The National Tooling & Machining Association’s “Members First” project is an online RFQ program designed to help NTMA members find new customers. According to Ron Overton, NTMA Chairman, the purpose of the project is to remind members to consider using other members for outsourcing needs. “It’s during hard economic times like we’re in now that belonging to a national organization like the NTMA becomes even more important,” he says. “We must work with one another and help one another as much as we can.”

The system allows members and customers to develop company profiles, create capabilities databases and post RFQs for free. The system will match company profiles that fit a given RFQ and send a message to the member that an RFQ has been posted. It also allows tracking of which RFQs have been posted as well as other measurable statistics.