How to compare greenhouse quotations
Do not compare greenhouse quotations on price per square metre. Normalise each bid first: usable production area, structure type and stated wind and snow loads, covering specification, ventilation area, heating and cooling capacity at design conditions, screens, lighting, irrigation and fertigation, water treatment, growing system, controls, electrical and civil scope, freight and Incoterm, installation, commissioning, training, warranty, spare parts, expected annual energy and water consumption, programme, and written exclusions. Only after that adjustment is a price difference meaningful.
How do I compare greenhouse EPC providers and proposals? — scope checklist
- Same brief
Every supplier prices the same written scope, area, crop and site data.
- Scope and exclusions
List what each proposal includes and excludes, line by line.
- Assumptions
Design climate, water quality, soil and utility assumptions behind the price.
- Equipment specifications
Structure, climate, irrigation and control specifications — not only brand names.
- Delivery terms
Incoterm, delivery schedule, customs and site responsibilities.
- Installation and commissioning
Who installs, supervises and tests, and what handover means.
- After-sales
Warranty terms, operator training, service response and spare-parts list.
What the right choice depends on
| Factor | What it changes |
|---|---|
| Contract model | A turnkey EPC price and separate package prices are not directly comparable. |
| Climate and crop | Which climate equipment differences matter most. |
| Site conditions | Foundation, earthworks and utility items often missing from proposals. |
Key terms
- Exclusion:
- An item the supplier will not provide — it still has to be bought or built by someone.
- Incoterm:
- Standard trade term defining where delivery responsibility and risk pass to the buyer.
- Normalised comparison:
- Proposals rearranged into the same scope lines so differences become visible.
General planning guidance only — not an engineering design, supplier quote or investment advice. Final specifications need engineering review and supplier confirmation.
Sources
- Good Agricultural Practices for greenhouse vegetable production — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
- IFC Agribusiness and Forestry — investment and advisory approach — International Finance Corporation (IFC)
Published by SeedMatchGroup · Last reviewed
Two greenhouse offers for the same hectare figure can differ by a factor of two and both be honest. The gap is almost always in usable area, climate design conditions and what has been excluded rather than in margin.
Define the crop, climate and business model before choosing the greenhouse company.
Step 1 — restate every bid on the same production area
Gross covered area includes corridors, technical rooms and headland. Usable production area is what generates yield. Convert every bid to cost per usable square metre before any other comparison.
Step 2 — check the design conditions, not the equipment list
- Which external temperature, humidity and radiation values was the climate system designed against?
- Which wind speed and snow load standard was the structure designed to?
- What internal set-points were assumed for the crop, and do they match your crop plan?
- What water quality and source were assumed for irrigation and treatment?
Step 3 — build the exclusions column
List every item that appears in one bid and not another: foundations, site levelling, electrical connection, standby power, water source development, import duties, local permits, accommodation for installation crews, and post-handover service. Price the missing items from the other bids and add them back before comparing.
Step 4 — model operating cost, not just CAPEX
- Stated annual energy consumption per square metre, and the tariff assumed
- Water consumption and whether drain water is recirculated
- Screen and covering replacement intervals
- Labour implications of the automation level offered
- Spare-parts availability and service response time in your country
Step 5 — score technical and commercial separately
Keep technical compliance and commercial terms in separate columns. A bid that is technically non-compliant should be clarified or excluded before price is considered, otherwise the cheapest non-compliant offer distorts the whole evaluation.
The normalisation checklist
Restate every bid against each line below before comparing price. A blank cell in any bid is an exclusion until the supplier confirms otherwise in writing.
| Group | Lines to normalise |
|---|---|
| Area and structure | Gross covered area vs usable production area · Structure type (Venlo, multi-span plastic, tunnel, semi-closed, retractable) · Gutter height and bay/span dimensions · Design wind load and snow load, and the standard applied · Glazing or covering specification and expected light transmission · Foundations and civil works scope |
| Climate systems | Ventilation type, vent area as a percentage of floor area, and insect netting · Heating capacity, heat source and distribution · Cooling strategy (natural, pad-and-fan, fogging, semi-closed) and design conditions · Thermal and shade screens, number of layers and control · Supplemental lighting type, installed W/m² and photoperiod assumption · CO2 supply, if included |
| Water, irrigation and growing system | Irrigation and fertigation units, dosing channels and EC/pH control · Water treatment, filtration, disinfection and drain recirculation · Water storage, reservoirs and pump stations · Growing system — gutters, substrate, hydroponic troughs or soil · Sensors, climate computer and software licences |
| Commercial and delivery | Electrical scope, transformer, standby power and connection responsibility · Installation labour, supervision and local subcontracting split · Freight, Incoterm, packing and site unloading · Import duties, taxes and customs responsibility · Commissioning, performance testing and handover criteria · Training, documentation and spare-parts package · Warranty periods per system and service response terms · Delivery programme and milestone dates · Expected energy and water consumption per year · Written exclusions — the single most common cause of non-comparable bids |
Questions buyers ask before selecting a greenhouse company
Restate all proposals on usable production area, confirm each was designed to the same external climate and structural load conditions, build a written exclusions matrix, add the missing scope back into the lower bids, then compare CAPEX alongside stated annual energy and water consumption, warranty terms and delivery programme. Score technical compliance before price.
Because the denominator and the scope both vary. Gross area includes non-productive space, climate capacity may be designed for different external conditions, and civil works, electrical connection, freight and commissioning are allocated differently in each offer.
Site location and climate data, crop and growing system, target production and quality, usable area required, structure type and load standard, covering, ventilation and cooling strategy, heating, screens, lighting, irrigation and fertigation, water source and quality, water treatment and drain policy, controls and sensors, electrical supply, civil scope split, Incoterm, installation and commissioning responsibility, training, warranty, spare parts, programme and a required exclusions list.
Only after operating cost is included. A lower CAPEX offer with higher annual energy consumption and shorter warranty can cost more across a ten-year horizon. Compare lifecycle cost, not purchase price alone.
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.
Enter two or three bids and see where they are not comparable.
The pre-RFQ definition checklist that makes bids comparable.
Section-by-section specification structure for a professional tender.
Twelve scope gaps that make the cheapest per m² the more expensive project.
Turn crop, climate and production targets into one comparable scope sheet.
Combine CAPEX, energy, water, labour and cycles into lifecycle cost.
Conditional cost ranges by structure, climate and technology level.