From production target to manufacturer proposal: how HatchMatch works
A poultry procurement process either starts with a number the business needs, or it starts with a supplier's catalogue. This is the first version, described step by step, including who is responsible for what at the end.
Last updated: 2026-08-27
HatchMatch turns a production target into a structured RFQ that relevant equipment manufacturers can quote against, and gives the buyer the tools to size the project and compare the responses.
The path is: define the project type, define the capacity, size it with calculators, build the RFQ, reach relevant manufacturers, compare technical and commercial scope, add supporting infrastructure, optionally explore third-party financing, then select and contract with the supplier directly.
HatchMatch is not a manufacturer, not an EPC contractor and not a lender. The supply contract, and responsibility for delivery, installation and performance, sits between the buyer and the chosen supplier.
- Starting point
- A production target — birds per cycle, eggs per week, or eggs set per week.
- Output
- A structured RFQ and comparable proposals from relevant manufacturers.
- Buyer fee
- No separate buyer-side sourcing fee; no markup on supplier quotations.
- Who decides
- The buyer, on specification, contract, warranty, delivery and payment schedule.
Why the order of these steps matters
Almost every expensive mistake in poultry procurement comes from doing these steps out of sequence — asking for prices before capacity is fixed, choosing a supplier before the scope is normalised, or budgeting before the power and climate constraints are known. Each step below produces the input the next one needs.
The ten steps from capacity requirement to signed supply contract
- 1
Define the poultry project type
Hatchery, broiler, layer, breeder or an integrated project. The type decides which equipment families are in scope and which specification questions matter. A hatchery project lives or dies on incubation configuration, climate zoning and biosecurity flow; a broiler project on house envelope, ventilation and feeding; a layer project on system choice and egg logistics; an integrated project on phasing and the interfaces between units.
- 2
Define the target capacity
State the number the business actually needs: birds per cycle and cycles per year, eggs per week, or eggs set per week. From that single figure follow house count and dimensions, feeder and drinker line quantities, ventilation and cooling capacity, heating load, hatchery machine count, automation scope, connected electrical load and the supporting infrastructure. Capacity stated as a range is fine; capacity left unstated is not.
- 3
Use the calculators to convert the target into sizing
The workflow is: production target → calculator → preliminary sizing → equipment requirement → RFQ. Use the house sizing and bird density calculators for flock and floor area, the hatchery capacity calculator for setters and hatchers, the ventilation and cooling calculators for the climate load, the feed consumption calculator for logistics, and the CAPEX and ROI calculators for the budget envelope. Treat every output as an indicative planning estimate, not a design or a performance promise.
- 4
Prepare a structured RFQ
Manufacturers need production type and capacity, house count and dimensions, hatchery output where relevant, climate data, utilities and power availability, automation level, installation expectations, delivery terms and timing, plus any drawings or existing equipment details. The RFQ wizard walks through these fields; the checklist is a shorter version for teams already drafting their own document.
- 5
Identify relevant manufacturers
The request is reviewed and routed to manufacturers and suppliers whose product range, typical project scale and delivery markets fit the specification. This is relevance-based routing of a structured brief — not a claim of proprietary AI matching, and not a claim that every supplier has been independently audited. Buyer-side due diligence on references, service presence and spare-parts availability still applies.
- 6
Compare technical proposals
Normalise before you compare: design capacity and the assumptions behind it, system configuration, automation scope, power consumption, included scope item by item, explicit exclusions, installation and commissioning, training, warranty and what voids it, spare parts, delivery time and terms, and payment schedule. A cheaper number against a smaller scope is not a cheaper project.
- 7
Add the supporting infrastructure
The equipment package is not the project. Generators and UPS protection — critical for hatcheries, where an incubation power failure is catastrophic — plus solar where it makes commercial sense, water supply and pumps, cooling, controllers and monitoring all need to be specified against the same load assumptions used for the main scope.
- 8
Explore the financing path, if relevant
For suitable projects, buyers may explore supplier payment terms, export finance, project finance, development finance or an introduction to an independent third-party financing provider. HatchMatch does not provide credit and makes no approval. Any facility depends on the provider's eligibility criteria, jurisdiction, compliance checks and commercial terms, and is never guaranteed.
- 9
Select the supplier
The buyer remains responsible for reviewing the final specification, the commercial contract, performance requirements, warranty terms, delivery obligations, installation responsibilities and the payment schedule — with their own legal and technical advisers. HatchMatch is not a party to the supply contract and does not warrant equipment or performance.
- 10
Worked example: a commercial broiler expansion
A hypothetical producer wants to add roughly 200,000 birds per cycle to an existing operation. They fix the target, use the house sizing and bird density calculators to arrive at an indicative house count and floor area, run the ventilation and cooling calculators against their local summer peak, and use the CAPEX calculator for a budget envelope to take to the board. Those figures become one structured RFQ covering house systems, climate control, controllers and backup power. Several manufacturers respond; the team normalises the scopes, finds that two offers exclude installation and one excludes the control panel, recalculates on a like-for-like basis and runs the lifecycle cost tool on energy and spares. Payment terms and a possible third-party financing introduction are explored in parallel, and the producer selects and contracts directly with the preferred supplier. This is an illustrative scenario, not a real customer, and implies no guaranteed production result.
The tool chain, in the order you use it
All calculator outputs are indicative planning estimates, not guaranteed production, cost or performance results. Final figures are confirmed by suppliers, engineers and your own due diligence.
Financing: what HatchMatch does and does not do
Step 8 is optional and sits outside the platform's own services. HatchMatch Group is not a lender, bank or credit provider and does not issue loans, guarantees or credit decisions. For suitable projects — typically those with a defined capacity, site and budget range — a request may, with the buyer's consent, be introduced to independent third-party financing providers or institutions for evaluation. Any approval, pricing, tenor, security and underwriting is determined solely by that provider and depends on eligibility, jurisdiction, compliance checks and commercial terms. Financing is never guaranteed and no introduction should be read as a commitment.
HatchMatch Group is not a lender, bank, financial institution, credit provider, investment advisor, or regulated financial services provider. Financing requests submitted through this platform may, subject to user consent, be shared with independent third-party financing providers for evaluation purposes. Any financing approval, terms, pricing, underwriting, due diligence, and contractual arrangements are determined solely by the financing provider. Financing is not guaranteed and remains subject to eligibility, compliance checks, and lender approval.
Process FAQ
Build your poultry RFQ
Size the project with the calculators, then turn the numbers into a structured RFQ that relevant manufacturers can quote against on the same specification.