- How do I compare refrigeration quotations that include different scopes?
- Build one inclusion matrix, mark every line as included or excluded for each bidder, price the excluded lines with a local estimate, and restate every offer as delivered, installed and commissioned cost. Then add annual energy at one shared operating profile. Only after that adjustment are the numbers comparable.
- What is an adjusted comparable cost?
- The quoted price plus an allowance for every scope line the bidder excluded but the project still needs. It is an indicative planning figure, not a quotation: the allowance should be replaced with a real local price for civil, electrical and insulation works as soon as one is available.
- Why can a EUR 900,000 offer be more expensive than a EUR 1,050,000 offer?
- Because the cheaper offer may exclude civil works, insulated envelope, electrical supply and commissioning, deliver a lower COP that costs tens of thousands a year in electricity, carry a 12-month rather than 36-month warranty, and provide no redundancy. The quoted price is only the part of the project the supplier chose to price.
- Does this tool tell me which supplier to select?
- No, deliberately. It normalises scope, capacity and energy assumptions and flags gaps and risks so that the comparison is like-for-like. Selection still requires engineering due diligence, reference checks, service coverage assessment and contractual review.
- How many quotations should I normalise?
- Three to five qualified offers for projects from roughly USD $250,000 upward. Three establishes a genuine spread; beyond five the engineering effort per bidder tends to fall because the perceived win probability drops.