XOMETRY · PARTNER RFQ MANAGERROUTING COMPLEX RFQs TO THE RIGHT CAPACITY, FASTER
07 / 0790 DAY SPRINT + 365 PLAN
THE OPERATING PLAN

Learn fast. Win early. Build a stronger partner system.

The first 90 days should be aggressive: learn the manufacturing details, build internal trust, own live RFQs and create visible wins. The rest of year one turns those wins into a repeatable operating model.

90 DAY SPRINT

By day 90, I should already be useful on the hardest RFQs.

The goal is not three months of onboarding. It is rapid technical fluency plus enough live execution to earn trust from Sales, Sourcing, Quality and the partner network.

DAYS 1-30 · LEARN + EMBED

Build the technical and internal map.

  • Shadow live RFQ triage, quoting, partner routing and enterprise handoffs every day
  • Meet Partner Management, Technical Sourcing, Quality Engineering, Supply Chain Ops, AEs, Product, Finance / Pricing and Customer Success
  • Meet 10-15 core partner owners, estimators and production leads
  • Learn Workcenter, RFQ workflow, partner scorecards, margin logic and escalation paths
  • Study GD&T fundamentals, ASME Y14.5, datums, true position, profile, flatness and inspection implications
  • Learn how machining waste is created: excess stock, scrap, poor nesting, setup count, tool changes, low material yield and unnecessary secondary ops
  • Review 25+ won and lost RFQs to connect drawing details to price, speed and routing outcomes
DAYS 31-60 · OWN + IMPROVE

Start owning a real book of work.

  • Take direct ownership of a defined RFQ queue and partner subset
  • Build the first capability / preference matrix from actual partner conversations
  • Run structured win/loss feedback with top estimators
  • Identify 3-5 recurring quote-cost drivers that can be solved through DFM or process conversion
  • Learn feeds and speeds, workholding, fixture cost, cycle time, setup amortization and tooling economics well enough to challenge a quote intelligently
  • Join AEs on complex customer RFQs before final sourcing to understand commercial context
  • Resolve at least one visible bottleneck in bid speed, routing quality or partner responsiveness
DAYS 61-90 · WIN + PROVE

Show measurable operating value.

  • Lead selected complex RFQs from customer package through partner bid and AE handoff
  • Run first QBRs with core partners using bid speed, participation, win rate, OTD and quality
  • Deliver at least one DFM / process-change win that materially improves price or lead time
  • Recover or accelerate at least one strategic RFQ that was at risk of stalling
  • Identify underused partner capacity and route matching work into it
  • Publish a short internal guide on partner sweet spots, common waste drivers and routing red flags
  • Present a day-90 review with wins, failed assumptions, partner gaps and the next six-month priorities
TECHNICAL LEARNING PLAN

What I would deliberately learn in the first 90 days.

Enough depth to make better commercial decisions, ask better questions and know when to bring in a manufacturing engineer.

GD&T

Read the drawing

Datums, position, profile, runout, flatness, perpendicularity, MMC/LMC, inspection burden and how tighter tolerances change process and cost.

MACHINING ECONOMICS

Understand waste

Buy-to-fly ratio, stock choice, scrap, nesting, setup count, fixtures, tool wear, chip time, unattended machining and rework.

DFM

Know the avoidable cost

Deep pockets, thin walls, internal corners, unnecessary finishes, tolerance stacking, difficult tool access and excessive secondary operations.

PROCESS SELECTION

Know when to switch

CNC vs additive, molding, casting, sheet metal, extrusion or stamping based on geometry, material, volume, tooling and lead time.

QUALITY

Understand verification

CMM, FAI, inspection plans, traceability, NCRs, root cause, AS9100, ISO 13485 and the cost of quality escapes.

CAPACITY

Understand the shop floor

Machine utilization, spindle hours, bottleneck workcenters, schedule loading, queue time and how idle capacity changes quote behavior.

TOOLING

Understand non-recurring cost

Fixtures, soft jaws, molds, dies, cavity count, gauges and when tooling amortization changes the production business case.

PARTNER ECONOMICS

Understand why a shop wants the job

Labor mix, overhead, minimum run economics, margin expectations, preferred materials, machine fit and jobs the estimator does not want.

INTERNAL STAKEHOLDER SPRINT

Meet the people who see the RFQ from different angles.

A high-performing Partner RFQ Manager should understand where Sales urgency, manufacturing risk, quality risk and partner economics collide.

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVESCustomer context

Deal priority, buyer needs, timeline, price sensitivity and why the RFQ matters.

TECHNICAL SOURCINGManufacturing route

Process choice, hard-to-source requirements, specialty suppliers and DFM.

QUALITY ENGINEERINGExecution risk

Inspection, FAI, CMM, traceability, certification and failure modes.

SUPPLY CHAIN OPSDelivery reality

Schedule risk, active-order bottlenecks, shipping and production escalation.

PRODUCT / WORKCENTERWorkflow leverage

What is already automated, where friction lives and what should be productized.

FINANCE / PRICINGEconomics

Margin expectations, price exceptions, cost confidence and commercial guardrails.

CUSTOMER SUCCESSPost-award truth

What customers complain about after award and what should have been caught earlier.

PARTNER MANAGEMENTNetwork history

Shop relationships, past escalations, trust, growth opportunities and political context.

TOP ESTIMATORSQuote behavior

How the best shops read packages, find risk and decide whether an RFQ is worth bidding.

SHOP OWNERSBusiness model

CapEx, margins, labor, capacity, preferred work and long-term partnership appetite.

FIRST 90 DAY WINS

What visible progress should exist before the sprint ends?

Exact numeric targets should come from Xometry's baseline, but a strong first quarter should already produce evidence.

RFQ SPEEDOne bottleneck removed

A measurable reduction in idle review or estimator turnaround for a repeat workflow.

QUOTE ECONOMICSOne real DFM win

Documented price, lead-time or manufacturability improvement from a better process or design choice.

PARTNER PORTFOLIOCore matrix live

Top partners mapped by machines, materials, certs, sweet spots, no-go work and capacity.

ENTERPRISE SUPPORTComplex RFQ owned

At least one strategic opportunity led from sourcing through AE-ready proposal support.

PARTNER TRUSTFeedback loop started

Top estimators get clear win/loss feedback and know what work Xometry wants them to prioritize.

DAY-90 BARInternal teams should already pull me into difficult RFQs because I make them move faster and with less risk.

That is the signal that onboarding has turned into operating leverage.

365 DAY PLAN

After the sprint, turn individual wins into a system.

The remainder of year one shifts from personal execution toward portfolio development, enterprise RFQ ownership and repeatable partner operating standards.

DAYS 91-180

Standardize + coach

  • Set quoting-speed expectations by process complexity
  • Complete the first structured QBR cycle across core partners
  • Refine the capability / preference matrix with win/loss evidence
  • Introduce recurring DFM and cross-process conversion coaching
  • Build partner-specific improvement plans around speed, price, quality or capacity
DAYS 181-270

Own + expand

  • Take lead on complex multi-process enterprise RFQs
  • Build deeper capacity in under-indexed processes and regulated work
  • Use capability audits for aerospace, defense and medical opportunities
  • Partner with AEs earlier on BOM, sourcing and DFM strategy
  • Develop strategic capacity agreements where demand justifies them
DAYS 271-365

Scale + teach

  • Publish internal DFM, waste and process-conversion guides
  • Scale the strongest partners into deeper production relationships
  • Formalize annual joint business planning with elite shops
  • Feed recurring workflow friction and automation opportunities to Product
  • Become an internal SME for complex RFQ execution and partner economics
YEAR-END

Build durable leverage

  • More work routed to proven partner sweet spots
  • Better estimator participation because RFQs are more relevant
  • Faster quotes with fewer technical resets
  • Stronger margin through DFM and real cost reduction
  • Higher confidence on complex enterprise opportunities
YEAR-ONE SCOREBOARD

What should be getting better by month twelve?

Targets should come from Xometry's actual baseline. These are the operating outcomes I would manage toward.

SPEED

Faster bid response

Less idle RFQ time and better estimator responsiveness.

ENGAGEMENT

Higher participation

Partners quote because the work is relevant and winnable.

CONVERSION

More quote awards

Better routing and economics improve customer competitiveness.

MARGIN

Healthier spread

Cost reduction comes from DFM, process choice and capacity, not blind pressure.

QUALITY

Fewer escapes

Capability audits and routing discipline keep complex work with proven shops.

DELIVERY

Stronger OTD

Capacity intelligence reduces awards to already-loaded workcenters.

PARTNER GROWTH

More strategic shops

Top partners move from transactional bids to planned capacity relationships.

ENTERPRISE

More complex wins

Sales gets a stronger technical-commercial partner on high-value RFQs.