BIZOMAT Tools · Quoting
Supplier Comparison
Which supplier offers the stronger overall value?
Compares two suppliers with adjustable weights for price, lead time, quality and delivery reliability, and excludes any supplier rated below the minimum on quality or reliability.
Open the calculatorRuns in your browser. No account needed.
How this tool works
Inputs, units and where to find them
| Input | Unit | Typical source |
|---|---|---|
| Supplier A price | $ | Supplier A quoted price for the same scope |
| Supplier A lead time | days | Supplier A quoted lead time |
| Supplier A quality | 1–5 score | Supplier A quality rating from audits or past performance (1 poor, 5 excellent) |
| Supplier A reliability | 1–5 score | Supplier A on-time delivery record (1 poor, 5 excellent) |
| Supplier B price | $ | Supplier B quoted price for the same scope |
| Supplier B lead time | days | Supplier B quoted lead time |
| Supplier B quality | 1–5 score | Supplier B quality rating (1 poor, 5 excellent) |
| Supplier B reliability | 1–5 score | Supplier B delivery reliability rating (1 poor, 5 excellent) |
| Weight: price | % | Weight agreed for price before scoring |
| Weight: lead time | % | Weight agreed for lead time |
| Weight: quality | % | Weight agreed for quality |
| Weight: delivery reliability | % | Weight agreed for delivery reliability |
What each input means
Open an input to see what it is, its units, the worked example and the common mistakes, with a small diagram.
What this means: Supplier A price
- What it is
- Supplier A’s total quoted price for the agreed scope, on the same basis as Supplier B’s quote.
- Units and format
- Enter a number in $: an amount of money; use one currency for every money input. The form accepts $1 or more.
- Example
- The form opens with $10000 as a worked example. It is an illustration, not a recommended value: replace it with your own figure.
- Effect on the result
- The cheaper supplier scores 100 on price; the other scores in proportion to the price ratio.
- Get it right
- Compare like with like: same quantity, delivery terms, freight and inclusions.
What this means: Supplier A lead time
- What it is
- How long Supplier A says it will take from order to delivery, from its quotation.
- Units and format
- Enter a number in days: days. The form accepts 1 days or more.
- Example
- The form opens with 21 days as a worked example. It is an illustration, not a recommended value: replace it with your own figure.
- Effect on the result
- The shorter lead time scores 100; the longer one scores in proportion.
- Get it right
- Use the same day basis for both suppliers, calendar or working days.
What this means: Supplier A quality
- What it is
- How well Supplier A meets specification, rated 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent), from audits, inspection results or past performance.
- Units and format
- Move the slider to a score from 1 (low) to 5 (high).
- Example
- The form opens with 4 as a worked example. It is an illustration, not a recommended value: replace it with your own figure.
- Effect on the result
- Scored as rating ÷ 5 × 100 within the quality weight.
- Get it right
- A rating of 2 or less rejects the supplier whatever the weighted score.
What this means: Supplier A reliability
- What it is
- How consistently Supplier A delivers on time and in full, rated 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent), from its delivery record.
- Units and format
- Move the slider to a score from 1 (low) to 5 (high).
- Example
- The form opens with 4 as a worked example. It is an illustration, not a recommended value: replace it with your own figure.
- Effect on the result
- Scored as rating ÷ 5 × 100 within the reliability weight.
- Get it right
- A rating of 2 or less rejects the supplier whatever the weighted score.
What this means: Supplier B price
- What it is
- Supplier B’s total quoted price for the agreed scope, on the same basis as Supplier A’s quote.
- Units and format
- Enter a number in $: an amount of money; use one currency for every money input. The form accepts $1 or more.
- Example
- The form opens with $9200 as a worked example. It is an illustration, not a recommended value: replace it with your own figure.
- Effect on the result
- The cheaper supplier scores 100 on price; the other scores in proportion to the price ratio.
- Get it right
- Compare like with like: same quantity, delivery terms, freight and inclusions.
What this means: Supplier B lead time
- What it is
- How long Supplier B says it will take from order to delivery, from its quotation.
- Units and format
- Enter a number in days: days. The form accepts 1 days or more.
- Example
- The form opens with 35 days as a worked example. It is an illustration, not a recommended value: replace it with your own figure.
- Effect on the result
- The shorter lead time scores 100; the longer one scores in proportion.
- Get it right
- Use the same day basis for both suppliers, calendar or working days.
What this means: Supplier B quality
- What it is
- How well Supplier B meets specification, rated 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent), from audits, inspection results or past performance.
- Units and format
- Move the slider to a score from 1 (low) to 5 (high).
- Example
- The form opens with 3 as a worked example. It is an illustration, not a recommended value: replace it with your own figure.
- Effect on the result
- Scored as rating ÷ 5 × 100 within the quality weight.
- Get it right
- A rating of 2 or less rejects the supplier whatever the weighted score.
What this means: Supplier B reliability
- What it is
- How consistently Supplier B delivers on time and in full, rated 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent), from its delivery record.
- Units and format
- Move the slider to a score from 1 (low) to 5 (high).
- Example
- The form opens with 3 as a worked example. It is an illustration, not a recommended value: replace it with your own figure.
- Effect on the result
- Scored as rating ÷ 5 × 100 within the reliability weight.
- Get it right
- A rating of 2 or less rejects the supplier whatever the weighted score.
What this means: Weight: price
- What it is
- How much price counts in the overall comparison relative to the other three criteria, agreed before the quotes are scored.
- Units and format
- Enter a number in %: percent: the number is read as a percentage, so type 8 for 8 %. The form accepts 0% to 100%.
- Example
- The form opens with 40% as a worked example. It is an illustration, not a recommended value: replace it with your own figure.
- Effect on the result
- A higher weight favours the cheaper supplier.
- Get it right
- The four weights are scaled to their total, so they need not add to 100; agree them before seeing the scores.
What this means: Weight: lead time
- What it is
- How much lead time counts in the overall comparison relative to the other criteria, agreed before scoring.
- Units and format
- Enter a number in %: percent: the number is read as a percentage, so type 8 for 8 %. The form accepts 0% to 100%.
- Example
- The form opens with 15% as a worked example. It is an illustration, not a recommended value: replace it with your own figure.
- Effect on the result
- A higher weight favours the supplier with the shorter lead time.
- Get it right
- The four weights are scaled to their total, so they need not add to 100.
What this means: Weight: quality
- What it is
- How much the quality rating counts in the overall comparison relative to the other criteria, agreed before scoring.
- Units and format
- Enter a number in %: percent: the number is read as a percentage, so type 8 for 8 %. The form accepts 0% to 100%.
- Example
- The form opens with 20% as a worked example. It is an illustration, not a recommended value: replace it with your own figure.
- Effect on the result
- A higher weight favours the supplier with the better quality rating.
- Get it right
- The weight cannot rescue a supplier rated 2 or less on quality; that is a rejection.
What this means: Weight: delivery reliability
- What it is
- How much on-time delivery counts in the overall comparison relative to the other criteria, agreed before scoring.
- Units and format
- Enter a number in %: percent: the number is read as a percentage, so type 8 for 8 %. The form accepts 0% to 100%.
- Example
- The form opens with 25% as a worked example. It is an illustration, not a recommended value: replace it with your own figure.
- Effect on the result
- A higher weight favours the supplier with the better delivery record.
- Get it right
- The weight cannot rescue a supplier rated 2 or less on reliability; that is a rejection.
Method and formulas
- Price score = lowest price ÷ supplier price × 100
- Lead score = shortest lead ÷ supplier lead × 100
- Quality and reliability scores = rating ÷ 5 × 100
- Total = weighted average of the four scores (weights normalised to 100%)
- A quality or reliability rating of 1–2 excludes the supplier regardless of score
Limitations
- Two suppliers only
- Ratings must be evidence-based
- Uses quoted price, not total landed cost
Typical uses
- Supplier selection
- Tender evaluation for small purchases
- Documenting a sourcing decision
Who it is for
- Purchasing and procurement staff
- Engineering and quality teams
What you get
- Preferred supplier, TOO CLOSE TO CALL or BOTH REJECTED
- Weighted scoring table
Interpreting the result
- Agree the weights before seeing the prices
- Scores within 3 points are too close to call
References
- Weele A. J. van, Purchasing and Supply Chain Management (Cengage), supplier selection
Learn the Concepts Behind This Tool
These BIZOMAT Library readings explain the method this tool uses, with worked examples.
Useful alongside · Library collection
Not every supplier is a partner: segmenting suppliers for price, reliability or capability
In Suppliers, Contractors and Government Work
What it covers: Some suppliers should be managed for price, others for reliability, capability or innovation. How to segment suppliers by value and dependency, and give each group the right relationship.
BIZOMAT tools are screening and decision-support utilities. Verify important financial, engineering, safety, legal or operational decisions using appropriate professional standards and your organisation’s approved data.