How to compare commercial irrigation and fertigation proposals
Compare irrigation and fertigation proposals on twelve normalised lines: design flow and pressure, water analysis assumed, treatment train, filtration type and degree, storage volume, pump station and control, dosing channels and injection accuracy, EC and pH control, zoning and emitter uniformity, drain collection and recirculation, automation and sensors, and installation, commissioning, warranty and service. A bid that assumes better source water than your analysis shows is not cheaper — it is incomplete.
Irrigation and fertigation bids diverge mainly because of assumptions about the water. Two suppliers given the same greenhouse but different assumed water quality will propose entirely different treatment trains and price gaps that have nothing to do with commercial competitiveness.
Normalise the water first
- Issue the same laboratory water analysis to every bidder
- State the source volume, seasonality and any licence limit
- State the crop and the target irrigation strategy (free drain or recirculating)
- State discharge and environmental compliance requirements at the site
Then normalise the equipment lines
- Design flow (m³/h) and required pressure at the furthest emitter
- Filtration type, filtration degree and backflush arrangement
- Treatment: sedimentation, softening, RO, iron removal, disinfection
- Storage volume, buffer days and tank material
- Pump station configuration, redundancy and variable-speed control
- Dosing channels, acid channel, injection accuracy and recipe management
- EC and pH measurement, redundancy and alarm behaviour
- Zoning, valve count, emitter type and uniformity target
- Drain collection, disinfection and recirculation percentage
- Sensors, controller integration and remote access
- Installation, commissioning, training and documentation
- Warranty per component group, service response and spares
Common comparison mistakes
- Comparing dosing units by channel count alone, ignoring injection accuracy and control strategy
- Excluding the treatment train from one bid and including it in another
- Ignoring the pressure requirement created by emitter choice and pipe sizing
- Overlooking recirculation, which changes storage, disinfection and nutrient management
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.
Frame dosing and nutrient requirements before the RFQ.
Flow and pressure basis for the pump station.
Treatment train scoping from source water quality.
Section-by-section specification structure for a professional greenhouse tender.
Structured intake that produces one comparable scope for every bidder.
The 25-line normalisation method used before price is weighed.