QuotedPartComparisons · Updated 2026-10-30
Is M1 (ECI) quoting good enough, or do I need separate quoting software?
Price one of your own parts: Drop a STEP model or PDF drawing — about 90 seconds, no account.
Your part priced in about 90 seconds, no account.
Keep M1 quoting when its estimating and job-costing workflow already carries the shop's routing, material, labor and outside services into production. Add a separate tool when the estimator's bottleneck is interpreting STEP/PDF RFQs or building a quick one-off before touching ERP master data. ECI's current public M1 material should be the source for the exact estimating features and handoff; do not promise a native QuotedPart connector without a verified M1 instance. Treat CSV/Excel or manual entry as the honest path until proven otherwise.
See how QuotedPart connects to your workflow with its API, MCP server, autonomous quoting and shop-specific learning.
Run a same-RFQ test
Use a 6061 mounting plate with two setups, four tapped holes, outside anodize, quantities 1/10/50 and a drawing revision. In M1, record how the estimator enters material, labor, setup, run time, outside service and margin, and how the quote becomes a sales order or job. In the separate tool, record the same assumptions and the fields that must cross the boundary. The winning workflow is the one with fewer unreviewed copies of the part number and revision.
Ask M1 to show estimate-versus-actual reporting after the job closes. A quote that is fast but cannot teach the next quote is only a short-term win.
| Field | M1 question | Separate-tool question |
|---|---|---|
| Customer and revision | Where does the approved revision live? | How is it exported and matched? |
| Material and operations | Are routing and stock costs reused in the job? | Can the estimator edit them without losing the source? |
| Outside processing | Does it become a routing step or fee? | Does the export preserve vendor and due date? |
| Acceptance | How does a quote become an order? | Who creates the M1 order and when? |
When M1 is enough
M1 is enough when the shop already maintains accurate routings and the estimator can quote without waiting on another team. Its ERP boundary is the advantage: accepted work, material, labor and job history share a record. Improve templates, rate cards and approval rules before adding another subscription. Put a response-time target on the RFQ queue and measure it for two weeks.
The risk is using an ERP estimate screen as a drawing takeoff tool when the estimator needs a faster CAD/PDF review. That is a workflow problem, not evidence that M1's costing is wrong.
When a separate tool helps
A separate tool helps when a remote estimator needs a lightweight workspace, when PDF-only RFQs arrive faster than M1 data entry, or when the shop wants to test rates before creating ERP master data. QuotedPart costs $199 per shop per month and can expose setup, cycle, material and quantity assumptions. It is weaker than M1 on inventory, scheduling and job costing, so the handoff must be owned and timed.
Choose the smallest boundary that removes the delay. Verify every M1 field in a non-production test before calling a path native or automatic.
Sources and limits
Claims are dated where they can change. Product calculations are examples from the stated inputs, not a promise about a customer's quote. Competitor wording is attributed to the source shown.
- ECI presents M1 as a manufacturing ERP product; exact estimating features and handoff behavior should be verified in a current M1 demo and instance. — source (checked 2026-10-30)
- QuotedPart costs $199 per shop per month and does not claim a native M1 connector; CSV/Excel or manual entry must be treated as the handoff until verified. — source (checked 2026-10-30)
Price one of your own parts
Drop a PDF drawing or a STEP file. QuotedPart reads the print, measures the model and prices it in seconds, on default shop rates you can change.
Your STEP file or PDF drawingDrop a PDF drawing, a STEP file or both
Free. No account, no email. Priced at our default US rates until you set yours.
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