Feed mill procurement

How to compare feed mill quotations without comparing the wrong numbers

Short answerNever compare feed mill quotations on total CAPEX. Normalise them first: state the recipe basis and compare expected throughput rather than nominal t/h, then align every proposal to one scope boundary — grinding, batching, mixing, conditioning, pelleting or extrusion, cooling, crumbling, storage, dosing, liquids, bagging, automation, dust control, electrical, utilities, steel, civil, installation, commissioning, training, spares, warranty, energy consumption and lead time. Price the excluded lines separately, then compare CAPEX per expected tonne per hour. The cheapest headline number is usually the offer with the thinnest scope.

Feed mill proposals rarely describe the same plant. Each supplier draws the boundary of its package differently and quotes throughput against its own reference recipe, so the price column is the least comparable part of the document. Define the feed business, the formulation requirement and the plant capacity first — then the offers can be read against one another.

The normalisation checklist

Work through every group below for each proposal. Any line a supplier excludes is a line you will pay for somewhere else, so price it before the comparison rather than after the order.

Capacity basis

Nominal / design tonnes per hour as quoted
Expected tonnes per hour on your recipe, pellet diameter and moisture
Recipe basis used for the quoted figure — written, not implied
Recipe count, batch size and changeover assumptions
Hours per shift and shifts per day assumed in the annual tonnage

Process scope

Intake, cleaning and pre-cleaning
Grinding: hammer mill or roller mill, motor rating, screen set
Dosing, batching and weighing accuracy
Mixing: mixer type, batch size, CV specification, liquid addition
Conditioning: retention time, steam demand, boiler in or out of scope
Pelleting or extrusion: die specification, motor rating, guaranteed basis
Drying and coating where extrusion applies
Cooling, crumbling, sieving and recycling of fines

Storage, handling and outbound

Raw-material silo and bin volume, expressed in storage days
Finished-product bins and loadout capacity
Conveying, elevators and aspiration
Bagging line, palletising or bulk loadout
Dust control and explosion-protection scope

Automation and utilities

Control philosophy: manual, semi-automatic, full recipe management
PLC / SCADA platform, batching software and reporting
Installed power (kW) and expected energy consumption per tonne
Boiler, compressed air, water and their electrical supply boundary
Motor control centre and cabling boundary

Delivery, site and commercial

Steel structure, platforms, stairs and building envelope
Civil works, foundations and pits — who is responsible
Freight and Incoterm; duties and local transport
Mechanical and electrical installation labour
Commissioning, performance test conditions and acceptance criteria
Operator and maintenance training days
Commissioning spares and first-year wear parts (dies, rolls, screens, hammers)
Warranty duration, service response and local presence
Lead time, payment terms and price validity
The exclusions list — request it explicitly in writing

Feed mill proposal comparison tool

Enter up to three proposals. The tool reports scope-adjusted CAPEX, CAPEX per expected tonne per hour and the throughput derate against nominal capacity. It deliberately does not pick a winner.

Normalised view	Supplier A	Supplier B	Supplier C
Quoted CAPEX	—	—	—
CAPEX per design t/h	—	—	—
CAPEX per expected t/h	—	—	—
Throughput derate vs nominal	—	—	—
Energy (kWh / t)	—	—	—
Lead time (weeks)	—	—	—
Warranty (months)	—	—	—
Scope lines excluded	0	0	0

This tool normalises what you enter; it does not validate supplier claims, does not rank suppliers and never recommends the lowest price. FeedMatch does not manufacture, install or commission equipment and provides no performance or price guarantee.

Issue one scope to every supplier

Before you request quotations

Size capacity and process stages Estimate energy per tonne Set storage days and silo volume Model total cost of ownership Set one capacity basis before quoting Aqua extrusion line: full scope checklist Manufacturer-first or requirement-first? Turnkey EPC or competitive bidding?

Questions buyers ask

How do I compare feed mill quotations fairly?

Fix one scope boundary and one recipe basis, then require every supplier to price against it. Compare expected throughput rather than nominal t/h, add the buyer-side cost of anything a proposal excludes, and only then divide CAPEX by expected tonnes per hour. Energy consumption per tonne, lead time, warranty and service coverage belong in the same table, because they decide operating cost long after the CAPEX difference is forgotten.

Why is nominal throughput misleading?

Nominal t/h is quoted against a reference recipe, pellet diameter and conditioning condition. Change fibre content, fat, pellet diameter or available steam and real output moves. Two 10 t/h offers can deliver materially different tonnage on the same recipe, which is why the recipe basis must be written into the RFQ.

What is usually excluded from a feed mill quotation?

Most commonly: civil works and foundations, building envelope, electrical supply up to the plant, boiler, dust-control ducting, freight and duties, installation labour, commissioning consumables, training days beyond a base allowance, and the initial spare-part package. Excluded scope does not disappear — it moves onto your budget.

Should I always take the lowest CAPEX?

No. A lower CAPEX with a thinner scope, a lower expected throughput or higher energy consumption per tonne can be the more expensive plant within the first years of operation. Compare scope-adjusted CAPEX per expected tonne per hour alongside energy, lead time, warranty and aftermarket coverage.

How many quotations should I collect?

For project-scale purchases, two or three comparable proposals on an identical written scope are normally enough to establish a benchmark. Beyond that, evaluation workload grows faster than the information gained.

Does FeedMatch evaluate the quotations for me?

FeedMatch structures the specification so proposals are comparable and gives you tools to normalise them. It does not manufacture or install equipment, does not rank suppliers, does not recommend the cheapest offer and is not a party to the contract.

One scope, several qualified proposals

Write the specification once — species and product mix, throughput, feed formats, raw materials, storage, automation, utilities and the civil boundary — and send it to every supplier you are considering, including ones you already prefer. FeedMatch sells no equipment and takes no part in the contract.

Build the feed mill RFQ