Cold Storage Tender Documents: Checklist and RFQ Package Template

A. Instructions to bidders

Include every line, or state clearly that it is out of scope — silence in a tender always becomes a variation order.

• Invitation letter with issuing entity, project name and reference number
• Submission deadline, format (PDF / email / portal) and contact person
• Clarification window and deadline for written questions
• Bid validity period (typically 60–90 days) and required currency
• Confidentiality / NDA requirement, if any

B. Scope of work

Include every line, or state clearly that it is out of scope — silence in a tender always becomes a variation order.

• Facility purpose: chilled storage, frozen storage, blast freezing, pre-cooling or packhouse
• Battery limits: what the supplier delivers vs what the buyer provides (civil, power, drainage)
• Rooms and zones with target temperature, volume and pallet positions per zone
• Included services: design, supply, delivery, installation, commissioning, training
• Exclusions stated explicitly to prevent hidden add-ons at award stage

C. Technical specification annex

Include every line, or state clearly that it is out of scope — silence in a tender always becomes a variation order.

• Design ambient conditions and daily product intake per zone
• Refrigeration system preference or open choice (NH₃, CO₂, HFC/HFO) with justification required
• Insulation panel thickness, floor construction, doors and air curtains
• Controls, monitoring, alarms and data logging requirements
• Backup power scope and maximum acceptable temperature drift during outage
• Applicable standards and compliance (HACCP, ISO 22000, GDP/GMP for pharma)

D. Commercial and contract terms

Include every line, or state clearly that it is out of scope — silence in a tender always becomes a variation order.

• Pricing schedule / bill of quantities in a fixed format so bids are comparable
• Incoterms for equipment delivery and responsibility for duties and clearance
• Payment milestones tied to verifiable deliverables
• Delivery and commissioning schedule with liquidated damages, if used
• Warranty period, spare parts list and post-warranty service response times

E. Bidder qualification pack

Include every line, or state clearly that it is out of scope — silence in a tender always becomes a variation order.

• Company registration, trading history and financial statements
• Reference projects of similar temperature, capacity and country context
• Certifications of the manufacturer and of the installing team
• Local presence or named service partner in the project country
• Insurance, HSE record and site safety plan

F. Evaluation and award

Include every line, or state clearly that it is out of scope — silence in a tender always becomes a variation order.

• Evaluation criteria and weighting (technical, commercial, lifecycle energy, service)
• Mandatory pass/fail requirements listed separately from scored criteria
• Whether lifecycle energy cost (TCO) is scored, not only CAPEX
• Clarification, negotiation and award notification process
• Documents required from the winning bidder before contract signature

Best for

Commercial and industrial cold chain projects, typically from USD 250,000 upward: cold rooms, refrigerated warehouses, blast freezers, processing plant refrigeration and distribution hubs.

Not a fit: domestic refrigerators, household or office air conditioning, small repair call-outs, or spare-parts-only enquiries.

Typical cold chain project types

• Fruit, vegetable and horticulture cold storage with pre-cooling
• Meat, poultry and fish chilling plus blast freezing
• Dairy and beverage process cooling
• Pharma and vaccine GDP cold chain (2–8 °C, −20 °C, −70 °C)
• Refrigerated warehouses, 3PL hubs and mobile cold rooms

Cold room vs refrigerated warehouse

A cold room is a single insulated chamber, usually under ~500 m³, serving one process or storage step. A refrigerated warehouse is a multi-zone facility with racking, docks, air locks and a central refrigeration plant, sized by pallet positions and daily throughput rather than by room volume.

What affects project cost

• Storage volume, pallet positions and daily throughput
• Target temperature and ambient design conditions
• Refrigerant choice (NH₃, CO₂, HFC) and plant redundancy
• Panel thickness, doors, air locks and civil works
• Backup power, solar, freight, duties and commissioning

Temperature range checklist

• +12 to +16 °C — bananas, potatoes, curing
• +2 to +8 °C — pharma GDP, dairy, fresh produce
• 0 to +4 °C — meat, fish and chilled distribution
• −18 to −25 °C — frozen storage
• −35 to −40 °C — blast freezing and IQF

RFQ checklist

• Product, temperature and daily intake
• Room dimensions or required pallet positions
• Site location, ambient conditions and power supply
• Backup autonomy and redundancy level
• Budget range, timeline and scope exclusions

Build your RFQ →

Project type cluster

Agriculture and horticulture cold storage

Pre-cooling plus storage for fruit, vegetables and flowers, usually +2 to +12 °C with high humidity control and fast pull-down after harvest. Sized by daily intake in tonnes, not only by room volume.

Meat, poultry and fish cold storage

Chilling at 0 to +4 °C combined with blast freezing at −35 to −40 °C and frozen holding at −18 to −25 °C. Hygienic panels, drainage and separate dirty/clean flows are part of scope.

Pharmaceutical and API cold storage

GDP-compliant 2–8 °C rooms, −20 °C and, for some active pharmaceutical ingredients and biologics, −70 °C. Requires mapping, IQ/OQ/PQ, N+1 refrigeration, backup power and alarm escalation.

Refrigerated warehouse and 3PL distribution

Multi-zone facilities sized by pallet positions, dock doors and daily throughput. Typical scope covers racking, air locks, dock levellers, a central plant and an energy strategy.

Food processing plant refrigeration

Process cooling, chillers, spiral or tunnel freezers and glycol loops integrated with production lines. Usually specified alongside ISO 22000 and HACCP food safety requirements.

Mobile and containerised cold rooms

Plug-and-play 20 ft or 40 ft refrigerated units for seasonal peaks, remote sites and temporary capacity, typically −25 to +8 °C with optional solar or generator support.