An RO quotation should explain what water enters the package, what useful water leaves it and where the remaining flow goes. Start with the required production schedule and an agreed quality target. A large capacity number without those conditions is difficult to compare with another supplier's proposal.
1. Convert daily demand into an operating duty
List each water user and separate continuous demand from short filling peaks. State available operating hours and whether a storage tank covers peak consumption. For an illustrative duty of 60 m³/day over 20 production hours, the average permeate requirement is 3 m³/h. This calculation excludes maintenance reserve and storage losses; it is not a model recommendation or a claim about BOKAWATER equipment.
Ask the supplier to declare feed conditions and product quality for its proposed output. RO separates water through a membrane under pressure. The complete duty must therefore be reviewed with the actual water source, intended use and proposed membrane design, rather than a flow label alone.
2. Write down feed, permeate and concentrate together
For a simple steady-state boundary without additional side streams, feed flow equals permeate flow plus concentrate flow. Recovery is permeate divided by feed. At an assumed 75% recovery, 3 m³/h permeate would require 4 m³/h feed and produce 1 m³/h concentrate. These are hypothetical arithmetic inputs, not a recommended operating recovery. Confirm separately any recycle, flushing, pretreatment backwash or cleaning flows.
Request the proposed water balance in the quotation. Assign responsibility for raw-water supply, wastewater connections and any intermediate storage. A promised recovery value needs supporting design conditions; it should not be treated as a selectable percentage independent of the water analysis.
3. Make quotations comparable and measurable
Submit the latest laboratory report with sample location and date, together with expected seasonal changes. Ask the supplier to state its pretreatment assumptions, selected components, monitoring points and cleaning provision. Identify which instrument readings will be recorded at commissioning and which sampling points will be used to verify product quality.
Compare connected power and expected operating energy on the same package boundary. Note whether feed pumping, pretreatment and product distribution are included. Request a layout with service access, connection sizes, an electrical load list, control description and consumables list. For a container package, confirm ventilation, external pipework and shipping dimensions. Send the completed worksheet with your enquiry so open interfaces appear as explicit questions in the proposal.
Data to collect before comparing proposals
| Parameter / interface | Unit / format | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Required permeate / operating time | m³/day; h/day | Separate daily volume, hourly output and storage-supported peaks. |
| Feed source and laboratory analysis | Report with sample date | Provide the actual water report rather than TDS alone. |
| Feed temperature / pressure | °C; bar | State expected operating range at the package inlet. |
| Product-water target | Parameters and intended use | Define quality and the location where it will be verified. |
| Proposed recovery and side streams | %; m³/h | Ask for feed, permeate, concentrate and auxiliary water flows. |
| Pretreatment / cleaning interfaces | Scope and connections | Identify equipment ownership, drains and chemical handling. |
| Power / service / container limits | V; Hz; dimensions | Confirm utilities, maintenance access and installation scope. |
Technical references
Prepared with AI assistance from the references below and original project-planning checklists. General engineering guidance; project specifications require confirmation by the responsible engineer.