A gas turbine RFQ should make it possible to compare offers on the same project basis. It must tell suppliers what the buyer needs and tell the buyer what each supplier has actually committed to provide.
“We need 40 MW immediately” leaves the decisive questions open: the output boundary, site conditions, outage requirement, acceptable unit count and meaning of the delivery date. Different respondents can answer that sentence honestly while quoting very different systems.
Use the project brief, scope matrix and completed hypothetical example below to request comparable proposals. Unknown inputs should remain visible, with responsibility assigned for resolving them.
Key Takeaways
- State required net output, operating conditions and the electrical delivery point.
- Separate mandatory requirements from preferences and acceptable alternatives.
- Require itemized inclusions, exclusions, deviations and supporting documents.
- Define inspection, acceptance and schedule milestones before comparing price.
Begin with a one-page project brief#
Use the following fields as the front page of the RFQ. Write “not yet established” where information is missing, then identify who will resolve it. Do not insert guessed values simply to make the form look complete.
| Field | Information to provide |
|---|---|
| Project location | Country, site location and delivery destination |
| Required power | Minimum net MW and the measurement point |
| Load profile | Initial demand, later phases, normal range and peak |
| Electrical requirements | Frequency, voltage and required operating arrangement |
| Fuel | Composition or available analysis, supply pressure and flow information |
| Site conditions | Relevant temperature range, elevation and environmental exposure |
| Operating duty | Annual hours, starts, continuous/peaking/other duty |
| Reliability requirement | Defined outage case and any allowed load shedding |
| Schedule | Required delivery, first-fire and operational dates |
| Equipment preference | Acceptable models, condition and number of units |
| Scope requested | Equipment only, refurbishment, delivery, installation or other services |
| Commercial contact | Organization, project role and responsible contact |
GE Vernova's TM2500 specification notes explicitly distinguish included losses from excluded balance-of-plant equipment. This illustrates why a buyer should define its own required output boundary rather than accepting an unexplained “net MW” response.
Example: turn an ambiguous enquiry into a usable RFQ#
The following is a hypothetical project brief, not a SecondWatt listing or a completed engineering design. It shows how to make the requirement answerable while keeping unknown information visible.
| Field | Illustrative buyer response |
|---|---|
| Required supply | 40 MW delivered at the campus supply bus |
| Electrical arrangement | 60 Hz; voltage and protection requirements to be confirmed by the electrical engineer |
| Unit count | Multiple units acceptable; supplier to propose configuration |
| Defined capacity event | Maintain 40 MW after loss of one generating unit; dynamic performance requires separate assessment |
| Operating profile | Continuous-service concept; hourly load profile and annual service plan to follow |
| Site performance | Supplier to price assessment after receiving the location and ambient design basis |
| Fuel | Natural-gas analysis, pressure and flow confirmation pending |
| Timing | Buyer to provide calendar dates for delivery and required operation before requesting a firm schedule |
| Sale scope | Generating packages, identified auxiliaries and separately priced commissioning support |
| Current request status | Preliminary; conditional offers and explicit deviations requested |
This is more useful than claiming the project is fully specified. Suppliers can identify candidate configurations and the information preventing a firm proposal. The buyer can then close those inputs and issue a common revised RFQ.
The net boundary matters even at this preliminary stage. EIA's heat-rate and net-generation explanation supports distinguishing delivered generation from electricity consumed operating the plant. State whether each proposal includes external compression and other site auxiliaries in its output response.
Separate requirements from preferences#
Label each criterion as mandatory, preferred or open to alternatives. A 60 Hz requirement may be mandatory. A preferred model may be flexible if another documented package satisfies the performance and schedule requirements.
If alternatives are acceptable, ask the supplier to identify deviations clearly. Request the base proposal first and the alternative separately, including any change in unit count, output, fuel requirements or scope.
Review the gas turbine catalogue and the LM2500, LM6000 and SGT-800 comparison before unnecessarily restricting the model list.
Require an inclusion matrix#
Every proposal should classify major items as included, excluded, optional or provided by another party. “Complete package” is not an adequate substitute.
Request entries for the turbine, generator, gearbox where applicable, controls, starting system, lubrication, fuel conditioning, compression, water systems, inlet, exhaust, emissions equipment, fire protection, switchgear and transformers. Include commissioning tools, documentation and spare parts where relevant.
Solar's Titan 130 generator-set data sheet identifies standard equipment, options and documentation. It is a useful example of the level of package definition to request, not a universal bill of materials for every turbine.
For each interface, name the responsible party. If the buyer supplies gas compression, the proposal still needs to state the turbine's inlet requirements and the information needed to size that system.
Ask for evidence specific to used equipment#
Require full identification of the turbine, generator and major package components. Ask for operating records, starts, inspection reports, completed repair scopes, test reports and preservation history.
Distinguish three statements: equipment currently available for inspection, equipment committed for future release, and equipment that might be sourced. Ask the respondent to identify its role and authority to offer the asset.
Request dated photographs and explain the conditions for a site inspection. Sensitive records can be exchanged through the agreed diligence process, but the proposal should state which records exist and which are unavailable.
Use the condition and overhaul guide for the detailed evidence review.
Compare the dates that matter#
Request separate milestones for document release, inspection, purchase availability, completion of any work, shipment, delivery and supplier-supported commissioning. Ask which dates are commitments and which depend on the buyer or another party.
Include removal and transportation responsibility. A machine still installed in an operating plant may need an outage and a defined decommissioning scope before shipment. See the relocation and commissioning guide.
Normalize prices with the package-cost guide. Keep purchase price, required work, freight, site integration and future service costs visible as separate lines.
Define acceptance without assuming a universal test#
Specify the engineering review and testing process appropriate to the transaction. A machine that can run at its current site presents different testing options from an engine in storage or a disassembled package.
Ask respondents to identify proposed inspections, tests, witnesses, documentation, acceptance criteria and exclusions. If performance is guaranteed, define the conditions, correction method, measurement boundary and contractual remedy with the responsible technical and commercial teams.
Do not describe a visual inspection as proof of output. Likewise, do not promise a full-load test before confirming the facilities, fuel, load and permissions needed to conduct it.
Specify testing and service as separate deliverables#
ASME's performance-test-code overview distinguishes gas-turbine and overall-plant testing. Ask the supplier and the buyer's engineer to propose the applicable acceptance scope. Do not insert a generic standard reference and assume it settles instrumentation, conditions, corrections and remedies.
Separately, request a service plan for the intended duty. GE Vernova's aeroderivative services information illustrates that repair, exchange and other support arrangements are distinct offerings. The respondent should state what is actually included for the identified equipment.
An RFQ response can therefore contain three different commitments: the asset supplied, the performance demonstrated and the support provided afterward. Compare each explicitly. A broad warranty statement should not be used to fill gaps in an undefined performance test or maintenance scope.
Review responses for evidence and exceptions#
Use a response register with four statuses: meets the requirement with evidence, meets it subject to a stated condition, deviates, or unanswered. Keep an unanswered item distinct from an acceptable exception. Silence does not establish inclusion.
Suppose one supplier offers a turbine-generator package and another offers a complete generating package with more auxiliaries. Ask both to complete the same inclusion matrix before comparing price. If the first supplier cannot quote missing systems, retain the offer as incomplete rather than assigning zero completion cost.
The same approach applies to performance. EPA's combustion-turbine technical reference describes the relevance of ambient and load conditions. A response based only on a catalogue rating has not answered a requirement for minimum site-net output under a specified case.
Assign each important exception to a reviewer and give it a closure date. Technical, commercial and schedule questions should not disappear into separate email threads. The final recommendation should identify the remaining conditions that affect the purchase decision.
Keep revisions and commercial validity aligned#
Give the RFQ a revision identifier and require the supplier to identify the revision used. When fuel information, load or site scope changes, ask for confirmation of its effect on price, performance and schedule. Do not compare a new offer against an older one that assumed a different project.
Record quote validity and the conditions attached to any reservation or release date. A technically suitable proposal may need commercial reconfirmation before the buyer can act. That is a specific transaction question, not a reason to invent general market availability or lead-time figures.
The final comparison should let a reviewer trace every decisive statement back to the RFQ response and supporting document. That makes the handoff from procurement to engineering and operations more reliable, and gives SecondWatt a clear basis for discussing candidate equipment.
Copy this RFQ request into your procurement brief#
Please propose an identified gas turbine generating package, or clearly described alternative, against the attached project requirements. State the exact equipment configuration, current location, condition, availability status and your role in offering it.
Provide a performance statement at the specified site conditions and delivery boundary; an inclusion and exclusion matrix; available operating, maintenance and test records; proposed inspection and acceptance steps; and a milestone schedule. Identify every deviation from the requested specification.
Quote the equipment and additional services separately. State currency, price validity, payment milestones, delivery responsibilities, warranty terms and assumptions. Identify unresolved inputs that prevent a firm proposal rather than filling them with unstated assumptions.
Frequently Asked Questions#
Can I issue an RFQ before detailed engineering is complete?#
Yes, as a clearly labeled preliminary request. Identify unresolved inputs and ask for conditional responses. Update the request when the project basis changes so suppliers remain comparable.
Should I specify one turbine model?#
Do so when the project requires it. Otherwise, define the mandatory performance and interfaces and invite clearly documented alternatives.
What makes an inquiry useful to SecondWatt?#
A defined project, a responsible contact, required net output, location, electrical requirements and an operating date provide a useful starting point. Attach available site and fuel information without inventing missing data.
How should a supplier mark missing information?#
Use a specific exception or condition tied to the relevant requirement. State the missing input, who must provide it and which parts of the proposal depend on it. Do not fill the gap with a silent assumption.
Should alternative models be submitted in the same quotation?#
They may be, provided the base response and each alternative remain distinct. Identify changes in unit count, output, scope, service and schedule so the buyer can compare complete options rather than mixed attributes from several proposals.
Submit your turbine requirement#
Review the gas turbine equipment pages, then use Get Quote → I'm looking to buy equipment. Include the project brief above. If a model is already selected, link or name its dossier, such as LM6000 or SGT-800, and state which requirements remain flexible.