annual volume for that item, then total the basket for each supplier.

Be honest about the forecast. If the client's history shows that 70% of spend is on three items, a supplier's sharp price on a rarely ordered item should not sway you. If you have no history, run the comparison at low, expected and high volumes to see whether the ranking holds.

Step 6: Compare the non-price factors

Cost is one column of the decision. Add a short scorecard for factors that affect margin and client satisfaction:

• Quality evidence: samples, certifications, remake history on your own jobs
• Capacity and reliability: how they handled peak periods
• Communication: speed of answering queries, proof turnaround
• Payment terms: 30 days or 60 days affects your cash position on programme spend
• Capability across the basket: can one supplier cover several items, reducing consolidated deliveries and admin
• Risk: dependence on a single supplier for a critical item

Keep the scoring simple, such as 1 to 3, and write one line of evidence for each score.

Step 7: Decide the split and the fallback

The winner by total basket cost may not be the right sole supplier. Consider:

• Awarding by item group, where a specialist wins wide format and another wins litho
• Naming a primary and a secondary supplier for the highest-volume items
• Setting a threshold at which you re-quote, such as a stock price rise or a missed delivery

Splitting the award raises admin but lowers risk. Make the decision knowingly rather than by default.

Step 8: Price the client's quote and protect your margin

Only now should you turn supplier cost into the client's price. Apply your margin rules to landed cost, not to the run price alone, and add your own handling: artwork checks, proofing, warehousing and account management time. If the programme includes held stock or call-offs, include storage and handling charges in the model.

Record the supplier prices, assumptions and validity dates alongside the client quote. When a supplier's price changes mid-programme, you can see exactly which client lines are affected.

Step 9: Keep the comparison reusable

A comparison done in a spreadsheet and buried in an email thread has to be rebuilt next year. Store the specification sheets, supplier responses and your normalised results together, linked to the client account. Tools that hold supplier RFQs and outsourced print costs against estimates and jobs make this easier, because the quote you accepted flows into purchasing instead of being retyped. If you want a wider view of how supplier cost sits within estimating, see print estimating and margin control.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Comparing total quote values when suppliers have quoted different item sets
• Ignoring carriage on multi-address programmes
• Accepting stock substitutions without checking the client's brand rules
• Using last year's volumes without checking whether the client's plans have changed
• Awarding on price and discovering later that proofing or turnaround is not workable

Next step

Take your next programme RFQ and build the response template from Step 2 before you send it. If you want to see how supplier quotations can connect to customer estimates and purchase orders in one system, you can request a demo of ePRO.