Description
The quoted price is the number they compete on — and the one that matters least
Ask three suppliers for a quote and you get three unit prices. They are not comparable, and the gap between them is usually smaller than what the quote leaves out: tooling, samples, freight, duty, inspection, defects, minimum order quantities and the cash locked up in a deposit.
In this kit’s own sample data, the quoted prices span 19% — and the true costs span 38%, with the lowest quote finishing third. That reversal is routine.
What you get
1. A 10-sheet Excel workbook
- Start Here — how the sheets connect
- Settings — cost of capital, defect costs, and your scoring weights
- Supplier Directory — 20 suppliers with terms, lead times and incoterms
- Quote Comparison — four quotes reduced to true cost per unit
- Scorecard — quality, delivery, price and communication, weighted, with measured figures pulled from your own records
- Defect Log — 100 rows turning complaints into dated, costed evidence
- Payment Terms — what your terms cost in cash, and whether an early-payment discount is worth taking
- PO Register — 100 orders with expected against actual arrival
- Concentration Risk — how exposed you are if one supplier stops answering
- Dashboard — supplier base, spend, quality and risk at a glance
2. A 13-page companion guide (PDF)
What a quote excludes and by how much, how incoterms make quotes incomparable, how to score a supplier so the decision survives the next cheap offer, what a defect log is worth in a negotiation, how to value payment terms, and what actually moves in a negotiation — in order.
3. A Notion template
Five ready-to-import databases: Supplier Directory, Supplier Scorecard, Defect Log, Purchase Orders and Quote Comparison.
Built for
- Anyone choosing between suppliers on price because there is nothing else to compare
- Anyone whose supplier is reliably later than they quote
- Anyone paying a 50% or 100% deposit without knowing what it costs
- Anyone who would be in serious trouble if one supplier stopped replying
What’s in the file
- 1 x Excel workbook (.xlsx) — formulas live and editable
- 1 x PDF guide, 13 pages
- 5 x Notion-ready CSV databases + import instructions
- Delivered as a single ZIP, available immediately after payment
Compatibility
Microsoft Excel 2016 and later, Microsoft 365, Google Sheets and LibreOffice Calc. Any currency, any country, any incoterm.
This is a planning tool. It does not constitute tax, accounting, legal or financial advice. Incoterms, customs duty, import requirements and contract law vary by country and by agreement — confirm your terms in writing and take professional advice on any contract you are unsure of.
Frequently asked questions
What is an incoterm and why does the guide keep mentioning it?
The three-letter code on a quote that decides who pays for freight, insurance and duty. An EXW quote and a DDP quote are not comparable until you add the missing costs to the first — which is exactly what the comparison sheet does.
I only have one supplier. Is this still useful?
Yes, and arguably more so. The concentration risk sheet is written for exactly that position, and the payment terms sheet works on a single relationship.
Do I need to be importing to use it?
No. Domestic suppliers have tooling charges, minimum orders, defect rates and payment terms too. Leave freight and duty at zero and the rest works unchanged.
How often should I score suppliers?
Quarterly takes about fifteen minutes. The point is to write it down while the problem is fresh, so that a five-percent-cheaper quote six months later does not win an argument it should lose.
Will this work in Google Sheets?
Yes. Upload to Google Drive and open with Google Sheets. Formulas, dropdowns and colour coding all carry over.
How does it differ from the Inventory kit?
The Inventory kit decides when and how much to order. This one decides who to order from, on what terms, and whether they are living up to them.
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