Electrical RFQ Template for Industrial Works: HT, LT, Earthing and Testing

An industrial electrical RFQ should tell every bidder the same six things: where the scope starts and stops, what the drawings and specifications are, the bill of quantities to price, the standards and makes allowed, the tests that prove the work, and the commercial terms. Leave one out and bidders fill the gap differently, so quotes cannot be compared. The template below covers HT, LT, earthing and testing.

What the template contains

Copy the section headings into your own document and fill each one. The right-hand column is the reason the section exists: each one stops a specific argument that tends to start after the order is placed.

How to fill the scope and battery limits

Write the scope as a chain from the point of supply to the last socket, and mark where each link is yours, the bidder's or someone else's. A usable wording is: "From the DISCOM metering cubicle outgoing terminals to the LT distribution boards in each building, including all cables, terminations, supports, glands and labelling." Then list the exclusions the bidder should not assume: civil work, DISCOM charges, the DG set itself if bought separately.

Split HT and LT in the BOQ because they carry different risks. The HT block normally covers the transformer or transformers, the HT breaker panel with protection relays, HT cable and terminations, and the metering arrangement the DISCOM specifies. The LT block covers the main panel, motor control centres, capacitor banks, busducts or cables, distribution boards, lighting and small power. Ask for each panel as a separate line with its incomer rating, short-circuit rating and outgoing list. A line that just says "LT panel, 1 no." invites a quote for the thinnest version.

If a DG set, UPS or solar plant connects to the same bus, say so in the scope and state the changeover or synchronising arrangement you expect. These interface points are where electrical contractors and equipment suppliers most often disagree about who owns the problem.

Earthing, lightning protection and cable work

Earthing is cheap to specify and expensive to correct later, so give it its own block of the BOQ. State the earthing design basis: the earth resistance you require, the electrode type and number of pits, the grid or ring if the site needs one, and the test-pit arrangement. Indian practice follows the earthing code IS 3043; name it, and ask the bidder to state which edition they price against.

For cables, specify voltage grade, conductor material, insulation type, armouring and the applicable Indian Standard, then ask for installation method by route: trench, tray, conduit or direct burial. Cable quantities should be measured from the cable schedule, not guessed from the layout. Ask bidders to quote glands, lugs and tray separately so a low cable rate does not hide a high accessories price.

Lightning protection, if in scope, needs its own risk assessment reference and a clear boundary with the building's structural contractor. Say who supplies down-conductor supports on the roof.

The testing schedule to put in the RFQ

Name the tests in the RFQ so the bidder prices them. Typical industrial practice looks like the table below. Treat it as a starting list and let your engineer or the manufacturer's instructions add to it.

Add one sentence on who witnesses: "Tests are carried out in the presence of the employer's representative, with seven days' notice." The notice period is yours to choose.

Approvals, inspection and the commercial section

An HT installation, and in many states any new installation above 650 V, is inspected by the state Electrical Inspector before it is energised, under the CEA safety regulations. The Chief Electrical Inspectorate of the CEA describes the same split by voltage level and generating-plant size for installations in its own jurisdiction. Your RFQ should say whether the contractor prepares and files the inspection application and attends the inspection, or whether you do. The DISCOM's own demand, metering and agreement process runs alongside. Our CEIG approval guide sets out the sequence for factories.

In the commercial block, ask for prices in a fixed format with taxes shown separately, a stated validity, and the make and model behind every major item. Payment is typically tied to milestones such as material delivery, installation and testing, with a retention held until the defects liability period ends; the percentages are negotiated, so write the ones you want. Add delay damages and a defects period only if you intend to enforce them. A bidder who sees terms nobody enforces prices them as noise.

Comparing the bids that come back

Put the returned BOQs side by side and compare line by line, not by total. A total that is a long way below the others usually means a missing line, a thinner specification or an unpriced test. Check three things first: that the make is on your list, that every test in your schedule is priced, and that exclusions are written down. Then ask the low bidder to confirm the scope in writing before you compare commercial terms. The electrical infrastructure service page and our note on testing and commissioning describe what a complete scope contains.

How Secured Engineers helps

We design electrical systems in-house, so an RFQ can come from the same team that will price it. Fire NOC, CEIG and DISCOM net-metering applications are filed in-house, which means the approvals section of your RFQ can be written as a real plan rather than a placeholder. MEPF and solar can sit under one contract if you want a single scope. We work from offices in Noida (Delhi NCR) and Ludhiana, and the company has completed 535+ projects across 18+ states, with 89.77% repeat clients.

If you already have a draft, send it to us for a scope check before it goes out. Use the RFQ page to share the drawings, or message us on WhatsApp or call +91 70099 85817. If you would rather have us price the work, ask for a free proposal.