Step 1 — Fix the technical basis before comparing money
Every number in a quotation is derived from assumptions the supplier chose. If those assumptions differ, the prices are describing different projects. Before any commercial comparison, lock the basis and re-issue it to all bidders.
- Bird type and production model (broiler, layer, pullet, breeder, dual-purpose)
- Birds per house and number of houses, stated as placed birds not as capacity range
- Stocking density in birds/m² or kg/m², including the target final live weight
- House internal dimensions, ceiling height and structural system
- Design outdoor temperature and relative humidity, plus the wet-bulb assumption used for evaporative cooling
- Target air speed at bird level in tunnel mode and minimum ventilation rate
- Electrical standard: voltage, phases, frequency and available grid reliability
Step 2 — Split the offer into packages
A single-line total hides everything. Require each bidder to price the same package structure so that a missing item is visible as a blank line rather than as a lower total.
- Building and structure: frame, cladding, insulation value, doors, curtains, concrete interface
- Ventilation: tunnel fans, minimum-ventilation fans, inlets, stanchions, static-pressure control
- Cooling: pad area and thickness, pumps, recirculation, water treatment, or fogging nozzles and lines
- Heating: type, capacity, fuel or gas train, distribution, flue and safety devices
- Feeding: bins, augers, lines, pans or chains, feed weighing
- Drinking: nipple lines, regulators, filtration, medicator, water meter
- Lighting and controls: dimmable fixtures, climate controller, sensors, alarms, remote access
- Layer or breeder specific: cages, aviary tiers, nests, egg belts, egg collection, grading interface
- Manure and mortality handling, biosecurity equipment, standby power and solar
Step 3 — Convert to landed and commissioned cost
Equipment price is only part of the delivered cost. Bring every offer to the same delivery point and the same completion state, otherwise a low ex-works price wins on paper and loses on site.
- Restate all offers to one Incoterm (commonly CIF or DAP the project site)
- Add ocean or road freight, inland transport, insurance and demurrage risk
- Add customs duty, VAT treatment and clearance costs in the destination country
- Add erection labour, supervision days, travel, accommodation and visas
- Add commissioning, calibration, operator training and handover documentation
- Add first-year spare parts and consumables at quoted list prices
Step 4 — Read the exclusions before the prices
The exclusions list is the most informative page in most quotations, and it is usually the last one read. Common items pushed to the buyer are civil works, cable trays and power distribution from the panel to the equipment, water supply to the pad pump, gas piping, cranes and offloading, and local certification.
Where an exclusion is unavoidable, price it locally and add it to that bidder's column so the comparison stays complete.
Step 5 — Score the non-price terms
Two offers within a few percent on landed cost are effectively equal on money; the decision then lives in warranty, lead time and service reach.
- Warranty length per package, and who administers claims in your country
- Guaranteed spare-parts availability period and price list validity
- Lead time to shipment and the penalty regime for delay
- Payment terms and the security offered against advance payments
- Reference installations of comparable capacity in a comparable climate
- Local service presence: engineer response time, language, and whether the technician is employed or subcontracted
Where HatchMatch sits in this process
HatchMatch Group is an independent procurement platform, not a manufacturer, EPC contractor or lender. The buyer defines the project once; the request is normalised into a structured RFQ using exactly the basis described above and routed to qualified manufacturers and contractors, so the returned offers can be lined up line by line. Contract, delivery and warranty remain directly between the buyer and the chosen supplier.
Normalisation checklist applied to each bidder
| Comparison line | What to normalise | Typical distortion if skipped |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity basis | Placed birds per house at a stated density and final weight | A denser assumption makes the same house look cheaper per bird |
| Ventilation | Installed airflow at a defined static pressure, not fan count | Fan quantity hides differing airflow and efficiency |
| Cooling | Pad area, thickness and design wet-bulb, or nozzle count and pressure | Undersized pads appear as a lower cooling package price |
| Heating | Installed kW against the coldest design condition | Heating is often sized for a milder assumption |
| Automation | Controller model, sensor count, alarm and remote access scope | A controller without sensors is not a control system |
| Delivery | One Incoterm to the same site | EXW versus CIF can differ by 8–15% of equipment value |
| Installation | Supervision days versus full erection crew | Supervision-only shifts labour cost to the buyer |
| Warranty and parts | Duration, claim route, parts price list validity | A shorter warranty is invisible in the total |
Percentages and ranges are indicative planning figures, not quotations.
Buyer checklist before awarding
- All bidders quoted on one written specification with the same design conditions.
- Every package priced separately, with blanks visible rather than omitted.
- All offers restated to one Incoterm and one delivery point.
- Freight, duty, installation, commissioning and training added to every column.
- Exclusions listed per bidder and locally priced where unavoidable.
- Warranty holder, claim route and spare-parts price validity named in writing.
- At least one reference installation of comparable capacity and climate contacted.
- Lead time, delay penalty and payment security agreed before any advance payment.