Procurement knowledge
Irrigation project inputs: what an irrigation and fertigation RFQ must contain
An irrigation RFQ needs the irrigated area and crop, the water source with a recent analysis, the design flow and required pressure at the emitter, the number of zones and shift plan, filtration and dosing requirements, pump duty and energy source, pipeline distances and terrain, and the contracting scope. Flow alone does not define a pump or a filter.
What inputs are required to specify a commercial irrigation project?
An irrigation RFQ needs the irrigated area and crop, the water source with a recent analysis, the design flow and required pressure at the emitter, the number of zones and shift plan, filtration and dosing requirements, pump duty and energy source, pipeline distances and terrain, and the contracting scope. Flow alone does not define a pump or a filter.
- Design flow follows from peak crop water demand, irrigated area and the daily operating window — not from pipe size.
- Water analysis (suspended solids, iron, manganese, hardness, EC, pH) determines the filtration type.
- Total dynamic head = static lift + required pressure + friction losses; pump selection needs all three.
- Zoning and shift plan determine whether one pump or a staged set is appropriate.
Water, demand and hydraulics
Irrigation proposals become comparable only when the hydraulic duty point is stated. Peak crop water requirement multiplied by area, divided by the daily operating hours and the number of simultaneous zones, gives the design flow. The required pressure at the emitter, plus static lift and friction losses along the main line, gives the head.
- Irrigated area, crop, planting density and peak daily water requirement.
- Water source: well, reservoir, surface water, municipal or recycled — with seasonal availability.
- Recent water analysis, including suspended solids, iron, manganese, hardness, EC and pH.
- Design flow (m³/h), required emitter pressure (bar) and estimated static lift.
- Distance from source to field, elevation change and terrain.
Zoning, filtration and dosing
Zone count and shift plan drive header sizing, valve counts and control channels. Filtration follows the water analysis: sand media, disc, screen or a combination, with backflush logic and pressure-differential control. Dosing follows the nutrition plan — number of channels, injection method, EC and pH control, and whether recipes are stored in the controller.
- Number of zones, simultaneous zones and irrigation shifts per day.
- Filtration type, degree of filtration in microns and backflush water source.
- Dosing channels, acid line, EC/pH control and mixing tank requirements.
- Control system: valve count, sensors, remote access, alarms and logging.
Pumping, energy and scope
Pump duty comes from flow and total dynamic head, then motor power from hydraulic power divided by pump and motor efficiency with a service factor. Energy source — grid, diesel, solar or hybrid — must be stated because it changes both the pump set and the control philosophy.
Mark civil works, trenching, installation supervision and commissioning as included, excluded or optional. SeedMatchGroup does not manufacture, install, engineer or finance equipment, and guarantees no yield, saving, ROI or payback.