Compare quotations against one current Melton project brief before comparing their price figures. A reply can appear cheaper while describing a different article, width, colour quantity or sample revision. Build the comparison from what each supplier has actually confirmed, keep missing fields open, and ask targeted follow-up questions. The result should explain whether the offers answer the same purchasing decision.
1. Freeze the brief you want priced
Identify the garment project, article or development reference, physical colour standard and specification revision. State fixed composition, care and other evidence requirements separately from preferences. Include the requested quantity and unit, quantity per colour, sample stage and buyer timing requirements. Send the same version for the comparison you intend to make, rather than comparing replies to different informal messages.
Keep the buyer's target and each confirmed supplier statement in separate fields. If an article has not yet been identified, compare the scope of development advice and sample proposals; do not present them as equivalent confirmed fabric offers. A commercial Melton name by itself does not prove that two suppliers are quoting the same construction, blend, finish or physical reference.
2. Resolve weight, width and quantity units
Record the quotation's price unit and currency exactly. Keep fabric weight and its unit separate from the price basis. A g/linear m statement is not a GSM statement, and a metre price is not automatically comparable with a yard or kilogram price. If a conversion is useful, show its assumptions and original inputs, and ask the supplier to confirm the commercial basis before relying on it.
Record total width and usable width separately. A wider total width does not establish a wider usable layout, and a lower metre price does not by itself establish a lower cost for the same garment. Consumption depends on the actual pattern layout, usable width, cutting direction and production plan. Ask the pattern maker for the corresponding consumption estimate instead of deriving it from GSM.
3. Compare article evidence, not completed-looking cells
For each reply, attach the current article identity, specification and applicable sample or report. Note whether the composition and weight are confirmed for that exact reference, nominal information, or still unanswered. Ask how a revised finish or colour affects the quoted article and retained sample. Do not substitute a report for a different article or a company-wide certificate for the specific evidence your brief requires.
Use 'not supplied' or 'needs confirmation' for missing information. A blank technical field should lead to a question, not a zero score or a guessed figure. If one offer does not yet answer a fixed requirement, keep that status visible even if its price is attractive. The next decision may be to obtain evidence or sample metreage, rather than to choose a supplier immediately.
4. Make colour quantities and sample conditions explicit
List the planned colours and the quantity for each colour with its unit. Ask whether the applicable minimum concerns the total order, an article, a colour or another condition, and preserve the supplier's wording. Do not use one total quantity to assume every colour is accepted. Ask what happens when the requested colour or sample standard changes during development.
Record sample format, quantity, charges and dispatch arrangements from the current reply. Separate an available sample from a confirmed bulk article and quantity. This site does not publish a universal MOQ, free-sample promise or fixed stock status. The useful comparison is the set of conditions that apply to the same identified Melton enquiry at the date of the reply.
5. Separate the milestones and inclusions
Ask each supplier to distinguish the next sample, colour review, garment trial, applicable approval and production/delivery milestones. Record what must happen before a timing estimate begins and which details remain conditional. A sample dispatch estimate and a production readiness estimate are different statements. Keep the date of the reply and any stated validity period with the quotation.
Write down the stated inclusions and exclusions: fabric quantity basis, sample costs, packaging information where supplied, transport arrangements and any other quoted conditions relevant to the enquiry. Do not silently add or remove charges to make totals look comparable. Where formal commercial or delivery terms are being agreed, ask the supplier to confirm the actual written terms for the transaction.
6. Decide the next action and preserve the record
Review three questions: do the replies describe a sufficiently comparable article and specification; which fixed requirements have evidence; and what must be clarified before the next sample or purchasing decision? A clear answer can be 'request the missing usable width' or 'trial the current reference with the agreed support materials'. Avoid a universal score that hides a technical gap behind a low price.
Keep quotation files, reply dates, sample identities and brief versions together. When a requirement changes, request an updated reply and mark the previous one superseded for that comparison. Send concise follow-up questions to Mr Kcal or the relevant supplier, rather than rewriting the missing fields yourself. A website comparison is a buyer worksheet; a final order must refer to the applicable confirmed article, standard and written conditions.
| Comparison field | Preserve from each reply | Question if missing |
|---|---|---|
| Article and revision | Code, sample/colour identity and specification | Which current article does this quote describe? |
| Weight and width | Value/unit; total and usable width; evidence status | Do the units and usable area match our brief? |
| Price | Currency, price unit and stated inclusions | What exactly is included in this price basis? |
| Colours and quantity | Quantity per colour; applicable minimum wording | Does this quantity work for every requested colour? |
| Timing | Sample, review and production milestones; dependencies | Which event starts each timing estimate? |
Questions before your next sample
Is the lowest metre price always the lowest garment fabric cost?
No. Establish the article, usable width and actual pattern consumption before comparing the relevant material cost. Preserve the quoted unit and stated conditions.
Can I compare quotations before all the specifications are confirmed?
You can organise the replies and identify gaps. Keep the comparison provisional and do not mark an offer as meeting a fixed requirement without applicable evidence.
What should I do after changing the sample or colour standard?
Identify the new revision, explain the change and request a current reply. Keep the previous quote and sample record so the changes remain traceable.
Compare exceptions before comparing the headline price
Put each reply beside the same brief revision and mark any exception: another article, a different usable width, a changed quantity basis, an excluded colour or an unconfirmed sample condition. Do not overwrite the original reply to make the columns look identical. Ask the supplier to clarify what is included and which requested conditions remain open. A lower number for a different material or unit is not yet a lower offer for the same brief.
Use a clarification log with the quoted field, original statement, buyer question and confirmed revision. If one supplier cannot yet identify the article behind a collection direction, keep that line provisional. If another offers an alternative, compare it as an alternative sample and repeat the relevant review rather than treating it as an approved substitute. Keep buyer target dates separate from confirmed milestones and distinguish a sample-development charge from a bulk quotation. Once replies are aligned, review the remaining evidence and trial needs before an order decision. This comparison organises the information; it does not confirm availability, reserve production or establish a contract. Leave unresolved exceptions visible when sending the next question to Fred.
A revised quotation offers a different cloth at the old reference name
Connect each quotation version to the article and specification it actually covers. If the reply offers a substitute, show it beside the original candidate and list the differences that matter to this brief. A familiar buyer reference or similar collection name does not establish the same composition, weight basis, usable width or sample conditions. Ask which quoted item corresponds to the physical cutting you reviewed. Until that link is clear, the price difference is not an explained comparison for the same requirement.
Keep a separate line for each unresolved exception rather than adjusting the specification yourself. Ask the supplier to confirm the applicable quantity basis and the scope of the quotation for the selected candidate. Record any changed requirement as a buyer decision with its own version, so the next recipient can see why the quotations differ. A cheaper proposal can remain under discussion while evidence is missing; it should not be labelled the best value by a numerical score that ignores those gaps.