How to Manage Technical Clarifications During a Tower Packing RFQ

A tower packing RFQ rarely moves directly from inquiry to final purchase order without questions.

One supplier may ask for tower diameter.

Another may ask whether the requested 250Y packing must use a specific sheet thickness.

The buyer may later clarify that the original quantity excluded spare packing.

If these technical clarifications are handled only through scattered emails and chat messages, the final bid basis can become unclear.

The solution is a controlled technical clarification process.

1. Why Clarifications Matter

A quotation is only meaningful when both buyer and supplier are pricing the same requirement.

Without clarification, one supplier may assume:

• standard material;
• standard packing geometry;
• no inspection;
• no spare;
• standard packaging.

Another may include all of these items.

The prices may differ substantially even though both suppliers believe they answered the RFQ correctly.

2. Separate Missing Data From Technical Deviations

These are not the same.

Missing Data

Example:

Tower diameter not provided.

The supplier needs information before finalizing the offer.

Technical Deviation

Example:

Customer requires 0.5 mm sheet thickness, but supplier proposes 0.4 mm.

This is a proposed departure from the stated requirement.

Clarification tracking should distinguish the two.

3. Build a Clarification Register

A simple clarification register may contain:

• Clarification No.;
• RFQ Reference;
• Question;
• Raised By;
• Date;
• Customer Response;
• Supplier Response;
• Status;
• Final Bid Impact.

For example:

TC-01Question: Confirm tower internal diameter.Response: 2400 mm.Status: Closed.

This creates one visible record of project assumptions.

4. Reference the Exact Requirement

Avoid vague questions such as:

Please confirm packing.

Instead write:

RFQ Section 4.2 specifies SS316L 250Y structured packing. Please confirm whether 0.15 mm sheet thickness is mandatory or supplier standard thickness is acceptable.

A precise clarification is easier to answer and easier to audit later.

5. Close One Question With One Clear Answer

Long email chains often produce ambiguous conclusions.

For example:

Supplier:Can we use 300 mm element height?

Buyer:We normally prefer 200 mm.

Supplier:300 mm would reduce fabrication time.

Buyer:Okay, please proceed.

Does “proceed” mean approve 300 mm?

Maybe—but a formal clarification register should state the final answer explicitly.

For example:

300 mm element height accepted for this project.

That removes ambiguity.

6. Record Whether the Answer Changes Price

Some clarifications are technical only.

Others affect commercial scope.

Examples that may change price include:

• SS304 changed to SS316L;
• additional PMI;
• wooden cases added;
• additional spare quantity;
• sheet thickness increased;
• support grid added.

The clarification register should indicate whether the supplier must submit:

• revised quotation;
• price adjustment;
• lead-time adjustment.

7. Record Whether the Answer Changes Lead Time

A technically simple change can affect production schedule.

For example:

• new material grade must be purchased;
• third-party inspection requires booking;
• custom segmentation requires new drawings.

Therefore every major clarification should be checked for both:

Cost Impact

and

Schedule Impact.

8. Do Not Allow Different Bidders to Receive Different Technical Answers

During competitive bidding, one supplier may raise a useful question that exposes an ambiguity in the RFQ.

If the answer changes the bidding basis, all relevant bidders should normally receive the same technical clarification according to the buyer's procurement procedure.

Otherwise bidders may continue pricing different scopes.

The objective is a common bid basis.

9. Clarifications Should Not Quietly Rewrite the Entire Specification

If one or two questions are resolved, a clarification register may be enough.

If dozens of requirements change, the better solution may be:

• revised RFQ;
• revised datasheet;
• revised specification.

A clarification register should not become a substitute for controlled technical documents.

10. Lock the Final Quantity Basis

Quantity is a frequent source of confusion.

Clarify whether:

• required m³ includes spare;
• kilograms are estimated or contractual;
• packing is for one bed or several beds;
• quantity is per tower or total project.

Final bid evaluation should use one agreed quantity basis.

11. Lock the Material Description

Avoid leaving:

Stainless steel

open through the quotation stage.

Clarify:

• SS304;
• SS316L;
• another alloy.

For plastic packing:

• PP;
• PVDF;
• PTFE;
• another polymer.

Material ambiguity can completely distort quotation comparison.

12. Lock Documentation Requirements

Clarify early whether the project needs:

• material certificate;
• COA;
• PMI;
• ITP;
• inspection report;
• third-party inspection;
• drawings;
• final data package.

Late documentation requirements may create avoidable cost and delay.

13. Distinguish Supplier Assumptions From Buyer Approval

A supplier quotation may state:

Assumption: standard export packing.

That does not necessarily mean the buyer has formally accepted the assumption.

Important assumptions should be reviewed and either:

• accepted;
• rejected;
• clarified.

Otherwise they may reappear as disputes after purchase order placement.

14. Freeze Clarifications at Bid Closing

Before final technical comparison, prepare a clean set of:

• closed clarifications;
• accepted deviations;
• unresolved items.

The selected supplier's quotation should then be evaluated against that final basis.

Do not award a PO while major technical questions remain hidden in open email threads.

15. Transfer Final Answers Into the Purchase Order

The clarification register is valuable during bidding.

But the final purchase order should not rely on the buyer remembering TC-07 six months later.

Important technical decisions should be incorporated into:

• PO attachment;
• approved datasheet;
• approved drawing;
• technical specification.

This creates a permanent manufacturing basis.

Common Clarification Topics for Tower Packing

Typical questions include:

• tower ID;
• packed height;
• packing type;
• material;
• wall thickness;
• specific surface area;
• element height;
• manway size;
• segment arrangement;
• spare quantity;
• support grid inclusion;
• distributor inclusion;
• inspection requirement;
• documentation;
• packaging;
• delivery location.

Engineering Takeaway

A technical clarification system should convert:

Questions + Assumptions + Ambiguities

into:

Documented + Closed + Traceable Technical Decisions

The workflow is:

RFQ→ Clarification Raised→ Formal Response→ Cost / Schedule Impact Reviewed→ Status Closed→ Final Bid Basis Updated→ Purchase Order Incorporates Decision

The goal is not more paperwork.

It is ensuring that the product finally manufactured matches the requirement that was actually agreed.

Summary:Technical clarifications during a tower packing RFQ should be recorded in a controlled register that identifies the original requirement, question, final response, bid impact and closure status. Closed clarifications should be incorporated into the final purchase basis so important technical decisions are not lost in email chains.

URL:https://www.pxdaier.com/tower-packing-rfq-technical-clarification-register.html

Progress: F014 / 50

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Final Supplement F015

How to Define Scope Boundaries in a Tower Packing and Internals Supply Package

Many project disputes do not begin with product quality.

They begin with three words:

“Not in scope.”

A buyer may believe a structured packing package includes the support grid.

The packing supplier may believe the support grid is supplied by the vessel fabricator.

The installer may arrive expecting mounting hardware that nobody purchased.

For tower packing and internals projects, clear scope boundaries are essential.

1. What Is a Supply Boundary?

A supply boundary defines where one supplier's responsibility starts and stops.

It answers questions such as:

• Who supplies the packing?
• Who supplies the support grid?
• Who supplies support beams?
• Who supplies mounting clips?
• Who supplies bolts and gaskets?
• Who installs the equipment?
• Who modifies the vessel?

Without defined boundaries, several companies can each assume that another party owns the missing item.

2. Separate Process Equipment From Vessel Structure

Tower internals may include:

• packing;
• liquid distributor;
• collector;
• support grid;
• hold-down grid;
• demister.

The vessel itself may contain:

• support rings;
• welded clips;
• nozzles;
• manways;
• shell attachments.

The interface between them must be clear.

For example:

Supplier provides support grid.

does not automatically mean:

Supplier welds the support ring to the vessel shell.

That may be site or vessel-fabricator scope.

3. Define the Packing Scope

For random packing, clarify whether supply includes:

• required bed quantity;
• installation allowance;
• maintenance spare;
• packaging;
• loading devices.

For structured packing, clarify:

• number of beds;
• number of layers;
• segment arrangement;
• wall wipers where applicable;
• identification marking;
• spare segments.

Do not simply write:

Complete packing.

4. Define the Support System

Packing support can involve several components.

Possible scope items include:

• support grid;
• support plate;
• support beams;
• beam seats;
• shell support ring;
• clips;
• fasteners.

The packing supplier may design only some of these.

A support grid sized for a tower is not useful if the vessel lacks the required support interface.

5. Define Hold-Down or Bed-Limiter Scope

Random packing may require a hold-down or bed limiter depending on service.

Clarify whether it is:

• included;
• existing and reused;
• supplied by another vendor.

Also define its relationship to:

• packing top elevation;
• distributor clearance;
• vessel attachments.

6. Define Liquid Distributor Scope

A quotation may include packing but exclude liquid distribution.

Alternatively, the supplier may provide a complete package including:

• distributor;
• feed pipe;
• branch pipes;
• troughs;
• supports;
• fasteners.

The boundary with external process piping must be defined.

For example:

Distributor inlet flange supplied by internals vendor; upstream process pipe by EPC piping contractor.

That is a clear battery limit.

7. Define Redistributors and Collectors Separately

Tall packed towers may contain:

• liquid collector;
• redistributor;
• intermediate support.

Do not assume these are automatically included because structured packing is supplied.

List each internal individually.

8. Define Demister Scope

A tower-top mist eliminator may require:

• mesh pad;
• grid;
• support;
• hold-down;
• frame;
• drain arrangement.

Clarify whether the quotation covers:

• demister element only;
• complete demister assembly;
• vessel support attachments.

9. Fasteners Are a Frequent Gap

Bolts, nuts, washers, clamps, and gaskets may represent a small value but can delay installation if missing.

Define:

• quantity;
• material;
• whether included;
• whether site-supplied.

For corrosion-sensitive towers, fastener material should also be controlled.

10. Define the Manway Interface

The supplier may be responsible for designing components that fit through the existing manway.

But the supplier may not be responsible for:

• enlarging the manway;
• removing vessel piping;
• modifying platforms.

The supply boundary should state who provides the actual access conditions.

11. Define Installation Responsibility

“Installation support” can mean different things.

It may mean:

• installation manual only;
• remote technical guidance;
• supplier supervisor on site;
• full labor installation.

These are very different commercial scopes.

The quotation should state exactly what is included.

12. Define Field Modification Responsibility

During retrofit work, site dimensions may differ from drawings.

A component may require minor adjustment.

Clarify who is authorized to:

• cut;
• weld;
• drill;
• modify.

Unauthorized site modification can affect:

• fit;
• material traceability;
• warranty;
• structural integrity.

13. Define Lifting and Handling Scope

Large internals may require:

• crane;
• chain block;
• temporary lifting frame;
• internal rigging.

The equipment supplier may design lifting points but not provide the site crane.

Installation planning should make this boundary explicit.

14. Define Inspection Boundary

Who inspects what?

Possible responsibilities include:

Supplier

• fabrication inspection;
• dimensional verification;
• material documentation.

Third Party

• witnessed inspection.

Site Team

• receiving inspection;
• installation verification.

Avoid assuming that factory inspection replaces site acceptance.

15. Define Freight and Delivery Boundary

Commercial Incoterms establish an important part of logistics responsibility, but project scope may still need additional detail.

Clarify:

• export packing;
• domestic transport;
• port handling;
• ocean freight;
• site unloading;
• inland delivery;
• storage.

Installation teams should know exactly where supplier delivery responsibility ends.

16. Define Engineering Responsibility Carefully

A packing supplier may provide:

• product selection support;
• manufacturing drawings;
• internal mechanical details.

That does not automatically mean the supplier owns:

• complete process design;
• tower pressure-vessel design;
• plant piping design;
• structural foundation design.

Engineering responsibility should match the actual contracted service.

17. Use a Scope Matrix

A practical interface matrix can contain:

The exact allocation varies by project.

The important point is that every item has an owner.

18. Resolve Boundary Questions Before PO Award

If responsibility is uncertain during bidding, use a clarification.

Do not wait until shipment.

Scope gaps become more expensive later because:

• fabrication is complete;
• shutdown has started;
• site labor is waiting.

Early boundary definition is inexpensive project risk control.

Engineering Takeaway

A tower packing package should define more than:

What products are supplied?

It should also define:

Where does the supplier's responsibility stop?

A complete scope review considers:

**Packing

• Support
• Distribution
• Hold-Down
• Demister
• Fasteners
• Vessel Interfaces
• Drawings
• Inspection
• Freight
• Installation
• Field Modification**

The best supply boundary is one where every physical component and every project responsibility has a clearly identified owner.