State the standard, then the capacity
Usable area per hen is defined differently between standards and between suppliers. Name the standard in the RFQ and require every bidder to state capacity against it.
- The welfare or retailer standard you must meet, and any audit scheme
- Hens housed per house at the stated usable area per hen
- System type: multi-tier aviary, combi, barn floor system or free range with range access
- Veranda or winter garden in scope, and pop-hole count if free range
- Litter area as a proportion of usable area
Specification items that drive floor eggs and labour
These are the items to compare line by line, because they decide daily labour for the next fifteen months.
- Nest capacity and hens per nest space, plus nest closing mechanism
- Perch length per hen and perch position relative to nests and tiers
- Tier access: ramps, platforms and jump distances
- Lighting design and dimming zones, including nest and litter lighting
- Egg belt capacity and the number of transfer points
- Manure belt and drying under each tier
- Dust management and air inlet design for a litter-based system
- Mortality access: can staff reach every part of every tier safely?
Align rearing with production
Pullets reared on a flat floor adapt poorly to a multi-tier system. If rearing is outside this tender, the alignment still has to be specified.
- Rearing system type and whether it trains birds to use tiers, perches and ramps
- Transfer age and the receiving system's training period
- Supplier support during the first flock: days on site and what they cover
- Documented start-up protocol for reducing floor eggs in the first weeks
Cage-free bid comparability check
| Item | Comparable when | Not comparable when |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | One named standard applies to all bids | Each bidder cites its own definition |
| Capacity | Hens housed at the same usable area per hen | Usable area calculated differently |
| Nests | Same hens per nest space and closing mechanism | Nest count omitted from one bid |
| Perches | Perch length per hen stated | Perches described only as 'included' |
| Litter | Same litter proportion and dust management scope | Litter area not quantified |
| Rearing | Same assumption on rearing system alignment | Rearing ignored in one bid |
| Start-up | Same on-site support days for the first flock | Support quoted as an extra |
Comparable means every bidder priced the same duty, the same design conditions and the same delivery point. Where a column is blank in a real offer, treat it as excluded until the supplier confirms otherwise in writing.
Cage-free RFQ readiness checklist
- Welfare or retailer standard named in the RFQ
- Hens housed and usable area per hen written down
- System type and litter proportion defined
- Nest capacity, perch length and tier access requirements stated
- Veranda, range access and pop-hole requirements stated if applicable
- Egg belt capacity and end point defined
- Manure belt and drying scope defined
- Pullet rearing system and transfer age stated
- First-flock on-site support days required as part of the offer
Lifecycle cost
Lifecycle cost drivers in cage-free equipment bids
Cage-free systems carry an operational learning curve, and the equipment either shortens it or lengthens it. The lifecycle view makes the trade visible: ventilation for litter and dust control runs all flock, and floor-egg labour is a daily operating line created or avoided by nest, perch and lighting design.
Cost drivers that outlast the purchase price
- Ventilation for litter and dust: a litter-based system needs air movement for moisture and dust control for the whole flock, not just in summer.
- Floor-egg labour: nest position, perch layout and lighting zones convert directly into daily collection hours — carry it as an operating line.
- Belt wear: egg and manure belts in multi-tier systems are high-cycle consumables with fixed replacement intervals.
- First-flock support: supplier days on site during the first flock change year-one operating cost whether included or billed separately.
- Lighting energy: long programmes across zones, including nest and litter lighting, are a permanent load.
Request these inputs from every bidder
- Expected annual kWh per hen place including litter and dust management ventilation at your design conditions
- Wear-part intervals and prices for egg belts, manure belts and nest components
- Documented start-up protocol for the first weeks of lay and the support days included
- Priced spare-parts list with local stock status
- Expected labour hours the system layout assumes for egg collection and floor-egg picking
- Delivered lead time in weeks and commissioning support for the first flock
Worked example — hypothetical figures, calculator arithmetic
| Metric | Bid A | Bid B |
|---|---|---|
| Quoted CAPEX | 1,980,000 | 1,760,000 |
| Energy (10 yr) | 561,600 | 676,800 |
| Maintenance + spares (10 yr) | 656,000 | 815,200 |
| Lead-time delay cost | — | 33,600 |
| Total lifecycle cost (10 yr) | 3,197,600 | 3,285,600 |
| Per hen place | 53 | 55 |
| Per hen place per year | 5.33 | 5.48 |
Illustrative only: two hypothetical bids in one shared currency. Assumptions: 10-year horizon, electricity 0.12 per kWh, no escalation or discounting, delay costed at 0.08 per capacity unit per week beyond the faster offer. Not market prices, quotations or a recommendation — run your own normalised bids through the lifecycle calculator.