What Should a Custom Process Skid Quote Include?

A custom process skid quotation should define the equipment, fabrication and assembly work included in the price, along with engineering responsibilities, inspection, testing, documentation and delivery terms. It should also identify assumptions, exclusions and the drawings used to prepare the offer.

For EPCs, equipment designers and industrial end users, a useful quote starts with a clear request for quotation (RFQ). Use this process skid RFQ checklist to give fabricators a consistent basis for pricing and to check that the proposals you receive cover the work your project needs.

Before requesting prices, explain whether you need fabrication to an established design, mechanical design support, or a broader package assembly scope. Assign responsibility for process design, equipment sizing, mechanical calculations, controls and any performance guarantees.

For example, a steam turbine surface condenser package may involve the condenser, support frame, piping, pumps, instrumentation and electrical wiring. Each item needs a defined supplier and assembly responsibility. Our steam turbine condenser skid package project shows how these activities can form part of one agreed scope. Alps Welding Ltd.

State whether you need a budgetary estimate for planning or a firm quotation for purchasing. If information is preliminary, identify the open items and ask bidders to list their pricing assumptions.

Provide the process description and available equipment datasheets. Include:

• Service fluids, required capacity or duty, and available utilities.
• Operating and design pressures and temperatures, including vacuum conditions where applicable.
• Equipment quantities, dimensions, material grades, corrosion allowance and internal components.
• Nozzle sizes, ratings, orientations and connection details.

For industrial water treatment equipment, define the vessel requirements as well as any associated piping, valves and supports. A vessel supply scope and a complete skid assembly scope should be priced separately when both options are being considered.

Include the latest piping and instrumentation diagrams (P&IDs), line list, piping specifications and equipment list. Mark the package boundaries, often called battery limits, so bidders can see exactly where shop work ends and field connections begin.

Define who supplies and installs the piping, valves, relief devices, pumps, instruments and interconnecting components. For customer-supplied equipment, provide dimensions, weights, connection drawings and expected arrival dates. Assign responsibility for receiving, storage, mounting and alignment.

Identify work that will remain at site, including piping tie-ins, utility connections, field wiring and commissioning.

Share general arrangement drawings, available 3D models and the maximum installation envelope. Include equipment loads and applicable structural design criteria, anchor locations, lifting requirements and clearances for operation and maintenance.

Replacement equipment needs particular attention to existing connections. Confirm flange faces, nozzle locations, support elevations and the dimensions of equipment that will remain in place. State who will verify site measurements and resolve differences between existing drawings and field conditions.

Our amine column replacement section is an example of a custom component whose connections must fit retained equipment.

Identify the applicable construction codes, editions and customer specifications for each part of the package. These may include ASME Section VIII, Division 1 for pressure vessels and ASME B31.3 for process piping, where applicable.

For Canadian installations, identify the destination province or territory and assign responsibility for applicable pressure equipment design registration, including Canadian Registration Numbers (CRNs), and any separate pressure piping registration.

Specify material traceability, nondestructive examination (NDE) methods and extent, heat treatment, and inspection requirements. Include coating systems, surface preparation, chemical cleaning, pickling, passivation and insulation wherever the project requires them.

If the package includes instrumentation or electrical work, provide instrument datasheets, electrical supply details, area classification and required certifications. Include panel specifications, wiring drawings and input/output lists where available.

Separate device supply and mounting from shop wiring, control programming and integration with the plant control system. Confirm who supplies software, develops control logic and supports site commissioning.

Define the required inspection and test plan, including customer or third-party witness points and notice periods. Identify pressure and leak testing, dimensional checks, instrument calibration and functional testing as applicable.

If a factory acceptance test (FAT) is required, define its procedure, acceptance criteria, utilities and included test activities. State whether process performance testing is included or will be completed at site.

List the final records required with the package, such as material certificates, weld maps, NDE reports, pressure test records, applicable code data reports, approved drawings and operating manuals. Confirm the required format and delivery dates for the documentation package.

Ask each bidder to return a proposal that addresses the RFQ directly. A useful process skid quotation should include the following commercial and technical details.

The offer should list the equipment quantities, fabrication work, purchased components and assembly activities included. It should reference the RFQ documents and their revisions, state design responsibilities, and identify deviations from your requirements.

Request separate prices for optional work and alternatives. Confirm the currency, payment milestones, quotation validity, warranty terms, and whether taxes, freight, duties, inspection fees and registration fees are included.

The quotation should state the quoted lead time and what starts that period, such as order acceptance, drawing approval or receipt of customer-supplied components. Identify schedule dependencies on engineering reviews, registration and purchased equipment.

Confirm whether the delivery date means ready for shipment or delivered to site. Address shipping dimensions and weights, transport splits, preservation, packing, lifting provisions and responsibility for freight, unloading and reassembly.

Ask for a specific list of assumptions, exclusions and unresolved information. If piping quantities, control requirements or inspection activities remain undefined, confirm how they have been allowed for and how later changes will be priced.

A lower total may reflect a smaller supply scope. One proposal might include shop wiring, coating and the final documentation package, while another prices them as extras.

Prepare a comparison showing each bidder’s inclusions, exclusions, options and delivery assumptions. Resolve differences before award, then incorporate the agreed scope and clarifications into the purchase order.

• Process duties and equipment datasheets are attached.

• Drawings and specifications have clear revision numbers.

• Package boundaries and supply responsibilities are identified.

• Layout, maintenance access and replacement interfaces are defined.

• Codes, registration, inspection and testing requirements are stated.

• Electrical, controls and documentation deliverables are assigned.

• The RFQ deadline, delivery dates, shipping restrictions and commercial requirements are included.

Alps Welding provides skid fabrication and assembly for industrial equipment packages. Our team works with customers to define the fabrication and assembly scope, with mechanical engineering support available for equipment we manufacture.

Send your available drawings, datasheets and process skid RFQ checklist to our team. Identify any open items so we can discuss the information needed to establish a clear quotation basis.