How do valve manufacturers answer tender specifications?
A valve RFQ from an EPC contractor or operator usually arrives as a package: a material requisition, a project valve specification, datasheets for each tag, the owner's engineering standards, and the industry standards they call up. The manufacturer's job is to read all of it, decide clause by clause whether the offered valve complies, and say so in the format the tender asks for.
- List every governing document and revision, and confirm the order of precedence.
- Check each datasheet line and specification clause against your own design, materials and test procedures.
- Build a compliance matrix if the tender asks for one, and a technical deviation list for the exceptions.
- Raise technical queries for anything ambiguous before the bid closes.
Who answers RFQs at a valve maker?
Bid engineers and proposal engineers usually own the technical response, with application engineers helping on sizing and selection. At smaller valve makers a project manager often answers the RFQ end to end. Quality and inspection staff review certificate and test requirements before the offer goes out.
What goes in a valve deviation list?
One row per clause where the offer differs, with seven columns. The example below uses an invented specification, PS-VAL-001, for a trunnion-mounted ball valve; every value is illustrative.
| Spec clause | Requirement | Offered | Status | Deviation / clarification | Justification | Cost of withdrawal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PS-VAL-001 §4.2 | Body forged ASTM A350 LF2 | Cast ASTM A352 LCC body | Deviation | Cast body instead of forged | LCC is a cast steel for low-temperature service | Forged body: +9%, +5 weeks |
| PS-VAL-001 §6.3 | Stem seal qualified to ISO 15848-1 class BH | Family type test report, class BH | Clarification | Qualified by design family, not this size | Buyer to confirm the family covers this size | Size-specific test: priced on request |
| PS-VAL-001 §7.2 | EN 10204 type 3.2 certificates | EN 10204 type 3.1 certificates | Deviation | 3.1 offered instead of 3.2 | Tested by our authorised inspection department | 3.2: +3%, +2 weeks, inspector fees by buyer |
| PS-VAL-001 §9.4 | Pressure test to API 598 | Pressure test to API 6D | Clarification | Tested to the product standard | API 6D has its own shell and seat tests | Additional API 598 test: no cost |
Use the free deviation list template to start, and the datasheet vs specification checklist to make sure no clause is skipped.
Which standards come up in valve tenders?
| Standard | What it covers | Typical deviation source |
|---|---|---|
| API 6D | Specification for valves: axial, ball, check, gate and plug valves | Edition named in the tender; supplementary tests; monogram |
| API 600, 608 and 598 | Bolted-bonnet steel gate valves; metal ball valves; valve inspection and testing | Which test standard applies to which valve |
| ISO 15848-1 | Type testing of valves for fugitive emissions | Tightness class, endurance class, qualification range |
| EN 10204 | Types of inspection document for metallic products | 3.1 offered where 3.2 is required |
| Gulf owner standards | Operator requirements on top of API and ISO | Approved vendors, materials, testing, documentation |
Sour-service requirements to NACE MR0175 / ISO 15156 also appear in many oil and gas valve tenders. The standard covers material selection for equipment exposed to H2S in oil and gas production (Project Materials).
How does OdysseyGPT help?
OdysseyGPT reads the whole specification package for a valve tender: project and technical specifications, the material requisition, the inspection and test plan, datasheets and the standards they call up. It checks each customer requirement against your own datasheets, standard specifications and test procedures, and gives every requirement a status (complies, deviates, clarification, not addressed, document requested, not applicable or out of scope) with a quote from the source document and page.
It exports an editable compliance matrix and a deviations & clarifications list. It reads PDF, Word, Excel and CSV files. It does not interpret engineering drawings such as general arrangements or P&IDs, and it does not send anything to the customer: your engineers decide every open item, the justification and the cost of withdrawal, and own what goes out. See OdysseyGPT for manufacturing.
OdysseyGPT Managed: from $999/month
A managed subscription with onboarding included. See pricing or request a demo built around one of your own past tenders.