Pharma cold chain EPC RFQ — scope, equipment, financing and supplier qualification
A pharma cold chain EPC RFQ is comparable only when four things are fixed before issue: one identical scope with a common exclusions format, duties stated at the site design ambient with a named redundancy case, a validation responsibility matrix covering DQ/IQ/OQ/PQ, and a priced breakdown by section that a bank or lessor can read. This page gives the scope table, equipment duties, financing evidence, qualification criteria and the document list each bidder returns.
Scope boundaries to fix before issue
| RFQ scope line | What the RFQ must state | Why bids diverge without it |
|---|---|---|
| Civil works, envelope, floor and doors | In scope or by others, with floor insulation and door regime named | Floor systems are the most common silent exclusion on frozen zones |
| Refrigeration plant and distribution | Duty at the site design ambient with one compressor out of service | Bidders otherwise quote nominal duty at a milder ambient |
| Electrical supply and HV coordination | Who coordinates the transformer or HV upgrade and who carries the cost | Usually a separate contract, usually unpriced in the cheapest bid |
| Controls, monitoring and data integrity | Probe density per zone, logging interval, retention period, audit-trail requirement | A monitoring line item can differ by a factor of five between bidders |
| Installation, tie-in and commissioning | Phasing, shutdown windows, night work, temporary storage | Live-site working conditions drive labour cost more than equipment does |
| Qualification — DQ / IQ / OQ / PQ | Who writes, executes and approves each protocol, and what sits in the lump sum | Validation is where scope quietly moves back to the buyer |
| Named exclusions | Every bidder lists exclusions on one common format; unlisted items are deemed included | Without this rule the comparison is not a comparison |
Equipment duties to write into the contract
Planning cost shares for each package sit on the pharma cold chain EPC scope and cost page.
| Equipment package | Duty to fix in the RFQ | Acceptance evidence to request |
|---|---|---|
| Refrigeration plant | Duty at design ambient, redundancy case (N, N+1 or 2N), automatic changeover | Heat load calculation per zone and a schematic showing the changeover |
| +2/+8 °C zones | Air cooler selection with N+1 capacity, controlled defrost sequencing, pull-down time | Selection sheets at the stated ambient, not catalogue nominal |
| CRT +15/+25 °C zones | Humidity ceiling and MKT reporting per zone | Design calculation showing the target sits inside label claim |
| Frozen and ULT zones | Band, tolerance, recovery time after a door or power event | Recovery simulation or reference test data |
| Monitoring and controls | Calibrated probes, logging interval, tiered alarm escalation, tamper-evident audit trail | Datasheet plus a written data-integrity statement |
| Backup power | Load to be held in kW, generator autonomy in hours, UPS autonomy on controls in minutes | Single-line diagram and generator sizing calculation |
| Safety package (ammonia or CO₂ plant) | Gas detection, emergency ventilation, interlocked shutdown, signage, drills | Hazardous-area classification and the OQ items covering it |
Financing routes and what the RFQ output has to support
ColdMatch is not a lender, a bank or a financial adviser, and no financing outcome is promised. Eligibility is decided entirely by the institution concerned. Model the debt first with the repayment calculator.
| Financing route | What the RFQ output must support | Evidence the institution typically asks for |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial bank facility | A signed price schedule broken down by section | Audited accounts, normalised bid comparison, programme, security package |
| Equipment leasing | Equipment priced separately from construction inside the schedule | Equipment list with serial-level values and expected residual life |
| Export or supplier credit | Country of origin identified per major package | Supply contract, ECA eligibility check, country risk assessment |
| EPC milestone terms | Advance, shipment, installation and acceptance milestones tied to the programme | Advance-payment guarantee, performance bond, retention at qualified handover |
| Development finance | Public-health or food-security rationale stated in the brief | Feasibility study, eligibility assessment, environmental and social screening |
RFQ structure, section by section
Project overview
- Buyer / licence holder: ____________________
- Site address and country: ____________________
- Facility type (GDP wholesale / GMP manufacturing / clinical trial / national store): ____________________
- Delivery mode (new build / extension / retrofit in occupied facility): ____________________
- Design ambient — summer dry bulb / wet bulb / altitude: _______ °C / _______ °C / _______ m
- Target budget band (USD): ____________________
- Required qualified-handover date: ____________________
- Regulatory regime (GDP, GMP, WHO PQS, local authority): ____________________
Temperature zones and capacity
- Zone 1 — band _______ °C, tolerance ± _______ K, volume _______ m³, pallet positions _______
- Zone 2 — band _______ °C, tolerance ± _______ K, volume _______ m³, pallet positions _______
- Zone 3 — band _______ °C, tolerance ± _______ K, volume _______ m³, pallet positions _______
- ULT requirement (−70/−80 °C): yes / no — capacity _______ litres or _______ m³
- Quarantine / rejected / returns zone required: yes / no — volume _______ m³
- Clear height and racking type per zone: ____________________
- Daily inbound / outbound tonnage and pull-down expectation: ____________________
- Dock regime (dock shelters, airlocks, temperature-controlled dock): ____________________
Refrigeration, redundancy and backup power
- Refrigerant preference or restriction: ____________________
- Redundancy required per zone (N, N+1, 2N) with automatic changeover: ____________________
- Standby generator: load to be held _______ kW, autonomy _______ hours
- UPS for controls, monitoring and alarms: autonomy _______ minutes
- Acceptable pull-down and recovery time after door opening or power event: ____________________
- Declared energy basis to be quoted (kWh/m³·yr or kW/TR at design condition): ____________________
- Noise, emissions or refrigerant-charge limits at the site: ____________________
Monitoring, data integrity and alarms
- Number and placement of calibrated probes per zone: ____________________
- Logging interval and data retention period: _______ minutes / _______ years
- Records standard required (21 CFR Part 11, EU Annex 11, none): ____________________
- Alarm escalation tiers and out-of-hours contacts: ____________________
- BMS / ERP / WMS integration required: ____________________
- Door-open, power-fail and probe-failure alarms: yes / no
- Calibration certificates and re-calibration schedule to be supplied: yes / no
Qualification and validation scope
- URS supplied by buyer: yes / no — reference _______
- DQ responsibility (EPC / buyer / independent consultant): ____________________
- IQ responsibility and whether included in the lump sum: ____________________
- OQ responsibility and whether included in the lump sum: ____________________
- PQ responsibility, duration and load condition: ____________________
- Temperature mapping: probe count, empty and loaded, seasonal repeats: ____________________
- Documentation format and handover dossier index required: ____________________
- Change control and deviation handling during construction: ____________________
Scope boundaries and named exclusions
- Building shell, civil works and floor insulation: in scope / by others
- Electrical supply, HV/LV, transformer upgrade: in scope / by others
- Generator and UPS supply and installation: in scope / by others
- Refrigeration plant, controls and monitoring: in scope / by others
- Validation documentation and regulatory submission support: in scope / by others
- Spare parts, training and first-year service: in scope / by others
- Bidder must list any further exclusions here — unlisted items are deemed included
Commercial terms and submission rules
- Price breakdown required by section (civil, panels, plant, electrical, controls, validation)
- Currency, validity period and price escalation basis: ____________________
- Payment milestones and retention: ____________________
- Programme with tie-in, commissioning and qualification milestones
- Liquidated damages and performance guarantees offered: ____________________
- Warranty length, response SLA and spares holding: ____________________
- Clarification deadline: _______ — answers issued to all bidders simultaneously
- Submission deadline, format and contact: ____________________
Supplier qualification — documents each bidder returns
Qualification happens before price is discussed. ColdMatch does not certify, audit, rate or endorse contractors; this list is what buyers commonly request so their own review has something to work with.
A. Company and legal
- Company registration and the legal entity that will sign the contract
- Contractor licences and trade permits valid in the project jurisdiction
- Audited accounts for the last two to three years
- Bonding or surety letter covering the project value
- Insurance certificates: professional indemnity, public liability, contract works
- Signed declaration of open disputes, LD claims or terminated contracts
B. Pharma experience and quality
- Reference list of validated-storage projects with year, band, volume and jurisdiction
- Two contactable reference owners (not sales contacts)
- ISO 9001 or equivalent certificate plus QMS index
- Change control and deviation procedure used during construction
- Approved subcontractor list with qualification criteria
- Three-year HSE statistics and a sample RAMS for an occupied pharma site
C. Technical submission
- Heat load calculation per zone at stated design ambient
- Refrigeration schematic / single-line diagram showing redundancy and changeover
- Equipment datasheets: compressors, condensers, evaporators, panels, doors
- Electrical single-line including generator and UPS interface
- Monitoring system datasheet with data-integrity statement
- Declared annual energy consumption and the assumptions behind it
- Layout drawing with racking, docks, airlocks and quarantine area
D. Validation submission
- Validation responsibility matrix (who writes, executes and approves DQ/IQ/OQ/PQ)
- Redacted sample IQ/OQ protocol from a comparable pharma project
- Temperature mapping protocol with probe count and placement rationale
- Sample mapping report showing how results are presented
- CVs of the validation lead and commissioning engineer
- Handover dossier table of contents
E. Commercial submission
- Priced breakdown by section, matching the RFQ structure
- Priced options list (validation, spares, service, extended warranty)
- Complete exclusions list on the RFQ's common format
- Programme (Gantt) with commissioning and qualification milestones
- Named project team with availability dates and current workload
- Warranty terms, service SLA and critical spares holding
Frequently asked questions
What makes a pharma cold chain EPC RFQ comparable?
One identical scope document, one common exclusions format, duties stated at the site design ambient with a named redundancy case, and a validation responsibility matrix. Without those four, proposals price different projects and the cheapest number is usually the most incomplete one.
Should validation sit with the EPC contractor or the buyer?
Either is workable; ambiguity is not. Name who writes, who executes and who approves DQ, IQ, OQ and PQ, and state whether each sits inside the lump sum. Temperature mapping should carry its own protocol with probe count, placement rationale, empty and loaded runs and any seasonal repeat.
How many contractors should be invited?
Four to six capable bidders, with the field narrowed on validated-storage references and hazardous-area competence before price is discussed. Larger fields tend to add non-compliant proposals rather than competitive tension.
Does ColdMatch run the tender or recommend contractors?
No. ColdMatch Group is a buyer-side procurement platform and does not rate, rank, endorse or resell contractors, and is not an EPC contractor, manufacturer or lender. A person reviews each brief first — generally from USD 250,000 expected project value — and where a requirement qualifies we help structure the RFQ so competing offers can be compared on one basis. Supplier introductions are never automatic and no outcome is guaranteed.
Prepare a cold storage RFQ
Once the checklist above is complete, turn it into one structured RFQ so every supplier prices the same scope. David and the human team review qualifying projects — generally from USD 250,000 expected total project value — before any supplier introduction. ColdMatch is not a manufacturer, contractor, lender or automatic marketplace.
Continue preparing the tender
Cost shares and evidence lists are planning guidance drawn from comparable anonymised procurements. They are not quotations, benchmarks or guaranteed outcomes. ColdMatch Group is a supplier-neutral, buyer-side procurement platform and does not act as an EPC contractor, equipment manufacturer, lender or certification body.
Supplier and manufacturer listings are provided for research, transparency and discovery only. ColdMatch Group does not provide automatic buyer-supplier introductions. Every cold chain project request is reviewed manually by David / ColdMatch Group, and supplier introductions are made only after internal approval.