Guide · Before award
How to prepare a BOQ or specification for sourcing industrial equipment from China
The bill of quantities or specification is the starting point for almost every China-sourced equipment order. It is also where most downstream problems are quietly created. When the specification is clear, suppliers quote the same scope, offers can be compared fairly, and inspection and documentation requirements are defined before the buyer loses leverage. When it is vague, each supplier interprets it differently, exclusions hide in the fine print, and gaps only surface at the factory, at shipment, or on site.
This guide lists what a useful BOQ or specification contains. It is also, in practice, what to send Sinospect for an initial review: the more of the list below is fixed, the more useful the review — and the more comparable the supplier offers — become.
What a complete BOQ or specification includes
The nine groups below cover what a supplier — and a buyer-side reviewer — need to act without guessing. Few buyers have every field at the start, and that is fine; treat this as the target, not a gate.
Buyer and project context
Context lets the review be calibrated to the project rather than generic. It also tells a supplier whether they are a realistic fit before they quote.
- Company and project country.
- End-use or facility type.
- Project stage (concept, tender, awarded, replacement, expansion).
- Target timeline and any decision deadline.
- Urgency and what is driving it (vessel booking, tender date, shutdown window).
Equipment list
An itemised list keeps supplier offers comparable. Without it, suppliers quote different scopes and the buyer ends up comparing unequal things.
- Equipment name and quantity per line.
- Capacity or output required.
- Model or reference, if one is already known.
- Required configuration and options.
- Which items are mandatory and which are optional.
Technical requirements
The performance and physical envelope the equipment has to meet. Utilities are the field most often left vague, and the one that most often causes installation problems.
- Performance requirements (throughput, cycle time, accuracy, duty).
- Materials, dimensions and tolerances.
- Utilities: voltage, frequency, compressed air, water, steam, cooling, fuel.
- Environmental and site conditions.
- Operating hours and duty cycle.
Applicable standards and compliance
Standards and certifications should be stated before award, not discovered at customs, lender review or commissioning. They are often the difference between an offer that clears project-owner review and one that does not.
- Local standards that apply in the destination market.
- Project-owner requirements.
- Bank, lender or tender requirements.
- CE, ISO or product certificates, where required.
- Labelling or language requirements.
Interfaces and integration
Most equipment does not arrive into an empty room. How it connects to the existing line, controls and data is a common source of scope gaps.
- Existing line or site constraints.
- Upstream and downstream equipment.
- PLC / HMI / control-system expectations.
- Software, data or traceability needs.
- Installation constraints.
Documentation requirements
State the document pack you will need before you pay the balance — drawings, certificates, test records, manuals. Documents requested only after shipment are the hardest to get.
- Drawings and datasheets.
- Manuals.
- Certificates and test reports.
- Packing list and spare-parts list.
- FAT / inspection records.
Inspection and acceptance
Define how the equipment will be accepted before leverage is lost. Acceptance criteria written into the order become release conditions; criteria raised after shipment rarely do.
- Whether FAT is required.
- Whether pre-shipment inspection is required.
- Acceptance criteria and test conditions.
- What must be witnessed.
- Release and hold criteria.
Commercial and logistics information
The terms that determine how the order ships, what it costs to land, and how payment is released against evidence.
- Incoterms, if known.
- Destination port or site.
- Packing requirements and shipping constraints.
- Warranty expectations and spare parts.
- Payment terms proposed by the supplier.
Existing supplier information
If a supplier or quote is already in hand, send it. A buyer-side review of an existing quote against the specification is often the fastest way to surface scope gaps and exclusions.
- Supplier name.
- Quote, datasheets and communication history.
- Open questions.
- Alternative suppliers, if any.
The fields buyers most often leave out
If time is short, these are the fields that most change the quality of an initial review and the comparability of supplier offers. Each one, left blank, tends to resurface later as a scope dispute, a customs delay, or an installation problem.
- Project country and site conditions.
- Required capacity or output.
- Power and utility constraints.
- Standards and certification requirements.
- The existing supplier quote, if one exists.
- Required documents.
- FAT / inspection expectations.
- Target shipment date.
- Whether the supplier is already selected or still being compared.
What happens when you send it
Sinospect replies with an initial review covering supplier fit, scope gaps and exclusions, documentation requirements, inspection or FAT needs, and delivery risk — and the services that fit the project. It is a starting view to support the next decision, not a guarantee and not a recommendation to buy. The technical authority for the specification stays with the buyer, owner’s engineer or EPC team; Sinospect’s role is to make the China-side supplier evidence visible and actionable before the order is committed.
Incomplete information is fine. A clear preliminary specification is more useful than a delayed complete one — send what you have, and the review will flag which missing fields matter most for your project.
How Sinospect uses the BOQ/spec
When a buyer sends a BOQ, specification or supplier quote, Sinospect reviews it from the buyer’s side: checking the equipment list and capacities, surfacing scope gaps and exclusions, flagging missing standards or certifications, checking whether utilities and interfaces are defined, and identifying the documents and inspection or FAT points that should be set before award. Where a supplier is already named, the review compares the offer against the specification rather than against the supplier’s own description of it.
For the formal engagement, see technical procurement review. To qualify the supplier behind a quote, see supplier qualification in China.
Related services and resources
Service · Technical procurement review
Independent review of the equipment list, BOQ, supplier quotation and specifications before the order is committed.
OpenService · Supplier qualification in China
Verify that a Chinese supplier exists, manufactures what it claims and holds the certifications the project requires — before the order is placed.
OpenResource · EPC procurement support in China
For EPC teams: where a buyer-side reviewer fits across the whole package — qualification, technical review, FAT/PSI, documentation and shipment readiness.
OpenResource · Factory acceptance test checklist
Once the spec defines what to test, this checklist structures the FAT so the buyer accepts on evidence, not on a supplier statement.
OpenResource · Supplier technical file checklist
Use this to turn the spec’s document requirements into a practical evidence file: datasheets, certificates, reports, drawings and shipment documents.
OpenResource · Document control method
Turns the document pack the spec asks for into a controlled, retrievable file that procurement, finance, customs and site teams can all use.
OpenFrequently asked questions
What should a BOQ or specification for China sourcing include?
It should include project context and timeline, an itemised equipment list with quantities and capacities, technical and utility requirements, applicable standards and certification needs, interface and integration constraints, the required document pack, inspection and FAT expectations, commercial and logistics terms, and any existing supplier quote. The goal is enough detail that suppliers quote the same scope and the buyer can compare offers fairly.
I don't have a complete specification yet. Can I still send it?
Yes. A clear preliminary specification is more useful than a delayed complete one. Send what you have — even an equipment list, a target country and a rough timeline are enough to start an initial review. Sinospect can identify which missing fields matter most for your project before they become problems.
Why do supplier offers come back so different from each other?
Usually because the specification left room for interpretation. When capacities, standards, utilities, documents and inspection requirements are not fixed, each supplier quotes a slightly different scope, set of exclusions and quality level. Tightening the BOQ/spec up front is the most effective way to make supplier offers comparable.
What is the single most useful field buyers leave out?
Utility and site conditions, closely followed by required standards and certifications. Equipment that meets the performance spec can still be unusable on site if voltage, frequency, cooling or environmental conditions were never stated, or fail project-owner and lender review if certification requirements were not declared before award.
Does Sinospect prepare the specification for the buyer?
Sinospect does not replace the buyer's engineering or design function. It reviews the BOQ/spec from the buyer's side — identifying scope gaps, exclusions, missing standards, unclear interfaces and documentation or inspection requirements — so the order can be controlled. The technical authority for the specification stays with the buyer, owner's engineer or EPC team.
What does Sinospect send back after reviewing a BOQ/spec?
An initial review covering supplier fit, scope gaps and exclusions, documentation requirements, inspection or FAT needs, and delivery risk — plus the services that fit the project. It is a starting view to make the next decision, not a guarantee or a commercial recommendation to buy.
Send your BOQ/spec for an initial review
Share the equipment list, specification or supplier quote — partial is fine. Sinospect replies with an initial view on supplier fit, scope gaps, documentation, inspection needs and delivery risk.