Why divide demand by the utilization target?

Because a team cannot review quotes every paid minute. If 96 hours of review arrive and the target is 85%, the team needs near 113 hours of desk capacity for the work to flow without a queue.

What utilization target should the quoting team run at?

Below 100%, set from your own response time history. Estimating carries interruptions, questions and rework, so teams that quote fast often plan nearer 80 to 90%.

Does the gap include engineering hours for technical RFQs?

Only if you put them in review demand. Engineering review of build-to-print parts is a large hidden quoting load, so add those hours before you read the gap.

What does a negative capacity gap mean?

Available capacity exceeds the hours required at the target, so the team can absorb more RFQ volume or run at a lower utilization while reply times stay controlled.

Contract Manufacturing, Job Shop Quoting & Make-to-Order calculator

Quote Review Workload Calculator

Load the quoting function like a work center: divide review demand by the utilization target you run at to get required hours. Compare that with the review capacity you have, and read the gap.

What this calculator does

Quoting review capacity the RFQ pipeline needs at your utilization target, the gap against available hours, and the slack.

Formula used

Required review capacity = review demand hours ÷ utilization target % × 100
Capacity gap = required review capacity − available review capacity
Capacity slack = MAX(available review capacity − required review capacity, 0)

Inputs explained

Review Demand Hours: Estimating and review hours the open RFQ pipeline demands.
Available Review Capacity Hours: Staffed quoting review hours in the period, before leave.
Utilization Target: Share of review capacity the team plans to keep used.

How to use the result

Best suited to sizing quoting capacity before a demand spike, deciding whether to add a reviewer, setting a no-bid filter for low-value RFQs.
Hours are pooled across reviewers, so one scarce specialist can still be the constraint. Demand is not split by RFQ complexity or by how much engineering a technical quote needs.

Current U.S. benchmarks

As of Aug 2026, U.S. manufacturing runs at 75.7% of capacity (Federal Reserve via FRED), down 0.1 points from a year earlier. Enter your own plant's utilization; the national figure is a reference point for how loaded the industry is.
The U.S. prime lending rate is 7.00% (Federal Reserve via FRED, 2026-10-02). Payback and financing math should start from today's rate, not a remembered one.

Common questions

Why divide demand by the utilization target? Because a team cannot review quotes every paid minute. If 96 hours of review arrive and the target is 85%, the team needs near 113 hours of desk capacity for the work to flow without a queue.
What utilization target should the quoting team run at? Below 100%, set from your own response time history. Estimating carries interruptions, questions and rework, so teams that quote fast often plan nearer 80 to 90%.
Does the gap include engineering hours for technical RFQs? Only if you put them in review demand. Engineering review of build-to-print parts is a large hidden quoting load, so add those hours before you read the gap.
What does a negative capacity gap mean? Available capacity exceeds the hours required at the target, so the team can absorb more RFQ volume or run at a lower utilization while reply times stay controlled.

Last reviewed 2026-10-01.