A request for quotation for switchable glass. The client checklist.

1. Information worth sending in the first message

A useful starter pack can be prepared in minutes. A photo marked with width and height often says more than a description without scale. On a new project, an extract from the plan, section or glazing schedule serves the same purpose.

Add a short problem statement: meeting-room privacy, opening a bathroom view, separating a consulting room or creating an effect in a reception area. Function selects the product more effectively than a name found online.

• element quantity and indicative size of every pane
• photo, plan, sketch or schedule
• element type: wall, door, window or other partition
• project location and intended programme
• description of when clarity or privacy is required

2. Technical information that changes product and price

Size is only the beginning. Pane build-up is affected by location, support, frame, processing, cable edge and active area. Doors add hardware and movement, zones add independent fields, and windows require a complete glazing-unit construction.

Not every parameter must be known at budget stage. State whether it is selected, preferred, to be agreed or owned by another contractor. DGF can then make an explicit assumption and identify what may alter price after survey.

3. Power and controls should be described in user language

Rather than starting with a controls protocol, describe desired behaviour. Does every pane have its own switch? Should a whole room change with one command? Is a remote, app, schedule or building-system signal required? Should privacy be the safe state during power loss?

DGF can then determine circuit count, power-supply location, service access and integration scope. Installation work follows the documentation for the specific configuration and is carried out by appropriately competent persons. The quotation should state who prepares the route, supplies power and makes the final connection.

4. Quotation scope: one table instead of assumptions

Two quotations can have similar titles but completely different scope. One includes panes and power supplies only; another includes survey, frames, transport, installation and commissioning. Mark each item as DGF supply, client scope, main-contractor scope or to be confirmed.

A responsibility matrix matters especially at the glass, framing and electrical interface. It prevents a completed frame with no cable passage, a closed ceiling with no access, or a glazier expecting wiring from an electrician who received no information.

• survey and approval drawings
• glass, frames, hardware and installation materials
• power supplies, controllers, cables and routes
• transport, handling, protection and installation
• connection, configuration, testing and handover documentation

5. How to compare quotations beyond the lowest number

First confirm that compared solutions are the same product type: laminated switchable glass, an active glazing unit or applied film on existing glass. Then compare build-up, final sizes, processing, active area, controls and responsibility boundaries.

Check logistics, programme from data approval, change rules, installation requirements and handover content. A low component price can be valid for material supply, but should not be compared with complete delivery until scope is aligned.

In practice: Ask every quotation to state assumptions, included items, exclusions and information requiring confirmation. The best quotation is clear before signing, not only during installation.

6. From budget to manufacture: four decision gates

The first gate confirms function and indicative budget. The second closes the construction route, controls and responsibilities. The third approves survey and drawings for every pane. The fourth covers site readiness, installation, commissioning and handover criteria.

Manufacturing decisions should not be transferred to site. An active pane is made for a specific location and cannot be freely adapted after lamination. Careful approval of size, processing and cable edge protects the programme better than rushing an order with incomplete information.