A supplier offers to add controls or other equipment to a pump package already under discussion. Buying more of the package from one company may simplify coordination. Before agreeing, check which jobs that company will take over and which stay with your team or other contractors. You also need to know who will check the equipment together.
Use the last agreed scope as your starting point. The revised offer should show the added work, who will do it, and any effect on price or dates. Have the appropriate technical reviewers assess the connections and proposed tests before you authorize the affected work.
A published example of an expanding pump package
In its Pump Package case study, Energy Power Systems Australia (EPSA) describes a project for Santos. According to EPSA, the initially accepted scope covered an engine package, cooling system and base frame. It says the work later grew to include controls, condition monitoring and a gas-supply skid, and reports handing over the completed package in March 2009.
EPSA published this account of its own project; it was not an ESG project. The page does not include commercial change records or establish whether the expansion caused a dispute, extra cost or delay. The checks below are our recommendations for buyers. They do not describe how Santos or EPSA approved the change.
What work is the supplier taking over?
Compare the proposed revision with the last agreed scope. For each addition, ask what the supplier would undertake: purchasing an item, incorporating it into the package, arranging its connections, preparing documents, or coordinating checks with another party.
A control panel on the equipment list still leaves practical questions. Who supplies the information needed to configure it? Who handles connections outside the package? Who reviews how it works with the other equipment?
If you have already assigned related work to another contractor, involve that contractor in the review. Check whether the new offer duplicates equipment you have ordered or work you have commissioned. Agree which jobs would transfer and which would stay with the original contractor.
For the initial comparison of competing offers, use our technical quotation comparison guide. For an expanded package, compare the proposed changes with the scope you last agreed.
Who will check the equipment together?
The supplier may need information from your site team or other equipment suppliers. Ask it to list what is missing and name the person coordinating those replies. Assign any unresolved technical questions to the appropriate reviewer.
The proposal should distinguish checks on individual components from checks on the assembled package. What will the supplier demonstrate before shipment, and which connections or functions will that cover? What will your site team still need to verify? The responsible technical personnel should set the test conditions and acceptance criteria.
In a hypothetical enquiry, a supplier agrees to add a control panel but still expects another contractor to provide site cabling and complete the final connection. The buyer needs confirmation from both parties about where their work meets and how it will be checked. The technical reviewers would need to agree the connection and testing requirements for that installation.
Have the supplier carry the agreed arrangement into the relevant scope list, drawings and proposed test documents. Our supplier document guide explains how to connect those records to the equipment and document revisions under review.
What changes in the price and delivery dates?
Request a revised offer that distinguishes the previous scope, added work and any work removed or transferred. Ask whether the change affects engineering, purchased equipment, assembly, testing, packing or site support. Have the supplier list the applicable costs and exclusions alongside the revised total.
Check the dates attached to the proposal. Does the stated delivery date depend on the buyer approving a drawing, another supplier providing information, or an additional item arriving? Ask for those dependencies and the expected dates of the affected milestones.
If another contractor’s work is being reduced, confirm that arrangement separately before treating the expanded offer as the complete purchasing cost. Do not assume a saving, cancellation entitlement or unchanged delivery date without the relevant confirmation.
Put the approval in writing
Before replying, put the revised scope, price, dates and outstanding approvals in one place. Adapt this table to your order:
| Decision item | What the record should identify |
|---|---|
| Reference scope | Previous quotation or order and relevant revisions |
| Proposed expansion | Added work and any removed or transferred work |
| Remaining boundaries | Work retained by the buyer or other parties |
| Combined checks | Agreed review and test scope, with open points identified |
| Commercial effect | Revised price, exclusions and affected milestones |
| Work status | Approved work, conditions and work awaiting a decision |
When information is still missing, describe what remains open and who will resolve it. If only part of the proposal is approved, identify that part precisely. Follow the approval process for your order, then ask the supplier to confirm its understanding of the approved scope and what it may start.
An updated quotation alone may leave production or inspection working from earlier attachments. Update the affected documents and send the agreed revisions to the teams handling supply, inspection and receipt.
A focused request to the supplier
Adapt this message to the proposal you have received:
Subject: Proposed pump package scope expansion: [quotation / PO reference]
Hi [Name],
Please revise [scope reference and revision] to show the proposed additions, any removed or transferred work, and the responsibilities that would remain with us or other suppliers.
For the expanded package, please identify who will coordinate the connections and required inputs, what checks you propose before shipment, and what would remain for the site team. Please flag any technical information or approval still needed.
Please also confirm the revised price, exclusions and affected milestones, including dependencies on our approval or information from others. State whether any affected work has already started.
We will use this information to review your proposal. This request does not authorize the proposed expansion. Please respond by [date], or identify when the outstanding information will be available.
Thanks,
[Your name]
Discuss an expanded offer with ESG
Share the previous scope, the supplier’s expanded offer and the responsibilities already assigned to other parties. Contact ESG to discuss the supplier clarification and coordination your purchase needs. Your project’s designated reviewers should approve the technical requirements and authorize the work.
