Ceramic Membrane RFQ Checklist for EPC Buyers: Plates, Modules and Complete Systems

A useful ceramic membrane RFQ starts with a defined purchasing scope, representative feed data and an agreed treatment objective. A plate replacement inquiry, a module integration package and a complete filtration system require different information. Treating them as the same purchase can leave compatibility, process responsibility and acceptance conditions unresolved.

This guide helps EPC buyers prepare a common technical basis for supplier enquiries. It covers ceramic membrane plates, membrane modules and complete filtration systems for project-specific water treatment and solid–liquid separation duties. It does not prescribe a membrane material, pore size, flux, pressure, removal efficiency, service life or price. These must be proposed and supported for the actual product and duty.

For the available supply categories, see ceramic membrane plates, modules and filtration systems. Product availability and the final scope remain subject to project review.

1. Define what you are purchasing

Do not assume that a module includes a pressure housing, aeration equipment or external piping. Ask the supplier to describe the assembly. For every inquiry, state whether the duty is a new installation, expansion, replacement or trial. Identify the owner, EPC designer, equipment integrator and party approving the technical basis.

2. Prepare a controlled project information package

Include the RFQ reference and revision, project country and site, intended application, requested product level, quantities and units, operating schedule and required delivery date. Identify the technical contact and the deadline for clarification responses.

Attach a document register showing the title, revision, date and status of each water analysis, drawing and specification. Mark preliminary documents clearly. If specifications conflict, state the agreed order of precedence or leave the conflict open for clarification.

Use TO CONFIRM for missing information. A blank field is not zero, and a supplier proposal is not an approved purchaser requirement. Record PURCHASER CONFIRMED, SUPPLIER PROPOSED, EVIDENCE REVIEWED, DEVIATION OPEN or NOT APPLICABLE, with an owner and supporting reference. Explain every not-applicable entry. Evidence review does not itself constitute technical approval or acceptance of a performance guarantee.

3. Describe the feed at the membrane inlet

Specify the sampling point relative to equalization, screening, biological treatment and chemical dosing. A report from the untreated source may not represent the liquid reaching the membrane. Provide the sampling date, laboratory, test method, reporting limit and whether the sample is a grab or composite sample. Include normal variation, peak events, seasonal changes and known process upsets.

Select the parameters relevant to the application; do not require every analysis for every plate replacement. Where feed data are unavailable, request a sampling or trial plan before final sizing and performance commitments. Preserve original units and distinguish measured values, design requirements and supplier assumptions.

4. State the treatment objective and hydraulic basis

Identify the permeate's intended use and each required quality parameter, unit, limit, sampling point and acceptance method. Describe downstream treatment and any limits on the feed to that equipment. If compliance is required, provide the exact applicable project standard or specification and revision; do not assume a universal discharge or reuse limit.

Record average feed flow, peak feed flow and design flow separately. Specify peak duration, operating hours, batch or continuous operation, required net delivered permeate and its time basis. Identify available feed pressure or hydraulic head, required outlet pressure, tank levels and transfer responsibilities.

Ask bidders to distinguish:

• Instantaneous filtration output from net delivered output over an agreed operating period.
• Gross permeate production from product water remaining after backwash, cleaning and other internal consumption.
• Membrane recovery from overall package recovery, with the denominator, averaging period and treatment boundary stated.
• Installed membrane area from area available during cleaning, standby or maintenance.

For a basic volumetric flux calculation, state J = Qp / A, with Qp in L/h, effective membrane area A in m² and J in L/(m²·h). This definition is not a sizing recommendation. Any normalization to temperature or pressure needs a stated method. A clean-water test result must not be presented as a sustainable process-water design flux.

Ceramic describes a material family; MF and UF describe separation classifications. Ask the supplier to identify the proposed separation class and rating method. Do not assume that all ceramic products have the same separation behavior, that pore-size and MWCO ratings are interchangeable, or that an MF/UF stage alone achieves dissolved-salt or dissolved-organic targets. The proposed treatment train needs evidence for the specified constituents and end use.

5. Plate RFQ: identify the element and its interfaces

For plate supply, request or provide:

• Existing manufacturer, model, part number and revision, or the required new-element specification.
• Dimensioned drawing, overall dimensions, thickness, tolerances, mounting details and orientation.
• Permeate connection geometry, sealing arrangement, adhesive or potting interfaces where applicable, and mating parts supplied by others.
• Membrane layer and support material identification, proposed separation rating, rating method and effective filtration area basis.
• Product-specific operating and cleaning limits: temperature, pH, transmembrane pressure, reverse differential pressure, pressure ramping and chemical exposure.
• Handling, storage, packaging, identification, inspection and agreed element testing requirements.

Include photographs and drawings for replacements. Similar dimensions do not establish interchangeability. Ask the supplier to confirm fit, sealing, hydraulics, cleaning compatibility and the consequences for the existing system. Do not infer system capacity from the number of plates alone.

6. Module RFQ: define the assembly boundary

For modules, add the plate or element count, proposed effective area, assembly drawing, mounting dimensions, dry and operating weight, lifting requirements and maintenance clearances. Identify feed, permeate, drain, vent, cleaning and aeration connections as applicable, with sizes, standards, orientation and mating boundaries.

Request the frame or housing material, seals, fasteners and all wetted materials. Ask whether the proposed arrangement is submerged or externally housed and whether filtration is dead-end, cross-flow or another documented configuration. These are design choices to review, not universal characteristics of ceramic modules.

The supplier should state allowable operating and cleaning conditions for the complete assembly, including seals and associated materials. A membrane material's chemical resistance does not establish the compatibility of the whole module. Define leak or integrity test methods, test conditions, acceptance criteria and traceability requirements.

7. Complete-system RFQ: define process, controls and site duties

Request a design basis, process description, PFD, package equipment list, mass/water balance and utility schedule. Define the stage at which the supplier must provide the P&ID, general arrangement, electrical drawings, instrument list and control narrative. See the related water treatment PFD, P&ID and RFQ checklist for document responsibilities.

The proposal should explain the membrane selection, effective area, operating configuration, duty/standby arrangement and performance evidence. Ask for the design flux basis and applicable feed envelope, without supplying an invented default flux. Require any transmembrane-pressure value to include its definition, pressure measurement locations, sign convention and operating condition.

Define filtration, backwash, chemically enhanced cleaning where applicable, clean-in-place, shutdown and restart sequences. Identify required cleaning chemicals, concentration, temperature, exposure time, consumption basis and responsibility for supply. Confirm chemical compatibility for all wetted components. Request residual-stream quantities and characteristics, collection interfaces and treatment/disposal responsibilities; cleaning waste and concentrate are not automatically included in the package's disposal scope.

Confirm voltage, phase, frequency, available electrical capacity, operating and connected loads, instrument air, backwash water, service water and drainage. Ask bidders to distinguish installed power from energy consumption per unit of net delivered water. Energy figures need the operating condition and equipment boundary, including recirculation, aeration or cleaning equipment when included.

Specify indoor/outdoor installation, ambient conditions, elevation, corrosion exposure, available footprint, access, lifting and transport restrictions. Identify control panel, PLC/HMI, instruments, local/remote operation, communication interfaces, alarm handling and required permissives or interlocks. The responsible engineers must determine protective functions and applicable electrical or hazardous-area requirements for the project.

Where treatment must be coordinated with disinfection, storage and distribution, review the intelligent integrated water supply system and define the interfaces between packages. A link to that product category does not establish that those functions are included in this RFQ.

8. Use a supply-boundary matrix

For each item, mark INCLUDED, OPTIONAL, EXCLUDED, BY OTHERS or TO CONFIRM. Name the responsible party and physical handover point.

Do not compare a plate-only offer with a complete package on purchase price alone. Obtain comparable boundaries before evaluating commercial differences.

9. Agree on evidence and acceptance before award

Ask for model-specific data sheets and drawings with revisions. For proposed performance, request the feed analysis, test configuration, pretreatment, effective area, operating schedule, temperature, pressure, cleaning events, test duration and measured outputs behind the claim.

A trial plan should address representative feed variability, sample handling, monitoring, sampling methods, water balance, fouling behavior, cleaning recovery and scale-up assumptions. Do not treat a short clean-water run as proof of long-term process performance. Pilot testing can help establish process flux and permeate quality; the LiqTech pilot-unit page describes that purpose for its own equipment. Its product claims are not specifications for the equipment requested here.

Separate factory checks from site performance testing. Agree on inspection points, test instruments and calibration, sampling locations, operating period, accepted feed envelope, pass/fail criteria, witnessing, reporting and treatment of deviations. A factory water test cannot establish site wastewater performance unless the contract defines an appropriate and supportable basis.

Require applicable compliance documents by jurisdiction, standard, product/model and scope. A logo or general company certificate does not prove that the offered equipment meets a project requirement. Record technical approval and commercial approval separately.

10. Compare suppliers on a common basis

Use a matrix with one row per RFQ requirement and separate columns for the purchaser's requirement, unit/basis, each supplier's offer, evidence reference, deviation and clarification status. Keep quoted values in their original units and document conversions.

Review supply level, quantity, effective area, feed envelope, net output, flux basis, recovery boundary, cleaning duty, utility consumption, interfaces, materials, controls, tests and scope before commercial comparison. Identify who retains process-design responsibility and which unresolved items affect final selection.

Commercial fields should request currency, itemized price, named delivery location and trade term, packing, freight/insurance responsibilities, validity, delivery basis, payment proposal, warranty scope and exclusions. These are fields for supplier response and purchaser approval, not pre-approved promises. Do not add a default price, delivery period, service life or warranty.

11. Minimum information for an initial inquiry

Send the purchasing level; application and destination; available feed analysis and variation; average/peak duty and required net output; treatment objective; operating schedule; pretreatment; interface drawings for replacements; site utilities; and intended supply boundary. List missing data with an owner and expected confirmation date.

An initial scope review can proceed with disclosed gaps. Final sizing, compatibility confirmation and performance commitments require the relevant design and acceptance basis to be resolved.

Request a project scope review

Share your completed RFQ parameter form, available water analysis and interface drawings through the project contact page. Identify whether you need plates, modules or a complete filtration system, and mark unresolved requirements. The next step is a written review of the available information and supply boundary; configuration, performance and commercial terms are confirmed separately for the project.