Catalogue Purchase or Project RFQ? How to Buy Aquaculture Equipment the Right Way
Updated 2026-09-29 11 min read
Short answer
Should I buy aquaculture equipment from a catalogue or issue an RFQ?
Buy from a catalogue when you know the exact model — a spare part, a consumable or an identical unit. Issue an RFQ when the right equipment depends on your fish, water and site: a new farm, an expansion, or anything where several systems must work together. The bigger and more connected the purchase, the more a common design basis matters, because otherwise quotes can't be compared.
- Catalogue:
- Known part or identical unit
- Short RFQ:
- One category, 3–5 suppliers
- Project RFQ:
- New farm or several linked systems
- Key input:
- Peak biomass and daily feed
Which buying route fits your purchase?
| What you are buying | Best route | What to send | Main risk if you choose wrong |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spare part or consumable with a known model number | Buy direct from the manufacturer or distributor | Model/part number, quantity, delivery address | Over-engineering a simple purchase and losing weeks |
| One equipment category for an existing farm (e.g. more aerators) | Short RFQ to 3–5 qualified suppliers | Biomass, water type, current equipment, power supply, target delivery | Quotes sized to different assumptions, so prices can't be compared |
| New farm, expansion or several categories that must work together | Full project RFQ built on calculated duty figures | Species, tonnes/year, site and water data, system type, scope boundaries, timeline, budget band | Gaps at the interfaces between vendors — nobody owns the whole system |
Three worked examples
Illustrative planning figures using common industry rules of thumb. They show the method, not a design — suppliers confirm final sizing for your site.
Example 1 — Replacing a paddlewheel motor
A shrimp farm needs two replacement 1.5 kW motors for paddlewheels it already runs. The model is known and nothing about the pond changes. Route: catalogue. Call the manufacturer or local distributor with the model number. An RFQ would only add delay.
Example 2 — More aeration for a 20 ha vannamei farm
The owner wants to raise harvests to about 8 t/ha, so roughly 160 t of shrimp standing in the ponds near harvest. A widely used guideline is about 1 hp of mechanical aeration per 400–500 kg of shrimp biomass, which points to roughly 320–400 hp installed. Route: short RFQ. Send 3–5 aerator suppliers the same basis — pond areas and depths, target biomass, salinity, power supply (grid or generator, voltage) — and ask each to state its oxygen transfer rate. Without that, a quote for cheaper low-output units looks better than it is.
Example 3 — A new 1,200 t/year tilapia RAS
At an FCR of 1.5, 1,200 t of fish needs about 1,800 t of feed a year — around 5 t a day on average and more at peak. RAS designers often plan roughly 0.4–0.5 kg of oxygen per kg of feed, so about 2–2.5 t of oxygen a day. Filtration, oxygenation, pumps, monitoring and backup power all depend on those numbers and on each other. Route: full project RFQ. Work out the design basis first with the biomass, FCR and oxygen calculators, then ask every supplier to quote against it and to state what is excluded.
How to compare the quotes you get back
Before looking at totals, check each quote against these lines. Mark each one included, excluded or unclear.
| Check this line | Supplier A | Supplier B | Supplier C | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Design basis stated (biomass, feed/day, temperature) | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | If a quote doesn't state what it was sized for, you can't tell whether it is cheap or undersized. |
| Oxygen supply and backup included | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | The most common exclusion in RAS quotes — and the one that kills fish during a power cut. |
| Civil works and building excluded or included | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | Often explains a 2× price difference between otherwise similar quotes. |
| Freight, duties and Incoterm (e.g. FOB vs CIF) | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | A FOB price and a CIF price for the same kit are not comparable. |
| Installation, commissioning and training | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | Some suppliers include on-site commissioning; others price it per day. |
| Spare parts and warranty period | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | 12 months of spares can be 3–5% of equipment value — check whether it is in. |
| Performance guarantees (flow, oxygen transfer, water quality) | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | Without them, underperformance is your problem after handover. |
What to prepare before any RFQ
- Species, harvest size and tonnes per year (and phasing, if any)
- Country, site, water source, temperature range and salinity
- System type: ponds, cages, RAS, raceways, hatchery
- Calculated peak biomass, daily feed and oxygen demand
- Power supply and backup expectation
- What you build locally and what the supplier delivers
- Delivery terms (Incoterm), timeline and budget range
The full field list and a sample are in how to prepare an aquaculture RFQ.
FAQ
Planning a farm or a multi-system purchase?
Start with the calculators, then send one brief and we'll review it before any supplier is contacted. Free for buyers. FishMatch Group does not sell equipment or provide financing.