Before you request quotes for a commercial greenhouse project
Before requesting greenhouse quotes, define eight things: the crop and its production target, the site and climate data, the greenhouse area and type, the growing system, the climate strategy, the water and fertigation train, the automation level, and the commercial terms including schedule, installation, training, warranty and service. Suppliers that receive the same eight definitions return proposals you can actually compare; suppliers that receive a vague enquiry each design a different project and quote a different scope.
Most greenhouse budgets do not move because a supplier was dishonest. They move because the buyer asked for a price before the project was defined, so every bidder filled the gaps with their own assumptions — different loads, different cooling strategy, different growing system, different exclusions.
The sequence that protects the budget is simple: define the crop, the climate and the business model first, then choose the greenhouse company. This page is the definition checklist that comes before any supplier contact.
1. Crop — the input every other decision depends on
Structure height, spacing, cooling capacity, screen strategy, lighting, fertigation channels and automation all follow the crop. A tomato project and a lettuce project of identical area are not the same building.
- Crop and, where relevant, variety type or grower preference
- Production cycle: year-round, single season, or multiple cycles per year
- Target yield per m² per year and the assumptions behind it
- Quality target and grading requirements
- Market: export, domestic retail, wholesale, processing or contract supply
- Packaging and post-harvest requirements that affect the building footprint
2. Site and climate — the data suppliers need to engineer
A supplier cannot size ventilation, heating, cooling or structure without site data. Missing climate data is the single most common reason a quotation carries broad exclusions.
- Country, region and precise site coordinates
- Temperature range, relative humidity and solar radiation by season
- Design wind load and, where applicable, snow load
- Altitude, dust exposure and proximity to coast or industry
- Water source, available volume, and a water quality analysis (EC, pH, sodium, chloride, bicarbonate, boron, iron)
- Electricity: grid capacity, reliability, tariff, and whether generation or solar is planned
- Land: area, shape, slope, drainage, access roads and expansion reserve
3. Greenhouse — area, type and structural intent
- Gross area and expected usable growing area
- Greenhouse type: glass venlo, wide-span glass, multi-span plastic, tunnel, screenhouse or shadehouse
- Structural material, span, bay spacing and gutter height
- Glazing or covering specification and expected replacement interval
- Ventilation type: roof vents, side vents, roll-up, forced or semi-closed
- Shading and insect screening requirements
- Phasing: is this phase one of a larger site?
4. Growing system
- Soil, substrate, hydroponic recirculating, NFT, DWC or a mix by compartment
- Gutters, benches, hanging systems or ground-level growing
- Substrate type, volume and replacement cycle
- Drain collection and whether drainage is recirculated or discharged
- Crop support, wire, hooks and internal transport
5. Climate strategy
Climate strategy is where CAPEX diverges most between bidders. Declare the strategy so bidders price the same physics rather than choosing the cheapest one.
- Cooling: natural ventilation, shading, fogging, pad-and-fan or semi-closed
- Heating: source, distribution, target night temperature and design outside temperature
- Humidification and dehumidification requirements
- Energy, shade and blackout screens and how many layers
- CO2 enrichment where the crop and energy setup justify it
- Supplemental lighting: none, hybrid or full LED, with target light sum
6. Irrigation, fertigation and water treatment
- Source water volume, seasonality and licensing
- Treatment train: sedimentation, filtration, softening, reverse osmosis, iron removal or disinfection
- Storage volume and buffer days
- Pump station, flow and pressure requirements
- Dosing channels, EC and pH control and injection accuracy
- Irrigation zones, valve count and emitter specification
- Drain recirculation, disinfection and discharge compliance
7. Automation and data
- Climate computer and required control strategies
- Sensor set: temperature, humidity, radiation, CO2, substrate moisture, EC, drain
- Irrigation control integration with the climate computer
- Crop registration or monitoring systems
- Remote access, alarms and user permissions
- Data export and integration with existing farm software
8. Commercial definition
- Budget range and currency, plus the CAPEX approval process
- Required delivery schedule and any hard planting date
- Incoterm, delivery point and who unloads
- Installation: supplier crew, local subcontractor or buyer's own team
- Commissioning, performance testing and handover criteria
- Training scope and language
- Warranty duration by component and service response expectations
- Spare-parts package for the first operating season
- Whether external financing will be required, and by when
What to do with the completed definition
Turn it into one written RFQ and issue the identical document to every bidder. Do not let each supplier build its own version of the scope — that is precisely what makes proposals non-comparable and puts the buyer in a weak negotiating position.
Financing note
SeedMatch Group is not a bank, lender, credit provider or financial adviser, and quotes no rates, approvals or commitments. Where a qualified commercial project requires funding, it may be introduced to independent third-party financing providers, who control all eligibility, pricing and decisions.
Questions buyers ask before selecting a greenhouse company
SeedMatch Group is not a greenhouse manufacturer, integrator, EPC contractor or installer, and has no exclusive relationship with any company named on this page. Several of the companies described here can be invited to quote through a structured RFQ. Capability descriptions summarise categories these companies present publicly and should be verified directly with each company for a specific project.
Technology level, ventilation, cooling method, energy model and automation — decided before the RFQ.
Structured intake that produces one comparable scope for every bidder.
Crop, climate, area, growing system and automation defined before suppliers are contacted.
Section-by-section specification structure for a professional greenhouse tender.
The 25-line normalisation method used before price is weighed.
What actually moves CAPEX per m² — country, crop, loads, climate strategy and automation.
Neutral capability overview of major complete-project greenhouse companies.