BWTS Project Procurement Specification Checklist
Updated
A procurement specification should define duty, interfaces, evidence and support responsibilities before bids are compared. It should expose assumptions rather than invite broad capability claims.
Key takeaways
- Specify operational duty instead of requesting a generic capacity.
- Require hydraulic and interface assumptions to be disclosed.
- Separate commissioning deliverables from regulatory acceptance evidence.
- Allocate waste, utilities and emergency responsibilities explicitly.
- Compare spares, training and support boundaries across bids.
- Use a compliance matrix to expose exclusions before award.
Describe the Duty
Specify vessel classes, ballast volumes and berth windows. Include seasonal demand and simultaneous operations. A headline capacity alone is not a duty definition.
Provide pump curves, pressure limits and manifold information where available. Ask bidders to state hydraulic assumptions. Require exceptions to be visible.
Describe the desired operating model: contingency, campaign or routine service. This changes redundancy and staffing needs. It also changes mobilisation expectations.
Define Interfaces
Include connection standards, hose lengths, lifting and access constraints. Show utilities, drainage and communications. Require bidders to identify missing information.
State who supplies shore power, containment and traffic management. These items can dominate site readiness. Assign them rather than leaving them implied.
Require a responsibility matrix for vessel, terminal and supplier actions. Include isolation authority and emergency communication. Test the matrix during evaluation.
Specify Evidence
List required drawings, logs, test sheets and training records. State required formats and handover dates. Avoid asking for undefined compliance evidence.
Separate functional commissioning from regulatory or contractual acceptance. Identify required witnesses and signatories. MEPC.325(75) testing is indicative, not full D-2 validation.
Require a sample plan only where the project needs one. Define method, custody and report recipient. Sea Clean can coordinate independent ISO 17025 laboratories and authorised parties where required.
Address Waste and Safety
Ask bidders to identify separated solids, backwash and sediment streams. Require a lawful handling route and owner. Do not leave waste responsibility until mobilisation.
Specify weather, traffic, permits and emergency controls at the berth. These constraints affect practical availability. Require stop-work criteria.
Ask for hazards arising from hoses, pressure, lifting and electrical supply. Evaluate proposed controls against site rules. Include induction requirements.
Evaluate Lifecycle Support
Request critical spares, maintenance intervals and calibration needs. Ask for revision control and lead-time assumptions. Compare support boundaries as carefully as equipment scope.
Ask for training roles, delivery method and competence records. A manual alone does not create operational readiness. Require escalation and fault-reporting routes.
PACT's 2021 HarborBallast catalog presents indicative mobile, fixed and barge concepts. Those dated values are not Sea Clean promises. Project hydraulic, utility, permitting and acceptance assessment remains necessary.
Set a Fair Comparison
Use a compliance matrix with requirement, response, evidence and deviation. Score disclosed assumptions rather than brochure language. Clarify ambiguities before award.
Require a mobilisation and commissioning plan with dependencies. Include access, utilities, laboratory logistics and training. Compare realistic dates, not unsupported completion claims.
Reserve acceptance until the stated tests and documents are complete. Confirm local flag, port, class, authority, permit and approval requirements. IMO G5 is guidance, not a licence.
Frequently asked questions
What should a BWTS tender define first?
Define the operational duty, vessel interfaces and desired service model. These inputs let vendors state a credible technical basis.
Should a specification require D-2 compliance?
It should state the evidence and local route actually required. A port solution must not be represented as automatically compliant or accepted.
How should capacity be compared?
Compare usable flow at the documented pump, hose and pressure conditions. Do not compare only nominal equipment figures.
Why include lifecycle support in the tender?
Parts, maintenance, training and escalation determine whether the asset remains usable. They should be evaluated before, not after, award.