Direct answer
Establish a measured baseline, identify the constraint, write a requirement in performance terms, set a budget envelope, then engage suppliers with a comparable brief.
When this decision arises
- Automation discussed without baseline data
- Multiple supplier proposals that cannot be compared
- No internal project owner appointed
- Budget set before scope is understood
- No acceptance criteria defined
The options on the table
Step 1 — Baseline
Measure output, OEE, labour, quality and cost for the target operation.
Step 2 — Constraint and objective
Identify what actually limits output and define the target improvement.
Step 3 — Requirement (URS)
State what must be achieved and the interfaces, not how to build it.
Step 4 — Budget envelope and business case
Establish an order-of-magnitude case before detailed quotation.
Step 5 — Supplier engagement
Issue the same brief to a shortlist and compare on a common basis.
Engineering and project considerations
- Appoint an internal owner with time allocated, not an additional duty
- A comparable brief is what makes quotations comparable
- Include acceptance criteria in the enquiry, not after the order
- Involve maintenance and operations early — they inherit the result
- Plan financing in parallel; it affects timing and contract structure
What to prepare before engaging engineering companies
- Baseline data pack for the target operation
- Requirement document in performance terms
- Interface and site constraint information
- Decision timetable and approval route
What to measure
Frequently asked questions
Should we ask suppliers to define the scope?
Suppliers can advise, but scope defined by one supplier tends to fit that supplier. Keep the requirement document under buyer ownership.
Related engineering knowledge
Continue on the platform
Independent, buyer-side and supplier-neutral
Global B2B Group does not sell machines and does not represent equipment manufacturers. This material is published to help industrial organisations define the problem, prepare the specification and structure the investment before engineering partners are selected.