Here’s How to Get a Useful Controls Quote

How often have you accepted a controls quote without a lot of detail because you have major time constraints? How often have you regretted it?

Everyone hates being “nickeled and dimed”, and death by change order, which we covered in an earlier post. Avoid Death by Change Order  

In that post, we offered some ideas for how you can best help us prepare a great controls proposal for your project. To summarize:

• Give us as much detail as you can. One of our favorite conveyor handling clients reviews the job with us via a web conference. He shares his drawings with us and verbally walks us through the operation. He follows that up with detailed lists including the conveyor schedule and expected device counts.
• Be open to input from us. That client asks for input such that the control system we quote is a collaborative effort with no surprises.
• Contact us as early as you can. Just like you, we reach out to our suppliers for information. The more time we have, the more accurate we’ll be. We specialize in turning quotes around quickly because we have a solid and detailed system for quoting. But a severely compressed timeframe creates more opportunities for miscommunication and misinformation.

Some Things You Should Look For in a Controls Quote

• Panel Details Pendant quotes contain specific details about what’s included. You receive data on the enclosure, the PLC maker and model, the power supply and breakers, I/O, the HMI, communications and networking equipment, motor and VFD controls, stack lights and panel door operators.
• Field Device Details Every Pendant quote includes a list of field devices and quantity of each. This includes photo eyes, safety-related equipment like pull cords, pulleys, Start/Stop stations, horns, beacons, power supplies, motor disconnects, pressure switches, limit switches, interlocks, and remote I/O enclosures.
• Engineering, Design, and Programming Pendant includes details about the scope of the engineering services, including CAD drawings, the panel assembly, the description of operations, PLC and HMI programming, Startup and Commissioning, and Go-Live support.
• Project Resources This includes details about the role of project management, engineering, and panel assembly leads assigned to the project.
• Other Terms Freight information, payment terms, and other terms and conditions should all be clear in the written proposal.

If you receive less than this in your controls quote, you expose yourself to a lot of headaches downstream. You can be sure you won’t regret getting the details.

If you think you can’t get a detailed high-quality proposal within your timeframe, think again. We are constantly refining and streamlining our process for quoting so you don’t have to sacrifice quality for time. Why not check us out and see for yourself?

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