Where were they high?
Material markup, setup hours, cycle assumptions, tooling, inspection or outside processing.
Use transparency, not pressure, to improve the network.
The best partner relationship is not built by sending more RFQs. It is built by sending better-fit work, giving useful win/loss feedback and helping the shop improve quoting speed, quality and capacity planning.
45-MINUTE QBR
Three conversations, not a slide marathon.
Every QBR should end with a change in routing, behavior, capability or capacity.
15 MIN · LOOK BACKPerformance
Revenue awarded, bid participation, win rate, OTD, defects, NCRs and recurring execution issues.
15 MIN · LOOK FORWARDPipeline alignment
Which jobs they win, which they lose, what to stop sending and where Xometry demand is moving.
15 MIN · IMPROVEProcess + capacity
Estimator workflow, quoting tools, machine availability, certification gaps and next-quarter capacity.
PARTNER SCORECARD
Track the metrics that change routing decisions.
These are the core management dimensions from my preparation. Exact internal thresholds should be validated after joining.
Bid response timeHow fast a completed quote comes back.Speed
Bid participationShare of relevant routed RFQs that receive a real bid.Engagement
Quote win rateHow often submitted quotes convert to awards.Commercial fit
On-time deliveryCan the shop repeatedly hit the promised dock date?Execution
Defect / PPMQuality escapes, NCRs, returns and repeat issues.Quality
Scope slipHow often awarded work needs price or scope correction.Quote quality
Workcenter adoptionResponsiveness, job management and platform workflow use.Operational leverage
Capacity visibilityHow well future machine availability is communicated.Routing confidence
WIN / LOSS TRANSPARENCY
Tell estimators why they lost.
A marketplace becomes more valuable to partners when it teaches them how to win the next job.
Was it the wrong work?
Stop wasting estimator time on materials, tolerances, volumes or processes outside their sweet spot.
Did timing kill the bid?
Separate quote-turnaround problems from true production-capacity problems.
Partner positioning: Xometry should feel like a zero-CAC enterprise sales channel, not a marketplace that consumes estimator hours without enough probability of winning.
WHEN TO INVOLVE OWNERSHIP
Escalate strategic decisions, not routine RFQs.
The owner should enter when the relationship economics or capability commitment changes.
MARGIN STRUCTURERate changes
Baseline shop rates, material markups or volume terms.
CAPACITYReserved hours
Dedicated spindle or cell capacity for enterprise demand.
PERFORMANCERecurring failure
Delivery or quality issues the operating team cannot resolve.
INVESTMENTCapability expansion
Certifications, specialized tooling, machines or software adoption.