Procurement knowledge
Greenhouse project inputs: what a commercial greenhouse RFQ must contain
A commercial greenhouse RFQ needs the crop and growing system, cultivated area and preferred bay geometry, site climate loads, covering material, ventilation and cooling strategy, heating and screening requirements, the irrigation and fertigation interface, energy supply, and the contracting scope. Structure price alone is not comparable without these.
What inputs are required to specify a commercial greenhouse project?
A commercial greenhouse RFQ needs the crop and growing system, cultivated area and preferred bay geometry, site climate loads, covering material, ventilation and cooling strategy, heating and screening requirements, the irrigation and fertigation interface, energy supply, and the contracting scope. Structure price alone is not comparable without these.
- Gutter height, bay width and post spacing change usable area and equipment cost more than the covering choice does.
- Wind and snow load must come from the site, not from a supplier's standard region.
- Cooling strategy (natural ventilation, pad-and-fan, fogging, screens) has to be stated or every offer assumes something different.
- The irrigation and fertigation interface must be defined as included or excluded.
Structure and site
Structural offers diverge because of geometry and loads, not because of steel price. State the cultivated area, the preferred bay width and gutter height, the number of spans and any phase boundaries, plus the site's wind speed, snow load, seismic zone and ground conditions.
- Cultivated area (m²) and gross footprint including corridors and service areas.
- Bay width, gutter height, post spacing and roof type.
- Wind and snow loads, seismic zone, soil bearing capacity and site levelling status.
- Covering: glass, polycarbonate or film, with expected light transmission and lifetime.
Climate, energy and control
The climate package is where quotations differ most. Ventilation area, cooling method, heating capacity, screens and the control system all have to be specified as a strategy, otherwise the cheapest offer is simply the one with the least climate capability.
- Ventilation: roof vent area as a percentage of floor area, side vents, insect netting mesh.
- Cooling: pad-and-fan, fogging or high-pressure misting, and the design outside temperature.
- Heating: design minimum temperature, heat source and distribution.
- Screens: energy saving, shading or blackout, and whether motorised.
- Control: sensors, climate computer, remote access and alarm handling.
- Energy: grid capacity, backup, and whether a solar contribution is planned.
Interfaces and scope
The last third of a greenhouse budget usually sits in interfaces: irrigation and fertigation, benches or gullies, internal transport, packing area, and civil works. Each has to be marked included, excluded or optional in the RFQ so proposals can be compared line by line.
SeedMatchGroup structures this requirement and organises the returned proposals on one basis. SeedMatchGroup does not manufacture, install, engineer or finance equipment, and guarantees no yield, saving, ROI or payback.