A media enquiry is a specification in miniature. When it is complete, three suppliers will come back with prices you can line up side by side and a decision you can defend. When it is not, you receive three prices that cannot be compared, and the cheapest one is simply the one that assumed the least.
The checklist below is what we need in order to quote without guessing. It is also, conveniently, what any competent supplier needs, so it works as a template rather than as a favour to us.
The eight numbers
- Design flow, in m3/day or m3/h, with the peaking factor stated separately. Average flow and peak flow are different enquiries.
- Basin or reactor dimensions, as a plan and a depth - not a volume alone. A volume does not tell us whether the geometry can hold the layout you want.
- Water analysis for the influent: suspended solids, BOD or COD, ammonia, and anything unusual such as oil, fibres or high salinity.
- Outlet targets, referenced to the permit you actually operate under, stated as the parameters and values the plant must meet.
- Temperature range, including the coldest sustained period if the plant is in a cold climate. Biological design that uses the annual average will under-perform in the first winter.
- Required material and grade where it is fixed by your project, and an explicit statement when it is open to proposal.
- Quantity and delivery window, including whether the order may be split into phases.
- Destination: the port or site, and the delivery term you are working to. Freight is a real part of the comparison and it cannot be estimated without the destination.
Six ambiguities that move the price
| Ambiguity | What it changes | How to close it |
|---|---|---|
| Material grade | Resin type and additive package decide both unit price and service life | Name the grade, or ask for the offered grade in writing |
| Wall thickness or sheet gauge | The same nominal size at a thinner gauge is a different product | Quote the gauge you need, per size if it varies |
| Frames and fixings | Support frames, anchors and edge trimming are often quoted separately | State whether the offer must be installed-ready or material only |
| Packing | Bulk, bundles or export crates change volume, handling and damage rates | State the receiving conditions at site |
| Incoterms | FOB, CIF and DAP are three different numbers for the same goods | Name the term and the named place |
| Documentation language | Translated datasheets and submittals are work, and they are not free | Say which language the submittal must be in |
A copy-paste skeleton
Application: [municipal / industrial, what the plant treats]
Design flow: [average] m3/day, peak factor [x]
Basin: [L × W × depth] m, [number] trains, existing or new
Influent: SS [mg/L], BOD [mg/L], COD [mg/L], NH3-N [mg/L], oil/grease [mg/L]
Outlet target: [parameter] ≤ [value], per [permit reference]
Temperature: [min sustained] to [max] degrees C
Product and size: [family, size range, material if fixed]
Delivery: [quantity], required by [date], [Incoterm] [named place]
Documents: datasheet and submittal in [language]
Filling that in takes about ten minutes and removes most of the follow-up questions. If a line genuinely does not apply, write "open to proposal" rather than leaving it blank - a blank is indistinguishable from an oversight.
Comparing two offers line by line
Put the two offers side by side against the same eight numbers and the same six ambiguities. In practice, the differences that decide the outcome are rarely the headline price. They are the gauge, whether fixing hardware is inside the scope, and what the delivery term actually covers. An offer that is 8 % cheaper because it excludes frames is not cheaper.
Two habits make the comparison honest. Ask each supplier to state the assumptions behind the quantity, not only the quantity. And ask what is excluded, in writing - exclusions are where the surprises live.
What we do and do not do
We manufacture media and equipment and quote them against a stated specification. We are not an EPC contractor and we do not design your plant for you; what we can do is size the media inside the plant you have designed, check that the numbers close, and say so when they do not. We publish specifications because a buyer who can check the figures asks better questions, and that is a faster conversation for both sides.
If your enquiry is still at the stage of choosing a product family rather than sizing one, the complete buyer's guide is the place to start, and the guides and calculators section has the sizing tools for each family.
Questions buyers ask
Why do two suppliers answer the same enquiry with very different prices?
Usually because the two offers are not for the same thing. Material grade, wall thickness, whether frames and fixings are included, packing, Incoterms and destination port all move the price, and any of them can be left unstated on both sides. The cheapest way to close that gap is to fix those six items in the enquiry before anyone quotes.
Should I state a budget in the enquiry?
You can, and it occasionally saves a round trip, but it is not necessary. What matters more is stating the constraints that are genuinely fixed - the basin dimensions, the discharge limits, the required delivery window - because those define the feasible range. A budget without those constraints invites a price that meets the number and not the plant.
Do you publish prices?
No, and the reason is not secrecy. The price depends on material, size, quantity and destination, so a published figure would be a guess dressed as a commitment. Every price we give is tied to a stated specification and a stated delivery term, which is also what makes two of our offers comparable with each other.
What happens if my enquiry is missing a key number?
We say which number is missing and why it changes the answer, rather than quoting on an assumption and letting the price move later. If a range of answers is genuinely possible, we quote the range and explain what separates the top from the bottom.
Can you provide certificates of conformity?
We can provide the documents we actually hold, and we will tell you honestly when a certificate from a specific body is outside what we have been assessed for. We do not claim certification to a standard we have not been assessed against - that is the one thing in a quotation that cannot be corrected later.