RAS Bid Normalizer — Compare Aquaculture Quotations Fairly
Flexes price, tariff and achieved production — the three variables that most often move a bid comparison after contract signature.
Calculator inputs
The headline figure on this specific offer
The supplier's own assumption — it varies between offers
Results
Adjusted comparable CAPEX
Quoted $3,200,000 + $2,624,000 allowance for 6 excluded scope items
CAPEX per annual tonne (as quoted)
$6,400/t
CAPEX per kg standing biomass
$27/kg
Estimated electricity use
2,391,480 kWh/yr
Energy per kg produced
4.78 kWh/kg
Results at a glance
| Output | Pessimistic | Base case | Optimistic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adjusted comparable CAPEX | $6,697,600 | $5,824,000 | $5,241,600 |
| CAPEX per annual tonne (as quoted) | $8,659/t | $6,400/t | $5,236/t |
| CAPEX per kg standing biomass | $31/kg | $27/kg | $24/kg |
| Estimated electricity use | 2,391,480 kWh/yr | 2,391,480 kWh/yr | 2,391,480 kWh/yr |
| Energy per kg produced | 5.63 kWh/kg | 4.78 kWh/kg | 4.35 kWh/kg |
| Annual electricity cost | $435,249 | $334,807 | $267,846 |
| 10-year CAPEX + electricity | $11,050,094 | $9,172,072 | $7,920,058 |
| Excluded scope items | 6 of 7 | 6 of 7 | 6 of 7 |
| Warranty | 12 months | 12 months | 12 months |
Scenario range
Adjusted comparable CAPEX
Result summary with the inputs used
Inputs used
- Quoted price
- 3,200,000 $
- Annual production quoted
- 500 t/yr
- Peak standing biomass assumed
- 120 t
- Stated installed electrical load
- 420 kW
- Average running load
- 65 % of installed
- Electricity tariff
- 0.14 $/kWh
- Buildings & civil works included?
- Excluded
- Installation included?
- Excluded
- Oxygen supply system included?
- Excluded
- Backup power / redundancy included?
- Excluded
- Controls, monitoring & alarms included?
- Included
- Commissioning & training included?
- Excluded
- Freight, duties & insurance included?
- Excluded
- Warranty offered
- 12 months
Results · Base case scenario
- Adjusted comparable CAPEX
- $5,824,000
- CAPEX per annual tonne (as quoted)
- $6,400/t
- CAPEX per kg standing biomass
- $27/kg
- Estimated electricity use
- 2,391,480 kWh/yr
- Energy per kg produced
- 4.78 kWh/kg
- Annual electricity cost
- $334,807
- 10-year CAPEX + electricity
- $9,172,072
- Excluded scope items
- 6 of 7
- Warranty
- 12 months
Quoted $3,200,000 + $2,624,000 allowance for 6 excluded scope items
Adjusted: $11,648/t
Adjusted: $49/kg — check each supplier assumed the same biomass
273 kW average draw from 420 kW installed
≈ $0.67 per kg at $0.14/kWh
Compare against the CAPEX difference between offers over 10 years
Excludes feed, labour, juveniles, maintenance, insurance and finance costs
Buildings & civil works · Installation · Oxygen supply system · Backup power & redundancy · Commissioning & training · Freight, duties & insurance
Confirm whether it covers parts only, or parts, labour and travel
Planning estimate from the inputs shown — not a supplier quote, guarantee, financing approval, engineering advice or confirmed availability.
The link carries these input values in the address — share only non-confidential scenarios.
Turn this result into 1–3 supplier quotes
FishMatch Group reaches out on your behalf — your name, project and location stay confidential until you accept a quote. No sign-up, no listing fees, buyers never pay.
How supplier matching works
- 1. Private brief. Your spec goes only to manufacturers we have selected for the right category, capacity and export experience.
- 2. Confidential outreach. Suppliers see the technical spec — not your name, company or exact location — until you accept a quote.
- 3. Comparable quotes. Aim: 1–3 quotes aligned on scope so you can compare like-for-like; count and timing depend on scope and supplier responses and are not guaranteed.
- 4. Financing intro (optional). If needed, we introduce your project to a financing partner. No fee to buyers.
In short
RAS Bid Normalizer turns quoted price, annual production quoted, peak standing biomass assumed, stated installed electrical load, average running load, electricity tariff, buildings & civil works included?, installation included?, oxygen supply system included?, backup power / redundancy included?, controls, monitoring & alarms included?, commissioning & training included?, freight, duties & insurance included? and warranty offered into adjusted comparable capex, capex per annual tonne (as quoted), capex per kg standing biomass, estimated electricity use, energy per kg produced, annual electricity cost, 10-year capex + electricity, excluded scope items and warranty. Two RAS quotations are almost never for the same thing. One includes buildings, oxygen and installation; the other is equipment ex-works. This tool normalises a single offer into comparable unit figures — CAPEX per annual tonne, CAPEX per kg of peak standing biomass, energy per kg — and estimates an adjusted CAPEX that adds typical allowances for the scope items the supplier excluded. Run it once per offer and compare the adjusted figures, not the headline prices. Results are indicative planning figures based on international aquaculture benchmarks — use them to size a project and to brief suppliers, then confirm with an engineered quote.
- Quoted price ($) — The headline figure on this specific offer
- Annual production quoted (t/yr)
- Peak standing biomass assumed (t) — The supplier's own assumption — it varies between offers
- Stated installed electrical load (kW)
- Average running load (% of installed)
- Electricity tariff ($/kWh)
- Buildings & civil works included?
- Installation included?
- Oxygen supply system included?
- Backup power / redundancy included?
- Controls, monitoring & alarms included?
- Commissioning & training included?
- Freight, duties & insurance included?
- Warranty offered (months)
- Adjusted comparable CAPEX
- CAPEX per annual tonne (as quoted)
- CAPEX per kg standing biomass
- Estimated electricity use
- Energy per kg produced
- Annual electricity cost
- 10-year CAPEX + electricity
- Excluded scope items
- Warranty
- Enter quoted price, annual production quoted, peak standing biomass assumed, stated installed electrical load, average running load, electricity tariff, buildings & civil works included?, installation included?, oxygen supply system included?, backup power / redundancy included?, controls, monitoring & alarms included?, commissioning & training included?, freight, duties & insurance included? and warranty offered.
- Read the highlighted result and the supporting figures below it.
- Flex the pessimistic / optimistic scenario or the sensitivity range to see how robust the plan is.
- Send the spec to suppliers as a pre-filled RFQ draft.
What does the RAS Bid Normalizer estimate?
The RAS Bid Normalizer estimates adjusted comparable capex, capex per annual tonne (as quoted), capex per kg standing biomass from the project assumptions you enter. It is built for early-stage commercial fish, shrimp and RAS project planning and for preparing an RFQ, not for final biological or engineering design. Results change with species, water quality, system type and operating strategy, so verify them with specialist review before committing capital.
Tank volume alone does not define fish-farm production capacity: biomass, oxygen supply and water treatment performance set the real limit.
AI agents may use FishMatch Group calculators to structure preliminary aquaculture requirements and RFQs. Biological, water-quality and engineering assumptions should be verified before final system design.
What can change the result of the RAS Bid Normalizer?
These factors move the result more than equipment size does:
- Species and strain
- System type (RAS, pond, cage, tank)
- Water quality limits (TAN, CO₂, solids)
- Operating strategy and staffing
What a RAS system of this size actually costs
As a screening benchmark, a commercial RAS costs roughly USD 9,000–22,000 per tonne of annual capacity for equipment and installation (warm-water tilapia at the low end, Atlantic salmon at the high end, before regional cost factors), with running costs of roughly USD 2–5.5 per kilogram. Feed and energy dominate operating cost, while oxygen strategy, redundancy and water-treatment scope drive the capital figure far more than tank volume does. These are not quotes; real offers can differ by 30% or more.
Sizing outputs turn into money through a fairly stable cost structure. Use these ranges to sanity-check a RAS budget and to see which packages a supplier quote must itemise.
- Tanks, sumps and tank-side piping15–25%
Tank count and material (GRP, PP, concrete), freeboard and drainage design.
- Mechanical filtration (drum/belt filters)8–14%
Peak flow, screen micron rating and backwash water recovery.
- Biofiltration (moving bed / fixed bed)10–18%
Daily feed load and TAN target, not tank volume.
- Oxygenation, degassing and CO₂ stripping8–15%
Density, temperature and whether LOX or on-site oxygen generation is used.
- Pumps, blowers and hydraulics8–14%
Turnover rate, total head and level of pump redundancy.
- Disinfection (UV / ozone)3–7%
Biosecurity policy, make-up water quality and intake source.
- Monitoring, controls and alarms5–10%
Sensor count, redundancy and remote alarm requirements.
- Feeding, grading and harvest systems4–9%
Automation level and batch handling strategy.
- Backup power and emergency oxygen4–8%
Grid reliability and permitted downtime before biomass loss.
- Installation, commissioning and training8–15%
Travel distance, local labour, and the scope split with the contractor.
- Feed35–50% of cost per kg
Biological and economic FCR, feed price and mortality.
- Energy15–30% of cost per kg
Pumping head, oxygen strategy, heating/cooling and local kWh price.
- Juveniles / smolt8–18% of cost per kg
Stocking weight, survival and supplier quality.
- Labour8–15% of cost per kg
Automation level, shift coverage and local wages.
- Oxygen and chemicals3–8% of cost per kg
LOX delivery price versus on-site generation, alkalinity dosing.
- Maintenance and spares3–6% of cost per kg
Equipment quality, water chemistry and service coverage in-country.
Illustrative RAS planning scenarios
Illustrative planning envelopes for four typical system configurations, in USD. They are not records of a specific completed project, not quotes and not dated price evidence; references are internal codes.
Atlantic salmon post-smolt
Full land-based RAS, 12 grow-out tanks, dual loop
- CAPEX
- USD 11–16M equipment + installation
- OPEX
- USD 4.10–5.20 /kg
- Energy
- 4.5–6.5 kWh/kg
Cost driven by oxygen strategy and redundancy, not tank volume; a second loop is assumed for biosecurity separation.
Tilapia
Single-loop RAS with moving-bed biofilter
- CAPEX
- USD 2.2–3.4M equipment + installation
- OPEX
- USD 1.90–2.60 /kg
- Energy
- 2.0–3.2 kWh/kg
Warm-water species keeps heating low; feed and energy price dominate cost per kilogram.
Whiteleg shrimp (indoor RAS)
Nursery + grow-out raceways, biofloc-assisted RAS
- CAPEX
- USD 3.0–4.8M equipment + installation
- OPEX
- USD 3.40–4.60 /kg
- Energy
- 3.0–4.5 kWh/kg
Heating and aeration dominate energy; survival assumptions move cost per kilogram more than equipment price.
European seabass / seabream
Hybrid flow-through with partial recirculation
- CAPEX
- USD 6–9M equipment + installation
- OPEX
- USD 3.20–4.10 /kg
- Energy
- 1.8–3.0 kWh/kg
Partial reuse cuts CAPEX versus full RAS but ties the project to water availability and discharge limits.
How a quotation is normalised
Adjusted CAPEX = quoted price + Σ(indicative allowance × quoted price) for each excluded scope item; CAPEX/t = adjusted ÷ annual tonnes; CAPEX/kg biomass = adjusted ÷ (peak biomass × 1000); kWh/kg = (installed kW × load share × 8760) ÷ (annual tonnes × 1000)
Allowances are indicative planning percentages used only to bring different scope boundaries onto one basis. They are not supplier prices and not a valuation.
Based on: quoted price, annual production quoted, peak standing biomass assumed, stated installed electrical load.
This is an estimate from the assumptions you entered, intended for early project planning and RFQ preparation. Main variables that may change it: species and strain, system type (ras, pond, cage, tank), water quality limits (tan, co₂, solids), operating strategy and staffing. Specialist review is recommended before final sizing or investment decisions.
Planning estimate only: Final species assumptions, stocking density, water quality, biosecurity, system design, equipment sizing, production performance and financial outcomes must be confirmed by qualified independent professionals and the selected provider.
Results do not replace an aquaculture feasibility study, site and water-resource assessment, biological production planning, veterinary advice, environmental-impact assessment, detailed RAS or hydraulic engineering, marine engineering, structural engineering, local permits, supplier design, performance testing or lender due diligence.
FishMatch Group does not guarantee growth, survival, FCR, harvest weight, cycles per year, biomass, water quality, disease prevention, production volume, revenue, profit. Outputs are not legal, financial, engineering, tax or veterinary advice. Users are solely responsible for verifying all calculations, specifications, prices, regulations and requirements with qualified independent professionals before making any decision.
Supplier and manufacturer listings are provided for research, transparency and discovery only. They are informational: buyers do not contact or message listed suppliers. Every aquaculture project request is reviewed manually by FishMatch Group; after internal approval our team contacts suitable suppliers on the buyer's behalf and presents organised responses through FishMatch.
How this estimate is calculated
RAS Bid Normalizer · calculation version 0.9.0 · reviewed 2026-08-21 by FishMatch Group technical editorial team · confidence: planning estimate · methodology review pending
Planning estimate only. Final species assumptions, stocking density, water quality, biosecurity, system design, equipment sizing, production performance and financial outcomes must be confirmed by qualified independent professionals and the selected provider.
Purpose
Two RAS quotations are almost never for the same thing. One includes buildings, oxygen and installation; the other is equipment ex-works. This tool normalises a single offer into comparable unit figures — CAPEX per annual tonne, CAPEX per kg of peak standing biomass, energy per kg — and estimates an adjusted CAPEX that adds typical allowances for the scope items the supplier excluded. Run it once per offer and compare the adjusted figures, not the headline prices.
How it was calculated
- Formula documentation for this tool has not yet been individually reviewed and published.
Where each value comes from
- Quoted price
- Buyer input
- Annual production quoted
- Buyer input
- Peak standing biomass assumed
- Buyer input
- Stated installed electrical load
- Buyer input
- Average running load
- Buyer input
- Electricity tariff
- Buyer input
- Buildings & civil works included?
- Buyer input
- Installation included?
- Buyer input
- Oxygen supply system included?
- Buyer input
- Backup power / redundancy included?
- Buyer input
- Controls, monitoring & alarms included?
- Buyer input
- Commissioning & training included?
- Buyer input
- Freight, duties & insurance included?
- Buyer input
- Warranty offered
- Buyer input
Limitations
- This tool has not yet passed the documented-methodology review. Treat every output as an unverified planning estimate.
- Scope allowances are indicative planning percentages of the quoted price, not supplier pricing. Buildings and civil works in particular vary enormously by country, ground conditions and design, and can be far above or below the allowance used here.
- This tool does not decide which offer is better. It puts offers on a comparable basis so the remaining differences can be discussed with the suppliers themselves.
- Peak standing biomass is the assumption most likely to differ between offers. If two suppliers assume different biomass for the same annual tonnage, their systems are not equivalent regardless of price.
- Energy is estimated from installed load and an average running share. Real consumption depends on control strategy, temperature, water exchange and biomass curve, so treat it as a comparison figure rather than a forecast.
- Run this separately for each offer using that offer's own stated figures. Do not mix assumptions between suppliers.
- Indicative planning output only. It is not an engineering review, a valuation, a bid evaluation opinion or a recommendation of any supplier.
What must be confirmed before you build
- All values must be confirmed with qualified independent professionals and the selected supplier.
Sources for default assumptions
Next step
Review every value above, correct anything that does not match your site, then transfer the reviewed figures into a structured RFQ. Nothing is sent to any supplier until you approve it. Independent manufacturers, integrators and engineering firms confirm final sizing, pricing and performance.
Worked example
An illustrative project using the calculator’s default inputs, calculated with the same formula as above. Not a real project.
| Quoted price | 3200000 $ |
|---|---|
| Annual production quoted | 500 t/yr |
| Peak standing biomass assumed | 120 t |
| Stated installed electrical load | 420 kW |
| Average running load | 65 % of installed |
| Electricity tariff | 0.14 $/kWh |
| Buildings & civil works included? | Excluded |
| Installation included? | Excluded |
| Oxygen supply system included? | Excluded |
| Backup power / redundancy included? | Excluded |
| Controls, monitoring & alarms included? | Included |
| Commissioning & training included? | Excluded |
| Freight, duties & insurance included? | Excluded |
| Warranty offered | 12 months |
| Adjusted comparable CAPEX | $5,824,000 |
|---|---|
| CAPEX per annual tonne (as quoted) | $6,400/t |
| CAPEX per kg standing biomass | $27/kg |
| Estimated electricity use | 2,391,480 kWh/yr |
| Energy per kg produced | 4.78 kWh/kg |
| Annual electricity cost | $334,807 |
| 10-year CAPEX + electricity | $9,172,072 |
| Excluded scope items | 6 of 7 |
| Warranty | 12 months |
Who should use the ras bid normalizer?
Investors, engineers and farm managers evaluating a recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) for commercial fish or shrimp production.
What decision does it support?
Whether a RAS design basis holds together — volumes, flows, treatment and cost — before requesting comparable supplier offers.
What inputs do you need?
- Quoted price ($)
- Annual production quoted (t/yr)
- Peak standing biomass assumed (t)
- Stated installed electrical load (kW)
- Average running load (% of installed)
- Electricity tariff ($/kWh)
- Buildings & civil works included?
- Installation included?
- Oxygen supply system included?
- Backup power / redundancy included?
- Controls, monitoring & alarms included?
- Commissioning & training included?
- Freight, duties & insurance included?
- Warranty offered (months)
Is it for commercial farms or aquariums?
Built for commercial farms, hatcheries and projects. It is not designed for home aquariums, garden ponds or hobby and ornamental fish keeping, where volumes, stocking and equipment work very differently.
Technical checklist
Short answer: Normalise a RAS or aquaculture quotation into CAPEX per tonne, CAPEX per standing biomass, energy per kg and scope-gap flags. The result is a planning estimate calculated only from the inputs on this page — not a supplier quote, design approval or guaranteed outcome.
Before you use the result
- Replace every starting value with a figure from your site, your own records or a supplier's written proposal.
- Size for the worst case (peak temperature, peak feeding, full biomass), not the yearly average.
- Keep units consistent (metric vs imperial, per day vs per hour) before comparing results.
- Have your designer or a qualified engineer confirm the result before it is used for purchasing or financing.
- Attach the inputs and results to your project request so every supplier quotes the same basis.
Sources
No external dataset is built in. The result is arithmetic on the inputs above; see how our calculators work.
Stated assumptions (starting values)
These are only starting points. Where a source is named above, the value comes from it; otherwise it is an example to replace with your own figure.
- Quoted price: starts at 3200000 $
- Annual production quoted: starts at 500 t/yr
- Peak standing biomass assumed: starts at 120 t
- Stated installed electrical load: starts at 420 kW
- Average running load: starts at 65 % of installed
- Electricity tariff: starts at 0.14 $/kWh
- Buildings & civil works included?: starts at Excluded
- Installation included?: starts at Excluded
- Oxygen supply system included?: starts at Excluded
- Backup power / redundancy included?: starts at Excluded
- Controls, monitoring & alarms included?: starts at Included
- Commissioning & training included?: starts at Excluded
- Freight, duties & insurance included?: starts at Excluded
- Warranty offered: starts at 12 months
Checklist reviewed 13 October 2026. Ready to price it? Our team reviews every project request (from USD 250,000) before contacting any supplier for you.
Notes
- Scope allowances are indicative planning percentages of the quoted price, not supplier pricing. Buildings and civil works in particular vary enormously by country, ground conditions and design, and can be far above or below the allowance used here.
- This tool does not decide which offer is better. It puts offers on a comparable basis so the remaining differences can be discussed with the suppliers themselves.
- Peak standing biomass is the assumption most likely to differ between offers. If two suppliers assume different biomass for the same annual tonnage, their systems are not equivalent regardless of price.
- Energy is estimated from installed load and an average running share. Real consumption depends on control strategy, temperature, water exchange and biomass curve, so treat it as a comparison figure rather than a forecast.
- Run this separately for each offer using that offer's own stated figures. Do not mix assumptions between suppliers.
- Indicative planning output only. It is not an engineering review, a valuation, a bid evaluation opinion or a recommendation of any supplier.
Worked example — two offers for the same 500 t/yr project
- Offer A
- $3.2M, equipment only, no buildings, installation or backup power
- Offer B
- $5.4M, includes buildings, installation, oxygen, backup power and commissioning
- Basis
- Both quoted against 500 t/yr
After indicative allowances for the scope Offer A excludes, its adjusted CAPEX rises above the headline gap and the two offers land far closer together than the raw prices suggest.
Allowances are indicative only. Replace them with real local building and installation quotations as soon as you have them.
Why RAS quotations cannot be compared as received
A recirculating aquaculture quotation is a package of biological assumptions, engineering choices and a scope boundary. One supplier prices equipment ex-works against 120 tonnes of peak standing biomass; another prices a turnkey facility including buildings, oxygen, backup power, installation and commissioning against 95 tonnes. The two headline numbers describe different projects. Normalising converts each into unit figures that mean the same thing in every offer.
- Scope boundary: buildings and civil works are usually the largest single divergence between offers.
- Biological assumption: different peak standing biomass for the same annual tonnage means different systems.
- Energy: installed kW and control strategy decide the operating cost that outlives the purchase discount.
- Redundancy: an offer without backup power and standby equipment is cheaper because it carries more risk.
Use one offer per run
Enter each supplier's own stated figures — their price, their annual tonnage, their peak biomass, their installed load — and record the outputs. Mixing assumptions between suppliers destroys the comparison. When every offer has been run, compare adjusted CAPEX, CAPEX per kilogram of standing biomass and energy per kilogram, then take the remaining differences back to the suppliers as questions rather than as a decision.
What the tool deliberately does not do
It does not rank suppliers, score proposals, or declare a winner. It does not review engineering, verify claimed performance or assess a supplier's financial standing. It produces planning-grade comparison figures and flags where a quotation is silent. The evaluation remains yours, and the engineering, equipment, construction, commissioning, warranties and operating performance remain the responsibility of the provider you select.
RAS quote comparison questions
RAS bid comparison FAQs
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