What we need to quote you
The most common reason a quote stalls is a missing number. Here is every one the estimator will ask for. You don’t need all of them to start.
- Who replies
- A named estimator
How to use this checklist
Gather what you can under the six headings below, then open the project brief. The brief asks for the core fields in the same order: destination, the pack, the numbers, the dates and the rules. Put anything else (channels, budget, design inputs) in its “Anything else” box or attach it. Your business goals, exact specifications and project scope are what we price from; any special requirements and fulfillment needs matter just as much.
Attach a spec rather than retyping it. Drawings, dielines, artwork, a bill of materials, a retailer routing guide or a phone photo of a previous run all work. If a field is blank, leave it blank: the estimator will ask.
01
Where it ends up
The destination sets the rules the pack is built to: a retailer’s routing guide, a USPS mail class, or a cart that sends orders one at a time.
- Retail shelf, mailbox, consumer doorstep, or more than one (To the Shelf, To the Mailbox, To the Doorstep)
- Retailer and routing guide, or USPS mail class, or cart / order system
- Every place the product will be sold: convenience store, drug store, grocery store, online, or somewhere else. If it sells in more than one channel, list them all; the pack has to work in each.
- Whether the pack will also be shown online, on a website or a social media channel, where it has to read on a screen as well as on a shelf
02
The pack
- Pack format and components (for example, a 6-count shrink bundle over a printed tray, with 2 inserts)
- The container and pack type: box, bag, bottle, tube or packet; blister, clamshell, carton or another format
- Drawings, dielines, artwork, a bill of materials, or a phone photo of a previous run
- Who supplies components: you, MGA, or mixed
- Who prints the printed components, and the file format that printer needs the artwork in
- The information that must appear on pack, such as barcodes, nutritional information and expiration dates
- Whether the product is food-contact or FDA-regulated
03
The numbers
- Run volume and annual volume, in units, cases or mailpieces
- Active SKU count
- For mail: list size and source
- For fulfillment: orders per month and the same-day cutoff you need
- The budget the job has to fit, with printing costs understood up front rather than discovered later
04
The dates
- On-shelf, in-home or first-ship date
- Reset date, if it is a display program
- Seasonal peaks, if volume rises and falls through the year
05
The rules
- Certifications or audits your program requires (SQF, allergen control, C-TPAT, kosher, customer audit). Our own are listed on certifications and approvals.
- Whether you need a mutual NDA before we open files
06
If we are designing the pack too
A design brief needs more than a price brief. These come from our custom package design tips; add them if design is in scope.
- The goals of the packaged product: the primary idea and the motivations behind it, and the overall fulfillment scope
- Your target audience, primary and secondary: age, income level, man, woman or child, and what motivates them
- Brand requirements: the taglines, graphics, colors and fonts that must match your other branding
- The one thing the pack must make clear: what the product is and what it does
- The competitors it will sit next to in the aisle, and whether you want to stand out boldly or stay relatively conservative
- Who signs off: the stakeholders who review the mockup, plus any outside readers you trust for unbiased feedback
What happens after you send it
Step 1: Send what you have
Through the project brief, or by email to info@mgainnovation.com. Attach specs rather than retyping them.
Step 2: NDA first, if you need one
Tick the NDA box in the brief. Your files are held until the mutual NDA is countersigned; nobody at MGA opens them before then.
Step 3: A named estimator replies
The estimator reads what you sent and asks about any number that is missing.
Step 4: Plan and quote
We formalize a plan against what our lines can do, recommend where cost can come out, and quote. The full program lifecycle is on how we work.
Complete numbers find savings
A complete checklist lets the estimator look for savings, not just price the job as drawn. The levers we check in every quote include reducing the size of the primary packaging, changing from Kraft to test paper, and changing the shipping case size to cut the number of shipments. Kitting can cut SKUs, and a mailpiece can be designed around the postage rate, as it was for Sanofi.
Questions about quoting
General notes
Do I need every answer before I ask for a quote?
No. Send what you have. The estimator will ask for the rest, and a missing number is a question, not a reason to wait.
We don’t have drawings. Can you still quote?
A phone photo of a previous run is enough to start. If the pack is new, describe the format and components and we will work from that.
Can MGA supply the components?
Yes. Choose “MGA sources” (or “Mixed”) in the brief, and our estimating and purchasing team prices and buys the components. Tell us which parts you will supply yourself.
Can MGA design the packaging as well?
Yes, for packaging: our graphics team designs the look, shape and construction of the pack (see bespoke packaging). For a wider rebrand we can introduce you to design partners. Custom package design tips covers what to prepare; add the design inputs above to your brief.
Can we have an NDA in place before we share files?
Yes. Tick the mutual NDA box in the brief and your files are held until it is countersigned.
Ready when you are
Open the brief with whatever you have. Attach a spec, a dieline or a photo instead of typing it.