A custom RO quotation describes a project configuration. To compare offers, start with a shared brief and identify differences in equipment, site work and commercial assumptions. Similar equipment lists can leave different installation or operating responsibilities with the buyer.
When discussing an industrial RO system, send one current version of your requirements to each supplier and keep that version with the returned quotations.
Agree one design basis
Give suppliers the water-analysis date and source, required product-water quality, demand profile and site conditions. Identify the sampling point, units and missing information. Ask each supplier to flag assumptions and departures from the brief, with their effect on the proposed configuration.
The DuPont FilmTec technical manual includes source-water analysis, temperature range, required quality and output in the design basis. Request projections using a common set of inputs, including the agreed seasonal cases.
Where one supplier proposes a different treatment route, ask which requirement drives it and which downstream equipment it changes. The RO and RO + EDI selection guide can help structure that discussion.
Build a comparison sheet
Record what each offer includes and what still needs clarification. Keep optional items separate from the configuration being compared.
| Comparison item | Record for each offer | Clarify with the supplier |
|---|---|---|
| Design basis | Analysis revision, temperature range, water-quality target and operating schedule. | Which requirements are confirmed, assumed or still missing? |
| Usable output | Delivery point, required flow, daily volume and available production time. | How are flushing, cleaning and planned interruptions accounted for? |
| Equipment configuration | Treatment stages, component models, quantities and material specifications. | Which substitutions or alternative configurations are proposed? |
| Storage and supply | Tanks, transfer pumps, distribution connections and included instruments. | Where does the equipment supplier's scope end? |
| Controls | Panel, sensors, alarms, operating functions and external signals. | Who provides the interface to existing plant controls? |
| Installation | Pipework, power connections, drainage, supports and required site work. | Who supplies and installs each connection? |
| Documents and services | Drawings, manuals, agreed factory checks, commissioning and training. | Which services are included, optional or supplied locally? |
| Commercial conditions | Offer validity, delivery basis, packing, freight, taxes and payment terms. | Which exclusions or changes require a revised quotation? |
Check where usable output is delivered
Define the required output at the agreed handover point. Ask whether the quoted flow describes RO permeate leaving the skid, water entering storage, or water available to the process. Record any downstream treatment or internal water use between those points.
Compare daily usable volume over the same operating schedule. Ask suppliers to show how planned flushing, cleaning and maintenance are treated in that schedule, and how peak demand will be supplied. This makes the capacity discussion specific to your process.
DuPont’s FilmTec technical guidance distinguishes recovery across a membrane pass from recovery across a wider system. Ask suppliers to identify the boundary and show feed, product and concentrate flows, including any relevant recycle or bypass streams.
Mark equipment and installation boundaries
Use the layout and connection list to assign responsibility for each interface. Walk through the route from the site’s incoming water connection to the process delivery point. Include drain destinations, electrical supply and connections to existing controls.
Request enough component detail to identify the offered equipment: models, quantities, materials and proposed alternatives. If a substitution is allowed, agree how its suitability will be reviewed before it is accepted.
For every site activity, name the responsible party. Equipment supply, unloading, positioning, interconnecting pipework and startup may be separate items. Ask whether commissioning includes site attendance, remote support, operator instruction or a combination, and record any prerequisites for that support.
Make operating inputs explicit
Discuss operating requirements alongside the equipment configuration. Ask each supplier to list the expected consumption items, the basis used to estimate them and the information still needed from the site.
The review should cover electricity, feed water, concentrate disposal, pretreatment chemicals or regeneration materials, cartridge filters, cleaning materials and replacement components. Identify labor, servicing, instrument calibration and waste handling as separate responsibilities where relevant. Ask whether a consumable quantity refers to the initial supply or ongoing use.
DuPont’s WAVE PRO description includes operating scenarios, water balances and project-specific economic inputs. When a supplier provides an operating estimate, request its assumptions and equipment boundary so it can be reviewed against your site conditions.
Keep local utility inputs and operating hours consistent across offers. Record the proposed maintenance tasks, access needs, service scope and replacement assumptions. Mark unknown inputs for clarification before using the estimate in the purchase decision.
Resolve differences before selecting a proposal
Return one clarification list to each supplier. Group questions under design basis, configuration, site responsibilities and commercial conditions. Ask for an updated equipment list and quotation where a response changes the offered scope.
Keep the selected configuration and its supporting documents together. Record agreed deviations, remaining inputs and the process for approving subsequent changes. A clear revision trail helps purchasing, engineering and the installation team work from the same agreement.
MAKORYN quotations are developed around project requirements and the agreed equipment scope. Share your water data, required output and site conditions for a project-specific quotation.