Some jobs have a clear finish line and some don’t. Book the one that matches how your order book actually works. Same bench, same standard of files either way.
How quoting works
Send the brief first, get a number second. Rates are shared with the quote because the right figure depends on the part, the machine and the formats you need back.
You describe the piece, I return one number and one date. Nothing moves the price unless the brief does.
For shops with a queue of ideas rather than one job. Hours are logged as they are worked and reported back.
A parametric enclosure with fits and assembly beats a free-form relief by a long way.
3D relief time scales with the area the ball nose has to walk across.
Getting one more sheet out of a batch is design work, and it costs design time.
One NC file is a different job to NC plus STEP plus a render pack.
Fast turnaround is mostly a function of fast reviews on your side.
A family of parts off one master model is cheaper per piece than six one-offs.
Scope changes are priced before they happen, never after.
A preview lands while it is still cheap to change direction.
No lock-in, no dongle, no source-file hostage. Take everything to any shop.
If a job is wrong for your machine, I say so before you pay for it.