Technical note · procurement
Hotel and club procurement: how to shortlist a sauna contractor without comparing catalogues
A sauna and a cold plunge pool look alike in three brochures and differ in the things the brochure leaves out: who sizes the plant, who is on site, what happens in the first monsoon. These are the questions that separate bidders, with what a good answer sounds like and what should worry you.
In this note
- Why a catalogue is the wrong comparison
- Seven questions that sort a shortlist
- A scoring sheet that weighs the interface
- References, and what to ask when there are none in your country
- Commercial terms worth comparing line by line
- Programme: what a credible schedule looks like
- A request-for-proposal outline that fits on two pages
- Milestones that should release payment
- What a site visit to a finished installation should show you
Why a catalogue is the wrong comparison
A catalogue lists parts. A wellness floor is an interface: structure, electrical, plumbing, ventilation and finishes meet in one room, and the contractor who draws that interface well is the one who saves you the variation orders. So compare bidders by how they handle the interface, not by the price of the cabin.
Seven questions that sort a shortlist
| Question | A good answer sounds like | What should worry you |
|---|---|---|
| Who sizes the cold plant, and from what? | From litres, design ambient, hours of use and bathers per hour, written on the quote | A catalogue model chosen by price or tub size alone |
| What ambient does the capacity figure assume? | A stated ambient and water temperature, preferably 45 °C and 4 °C | No conditions on the datasheet |
| Who is on site and who signs the test? | A named supervisor and a signed temperature test before the last payment | Installation by subcontractors with no test |
| What documents come with the bid? | Datasheets, drawings, schedule, exclusions and the handover file outline | A brochure and a price |
| What is excluded? | A list: structure, feeders, drains, approvals, crane hire | An all-in price with no list |
| What does year one look like? | Scheduled visits, a remote-support route and a spares list | A warranty with no service plan |
| What happens in the first monsoon? | Coil care, sealed cut edges, 316 stainless, drains drawn | Silence |
A scoring sheet that weighs the interface
| Criterion | Weight | What to score |
|---|---|---|
| Technical completeness of the bid | 25% | Datasheets, drawings, loads, exclusions |
| Plant sizing method | 20% | Stated conditions, volumes, duty |
| Site supervision and testing | 15% | Named supervisor, signed test, commissioning log |
| Programme | 15% | Layout, production, shipping, installation in weeks |
| Commercial terms | 15% | Payment stages, validity, price transparency |
| Year-one service | 10% | Visits, support route, spares |
Price is not in the sheet on purpose. Score the technical side first, then open the prices of the bidders who pass; otherwise the cheapest incomplete bid wins and returns as a variation.
References, and what to ask when there are none in your country
Ask every bidder for references with the owner's permission. If a bidder has none in India, say so openly and ask for the next best evidence: test sheets and handover files from comparable projects, photographs with dates, and a video walk-through of a working installation. We have delivered 68 projects since 2021, all outside India, and none is presented here as an Indian installation. Ask us which documents from earlier projects can be shown with client names removed. A bidder who pretends to references it cannot show is the one to remove first.
Commercial terms worth comparing line by line
- Payment stages. Ours are 40 / 40 / 20, with the last instalment due only after a signed temperature test.
- Validity. Ranges move with freight and exchange rates; a firm quote should state a validity date.
- Warranty. Ours is two years on everything, plus one year of assisted service visits; compare what others cover and for how long.
- Tax lines. Ask for each line separately and see the GST and customs note.
- Exclusions. Compare the exclusion lists before you compare the prices.
Programme: what a credible schedule looks like
A layout and a range in about a week, production in six to ten weeks, freight and clearance as a separate line with a real figure, and installation in under two weeks is credible. A bid that promises everything in three weeks from signing for an imported set is not.
A request-for-proposal outline that fits on two pages
- The brief: what is being built, where, for how many bathers and for how many hours a day.
- The room: the plan, ceiling heights, structure, DB, drain and access.
- The performance: cabin 90-110 °C, cold water 3-5 °C within ±0.3 °C, design ambient and source-water temperature.
- The documents: datasheets, drawings, 2D blocks, O&M outline and the heater's licence status.
- The commercial terms: scope and exclusions, payment stages, validity, warranty and service.
- The programme: layout, production, freight and clearance, installation, test, training.
Milestones that should release payment
| Milestone | Evidence | Share of the price |
|---|---|---|
| Order | Signed scope, drawings and programme | 40%: the deposit |
| Release for shipping | Production photographs, the trial record and the packing list | 40% |
| Handover | Signed temperature test at site, with the cold water at 4 °C and the cabin at working temperature | 20% |
Tie money to events that can be seen, not to dates that can be argued over. Those three are the stages we use, and they work for any contractor.
What a site visit to a finished installation should show you
- The plant room: its size, its air path, its labels and its log on the wall.
- The water: clear, with a recent entry in the log, and a display that matches the set point.
- The details: door closes by itself, glass wiped, grout intact, rails 316 stainless without a brown mark.
- The people: whoever runs it knows the switch-on, the daily check and the number to call.
If a contractor cannot arrange a visit to any installation, ask for dated photographs and the commissioning sheet of the nearest comparable one, and weigh the answer accordingly.
Should we run a formal tender or a shortlist?
For a hotel with a consultant, a two-stage process works: a technical shortlist on the questions above, then a priced round among the two or three that pass.
What should be in the contract?
Scope and exclusions, the drawing set, the programme, payment stages tied to events, the test criterion, the warranty and the service plan. We attach all six to our quotes.
Further notes
Technical notes that continue this one
Spec-sheet checklist for consultants
Thirty-six lines on geometry, loads, electrical, water, air and safety, for a sauna and cold plunge package.
Open the page
GST and customs on a quote
Price, customs duty, surcharge, IGST and GST: the layers of an imported quote and who decides each.
Open the page
Specifying a tub with a chiller
Litres, pull-down energy, design ambient, placement and power: the six numbers behind a chiller order.
Open the pageFrom note to drawing
Preparing a shortlist? Send the brief and we answer the seven questions in writing
Send the plan; the layout comes back
A floor plan or three photographs, the location of the distribution board and what you intend to build. The reply is a 3D layout, an equipment schedule and a range in lakh.
Open WhatsApp with the briefSpecify the suite first