Comparing service proposals: what to weigh beyond the number

1. Make the quotes comparable first

Two proposals only compare well when they quote the same job. Bidders cannot price what they have not been told. Send each of them the same pack before the numbers arrive.

1. The valve list, with type, class and service for each item
2. The symptom each valve shows, described in plain words
3. Site conditions, access limits and any permit constraints
4. The result that will count as success

Vague scope invites a vague number. Our article on writing an RFQ for online valve maintenance sets out that pack in full. Ask each bidder to quote against it, line by line.

Valve World has published a risk-based valve integrity study of upstream and midstream sites. It reported passing seats at 61 per cent of failures. Seized valves followed at 28 per cent, with leakage and other modes making up the rest.

Distributions vary by population, so treat the shares as background. Much of the quoted online work targets seat leak, which is why scope clarity matters.

2. Weigh capability, not confidence

Read what sits behind each number before you trust it. Does the bidder manufacture cleaners, lubricants and sealants, or only resell them? In-house production gives the bidder control over formulations and batch quality.

Ask who attends the valve and what they bring. Trained field teams, suitable injection guns and pumps, and spare seals all matter. Our guide to choosing an online valve maintenance provider covers these checks in depth.

We manufacture valve cleaners, lubricants and non-hardening sealants in-house, and supply high-pressure injection equipment. Our services run from clean, lubricate and seal visits to surveys, contracts and operator training. More than 30 years of field work sits behind that scope.

3. Ask how success will be judged

Every proposal should define the result that counts as success. For a passing valve, that result is a seat-leak test under agreed conditions. Agree those conditions before the work starts, never after the visit.

Common arrangements include pressure decay across the closed valve. Double block and bleed monitoring, or a witnessed leak test, also serve. Each arrangement gives evidence you can file and defend.

Watch the standards language in each document you receive. API 598 and ISO 5208 are factory acceptance references for seat leakage. A field proposal must not present them as field test results.

Be careful with any before and after claims in the proposal. Pressure rise, flow indication, sound and bubbles are screening evidence. They suggest improvement, and the confirming test then settles it.

4. Expect records that outlive the visit

Records carry the work far beyond the day of the visit. Ask each bidder what they record and what they hand over. A strong proposal includes a written report for every valve treated.

That report should list the injection points, the products and amounts, and the readings taken. Those details feed audits, warranty discussions and later maintenance planning. They also give the next survey something to measure against.

Records matter most of all when the service history is thin. If your valves have no service records, the first visit should build a baseline. Our article on baselining valves with no service history explains the reasoning.

5. Read the safety and escalation sections

Safety content in a proposal separates careful bidders from careless ones. Before any treatment, a sound proposal confirms the gates in plain words:

1. The valve has injection fittings in good condition
2. The valve design and its service suit injection
3. Site rules and the permit-to-work allow the job

Where OEM documents exist, the proposal should consult them for limits and warranty terms. Injection itself should appear in the proposal as controlled work. Set amounts stay within equipment and fitting ratings, and the pressure response is watched throughout.

A proposal that treats injection volume as open-ended is a warning sign. Controlled work carries stop conditions that the team can name.

Read the escalation path in each proposal with equal care. If injection does not restore the valve, the honest next steps are assessment or replacement. Our article on the escalation to expect when injection does not work covers it.

Ask what safety documentation each field team carries on site. Method statements, risk assessments and training records should come as standard. Our guide to safety documentation from a field team lists them.