I priced a UR5e and gripper for unloading connector housings, then showed the total to our production lead. She asked who makes the fixture, covers training and handles interruptions. Fair enough, my 'pilot cost' had a very selective memory.
I'd like to propose one housing type and a limited supervised trial, with a budget that includes our own time. What would you make explicit before we agree it?
Our assembly technician would run it, and hadn't been included in the estimate at all. We've now allowed time for her to review the workstation and trial a changeover. Fixture design is a separate quoted task. The lead is willing to review that version.