Skip to content
Compare greenhouse suppliers with a normalized bid sheet, not with the final totals on their quotations. Align the design loads, steel specification, covering, systems, freight terms, installation work, commissioning, spare parts, and exclusions before deciding which offer costs less.
*By Coraline Liao, CEO, CFGET | Updated: July 28, 2026*
The fastest way to make a bad supplier decision is to put three total prices in a row. One quotation may include controls, supervision, and packing. Another may stop at the frame. Both can look complete because each supplier uses a different document structure.
Build one comparison sheet for every bidder
Create the comparison headings before the quotations arrive. Give each line one of four statuses: included, optional, excluded, or unclear. Do not treat a blank cell as included. Send the unclear lines back as questions.
Keep quantity and specification separate. A quote can include ventilation but provide half the vent area, or include a screen without the drive motors and controls.
| Bid line | Normalize this | Evidence |
| Structure | Code, loads, steel grade, member sizes, mass | Drawing and bill of materials |
| Covering | Material, thickness, treatment, quantity | Data sheet and layout |
| Systems | Capacity, zones, sensors, control level | Equipment schedule and diagram |
| Delivery | Incoterm, containers, packing, inland charges | Packing list and route |
| Installation | Labor, tools, travel, civil work, commissioning | Responsibility matrix |
Compare the assumptions behind the engineering
Ask every bidder to confirm one project data sheet. It should state location, crop, area, indoor targets, wind, snow, water, power, fuel, and operating season. If suppliers price different assumptions, the totals cannot be normalized.
Record deviations instead of forcing every design to look identical. One supplier may propose a different span or covering for a good reason. The comparison sheet should show the reason and its operating consequence.
Price the exclusions before ranking offers
Estimate foundations, unloading, local transport, cranes, cables, pipes, permits, taxes, accommodation, crop systems, and training when they are excluded. Use local quotations where possible. A vague allowance should be marked as uncertainty, not as zero.
I also assign a value to commissioning and spare parts. A small saving disappears quickly when a sensor, gearbox, or controller stops production and no compatible replacement is nearby.
Use commercial terms as a risk map
Payment milestones should follow visible progress: approved drawings, inspected production, packing evidence, shipment, installation, and commissioning. Avoid a schedule that leaves little payment after the buyer can verify performance.
Check the change-order method, drawing revision control, warranty start date, response time, governing language, and document precedence. These clauses decide how disagreements are handled when the sales quotation and technical drawing do not match.
My final bid-screening pass
- Use one project data sheet for all bidders.
- Mark blank quotation lines as unclear.
- Compare capacity and quantity, not system names.
- Add local prices for every supplier exclusion.
- Tie payments to documents and inspectable milestones.
A visual reference for scope comparison
The CFGET clip gives the procurement team something concrete to discuss with each bidder: member sizes, connections, vents, access, and installation boundaries. Ask every supplier to mark the comparable items on its own drawing.
Watch on YouTube: Glass greenhouse installation site
<!– CFGET-YOUTUBE-EMBED {“video_id”:”0ZZEIIf81gY”,”source”:”youtube-channel-catalog”,”type”:”video”,”share_url”:”https://youtu.be/0ZZEIIf81gY”} –>
<!– wp:embed {“url”:”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZZEIIf81gY”,”type”:”video”,”providerNameSlug”:”youtube”,”responsive”:true} –>
<figure class=”wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube”><div class=”wp-block-embed__wrapper”>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZZEIIf81gY</div></figure>
<!– /wp:embed –>
Build out the comparison file
Questions that come up during bid leveling
Should I compare greenhouse price per square meter?
Only after scope and design assumptions are normalized. A square-meter figure can hide major differences in systems and installation.
What if suppliers propose different structures?
Keep both options, document the reason, and compare crop effect, climate fit, maintenance, and life-cycle cost.
How do I compare warranties?
Check what is covered, exclusions, claim evidence, labor, freight, start date, and the supplier response process.
What is the most useful comparison document?
A line-by-line bid normalization sheet linked to drawings, equipment schedules, and a responsibility matrix.
About this comparison method
Coraline Liao uses this approach when CFGET quotations must be compared with offers built around different assumptions. The buyer’s technical team should approve the common design basis before commercial ranking begins.
