Buyer guide · RFQ specification · FishMatch Group
Aquaculture project RFQ checklist: what to specify before comparing farms, systems and equipment
Proposals can only be compared when every supplier quotes the same duty. This checklist lists what to specify, why each item matters, and which items need review by qualified local engineers or authorities before you rely on them.
Short answer
Specify the duty, not a product: project scale and phasing, species and life stage, site and water data, production method, then the design loads for tanks or cages, pumping, filtration, aeration and oxygen, monitoring, feed handling, waste, utilities, commissioning and the period over which you will compare lifecycle cost.
Mark what you know, what is assumed and what is unknown. Suppliers price unknowns as risk; a clear 'unknown' is better than a hidden assumption.
Items such as water treatment, effluent discharge, structures, electrical installations and permits need qualified local review. This checklist helps you prepare; it is not an engineering design.
How to build a comparable RFQ: 5 steps
1. Fix the basis of design
Scale, phasing, species and life stage, site and water data, production method and design loads. This is the part every supplier must quote against.
2. Define the scope by package
Go through each package in the checklist below and state what is included, what is excluded and who is responsible for each interface.
3. Mark known, assumed and unknown
For every input say whether it is measured, assumed or unknown, and flag items that need qualified local review.
4. Set acceptance and commissioning tests
State how performance will be measured at handover and what happens if it is not met.
5. Ask for lifecycle figures in the same format
Installed cost, yearly energy, maintenance, spares and consumables, so offers can be compared over the same period.
Takeaway: fix the basis of design before asking for prices.
The checklist: what to specify in each package
Definition: an RFQ (request for quotation) is a written request asking suppliers to price a defined scope. 'Review' marks items that need qualified local engineering, environmental or regulatory review.
| Package | What to specify | Why it matters | Review |
|---|---|---|---|
| Project scale | Annual output, peak standing biomass, phasing, budget range (minimum USD 250,000 for reviewed RFQs) | Sizes everything; phasing decides what is built first | — |
| Species and life stage | Species, stages, harvest size, stocking and harvest schedule | Sets densities, temperature band, oxygen and handling needs | Biologist |
| Site and water data | Lab water analysis, seasonal flow, temperature range, land, access, flood risk | Decides intake, pre-treatment and civil works | Engineer / authorities |
| Production method | Pond, cage, flow-through, partial reuse or RAS; intensity | Changes almost the whole equipment list | Engineer |
| Tanks, ponds or cages | Number, volume, material, layout, independent units, moorings or liners | Decides biosecurity separation and staged production | Structural engineer |
| Pumping and hydraulics | Design flow, total head, duty/standby pumps, efficiency | Often the largest continuous power use | Engineer |
| Filtration and water treatment | Solids removal, biofiltration, degassing, disinfection and their design loads | Treatment sized on assumptions is the most common mismatch | Engineer |
| Aeration and oxygen | Peak oxygen demand, aeration or oxygen method, emergency oxygen | Failure here loses stock fastest | Engineer |
| Monitoring and controls | Sensors, alarms, data logging, remote access, calibration | Turns problems into alerts before losses | — |
| Feed handling | Feed type, pellet sizes, storage, peak daily feed, dosing accuracy | Feeding system sized on the peak day, not annual tonnage | — |
| Waste management | Sludge and effluent volumes, treatment, discharge or reuse route | Discharge rules can change the whole design | Environmental review / authorities |
| Utilities | Power supply and backup, water supply, heating/cooling, building services | Backup power is often left out of scope | Electrical engineer |
| Commissioning and handover | FAT/SAT, performance tests, training, manuals, spares, warranty | Defines what 'finished' means | — |
| Lifecycle costs | Installed cost, yearly energy, maintenance, spares, consumables, planning period | The cheapest purchase can be the most expensive to own | — |
Takeaway: every line that is not specified becomes a difference between proposals.
Questions to ask every supplier
Send the same questions to every supplier so the answers can be compared line by line.
Design basis
- Which biomass, feed load, temperature and water quality is the offer sized for?
- What redundancy and safety margin are included?
Scope
- Which packages are included, excluded or by others?
- Who is responsible for each interface (civil, electrical, building)?
Performance and support
- Which values will you commit to at acceptance, and how are they measured?
- What training, spares, service and warranty are included?
Before you send: three checks
1. Is every design load (biomass, feed, flow, oxygen) stated or marked unknown?
✓ Suppliers can quote the same duty.
✗ Add them or mark them unknown — otherwise each proposal sizes a different system.
2. Is every package marked included, excluded or by others?
✓ Scope gaps will be visible when comparing.
✗ Gaps will reappear later as variations.
3. Are items needing local review identified?
✓ Plan who reviews them and when.
✗ Mark treatment, discharge, structures, electrical work and permits before relying on any proposal.
Takeaway: an RFQ with unknowns is fine — if they are marked.
Common gaps between proposals
When proposals differ widely in price, check these lines first.
| Line | Often missing or assumed | Ask suppliers to state |
|---|---|---|
| Design basis | Biomass, feed load or temperature different from your brief | The exact design values the offer is sized for |
| Redundancy | No standby pumps or blowers, no emergency oxygen | Which failures the system tolerates |
| Backup power | Excluded or 'by others' | Generator size, transfer and what it covers |
| Civil and building interface | Foundations, drainage, insulation excluded | Exact scope boundary and interface drawings |
| Commissioning | Only delivery, no performance tests or training | Tests, training days, manuals and spares included |
| Running costs | No energy or maintenance figures | Installed kW, yearly maintenance and spares |
Takeaway: the cheapest proposal often excludes something on this list.
Compare two proposals over their lifecycle
Enter installed cost and yearly running cost from two written proposals. The result is undiscounted arithmetic over your chosen period.
- Proposal A lifecycle cost
- $780,000
- Proposal B lifecycle cost
- $680,000
- Difference (B − A)
- -$100,000
- Years until the cheaper-to-run proposal catches up
- 3
Formula: lifecycle cost = purchase and installation + yearly operating cost × years. Undiscounted; excludes biological effects (survival, growth, FCR), which you should assess separately.
Send this comparison with a project briefIllustrative example (hypothetical numbers)
Proposal A: USD 420,000 installed and USD 55,000 a year to run. Proposal B: USD 470,000 installed and USD 42,000 a year. Over 10 years: A = 420,000 + 55,000 × 10 = USD 970,000; B = 470,000 + 42,000 × 10 = USD 890,000. B costs USD 50,000 more up front but is USD 80,000 lower over the period, catching up after about 3.8 years. These numbers are invented for illustration; use the figures from your own written proposals.
Takeaway: compare proposals over years, not on day one.
Free tools to fill in the checklist
These calculators help you estimate the design loads the RFQ needs. They give planning estimates only.
- Biomass calculator
Estimate peak standing biomass from your stocking plan.
- Pump sizing calculator
Rough flow and head figures to state in the hydraulics package.
- Oxygen requirement calculator
Oxygen demand from daily feed for the aeration and oxygen package.
- Biofilter sizing calculator
Ammonia load and biofilter capacity for reuse and RAS.
- Generator sizing calculator
Backup power needed for critical loads.
- 10-year TCO comparison
- RAS RFQ page
- Grow-out RFQ page
- Feeding system RFQ page
- Short RFQ checklist
- Plan procurement around species and site (companion guide)
How to use this checklist
- This checklist structures your request. It is not an engineering design, and it does not guarantee price, performance, survival, growth or yield.
- Items marked for review — water treatment, effluent, structures, electrical installations and permits — must be checked by qualified local engineers and the relevant authorities.
- FishMatch Group is supplier-neutral. Buyers can use the tools free; our team reviews and organises the RFQ and then contacts suitable suppliers on the buyer's behalf. Buyers are not connected directly with manufacturers.
Payments, financing and avoidable mistakes
- Link payments to verifiable milestones — design approval, factory acceptance, delivery, installation, site acceptance — rather than to calendar dates.
- Lenders often ask for the same basis of design and scope; a complete RFQ file supports that discussion but does not guarantee financing.
- Mistake: sending a product list instead of a duty, so every supplier sizes a different system.
- Mistake: comparing proposals on price without checking excluded packages.
- Mistake: leaving commissioning tests and acceptance criteria undefined.
Takeaway: payments should follow proven milestones.
Final check before sending the RFQ
- Scale, phasing and budget range stated (reviewed RFQs start at USD 250,000)
- Species, life stage, harvest size and schedule stated
- Water analysis, seasonal flow and temperature range attached or marked unknown
- Production method and intensity stated
- Design loads stated: peak biomass, peak feed, flow, oxygen
- Every package marked included, excluded or by others
- Redundancy, backup power and emergency oxygen requirements stated
- Waste and discharge route stated and marked for local review
- Commissioning tests, training, manuals, spares and warranty requested
- Lifecycle cost figures requested in the same format from every supplier
Takeaway: this is the minimum for comparable proposals.
Frequently asked questions
Ready to send a comparable RFQ?
Use the free calculators to fill in the design loads, then start a project brief. For projects of at least USD 250,000, our team reviews the RFQ, contacts suitable suppliers for you and organises their responses. Smaller projects get planning guidance and tools.
Sources and further reading
- FAO — The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2024
- Southern Regional Aquaculture Center — technical fact sheets
- WOAH — Aquatic Animal Health Code (biosecurity standards)
- Timmons & Ebeling — Recirculating Aquaculture (oxygen and biofilter design rules used by our calculators)
Last reviewed: October 2026. Examples use stated hypothetical inputs; no supplier prices, performance benchmarks or outcomes are claimed.