What is inside a solar irrigation kit BOQ
Taken from one real tender: a World Bank funded irrigation programme for 1,700 kits. What makes it worth reading is not the quantities but the way it is organised, which is not how most supplier catalogues are organised.
One tender is one buyer. Treat this as a worked example of how a careful buyer specifies a kit, not as an industry standard.
Split by water source
Portable surface, submersible, fixed surface. The source and the installation decide the type, and the power follows.
Duty stated as a minimum
Each type carries a minimum head and a minimum flow at that head. Not a maximum, and not a power rating.
The whole kit, not the pump
Frame, foundation, pressure pipe, suction hose, irrigation hose and fittings all sit in the same bill of quantities.
Three kit archetypes, not three power ratings
The tender divided the kits by how water is taken and how the pump is installed. Power appears as a minimum, underneath the duty, rather than as the headline. That ordering is the right way round: the source decides the pump type long before the kilowatts do.
| Kit type | Minimum power | Minimum head | Flow at that head | Controller | Array |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portable surfaceCarried by one person, foldable frame, shoulder strap. | 0.5 HP and up | 40 m and up | 45 L/min (2.7 m³/h) | Integrated | 2 modules, 380 W each or more |
| SubmersibleDropped into a well or a sump, controller stays on the surface. | 0.3 HP and up | 30 m and up | 31.7 L/min (1.9 m³/h) | External | 2 modules, 380 W each or more |
| Fixed surfaceBolted to a concrete base, module underside 2.50 m above ground. | 1.5 HP and up | 60 m and up | 7 m³/h (116.7 L/min) | Integrated | 3 modules, 435 W each or more |
Note the shape of the requirement: a minimum head and a flow at that head, stated together. That is a duty point, and it is the correct way to specify a pump. Why that matters.
The pipework, specified properly
Four lines that are often reduced to “pipe and fittings” in a weaker specification. Each one changes the price and, more importantly, whether the kit works.
| Pressure pipe | PVC to ISO 1452, PN16, UV resistant, 5.80 m nominal lengths |
| Pipe bore | 32 mm on the portable and submersible kits, 40 mm on the fixed surface kit |
| Suction hose | Semi-rigid corrugated, 6 m per kit: 32 mm portable, 25 mm submersible, 40 mm fixed |
| Irrigation hose | Reinforced, 23 – 25 mm internal bore, barbed fittings |
Mounting and foundation
| Portable frame | Foldable and adjustable, with a shoulder strap, light enough for one person to carry. Stainless or hot-dip galvanised bolts, anti-theft fasteners. |
| Fixed frame | Stainless steel structure with the module underside 2.50 m above ground, tilt set by latitude, anti-theft fasteners. |
| Foundation | Concrete 0.50 m deep, cement content at least 350 kg/m³. Structure drawings, anchoring details and a materials list required with the bid. |
The foundation line is a quantity, not a description
Concrete 0.50 m deep with cement content of at least 350 kg/m³, plus structure drawings, anchoring details and a materials list submitted with the bid. Written that way, the foundation cannot quietly become whatever mix is cheapest on site. It also means the drawings are a deliverable, not an afterthought.
Five lines people leave out
These appear in the tender and are missing from most offers we see quoted against it. Each one is small on its own and each one changes whether the kit is actually complete.
Anti-theft fasteners
Specified explicitly in this tender. Standard bolts on an unattended array in open farmland are a known loss.
Module height above ground
2.50 m is not arbitrary. It puts the array above livestock and above the reach of a casual passer-by, and it changes the structure cost.
Suction hose, separately from pressure pipe
Different bore, different construction, 6 m per kit. Quoting only the pressure pipe leaves the kit unable to draw water.
Cement content in the foundation
A quantity, not a description. It is what stops a foundation being poured to whatever mix is cheapest locally.
Editable documentation
Manuals as source files, for local translation. Almost never offered unless asked for, and hard to retrofit after the order.
How to use this on your own BOQ
| State duty as flow at head | Not a power rating and not a maximum. A minimum flow at a minimum head is a specification a supplier can be held to. |
| Name the pipe standard and class | ISO 1452 and PN16 are checkable. "PVC pipe" is not. |
| Ask for part numbers on every line | It is what makes two offers comparable and what you hold the supplier to on delivery. |
| Separate suction from delivery | Different products, different bores, both needed. |
| Put documentation in the BOQ | If manuals, drawings and a spare parts list are not priced lines, they arrive as whatever was lying around. |
Send us a BOQ to price
We quote line by line against your own bill of quantities, with manufacturer and model on every line, so you can compare it against anyone else's on the same basis.
Irrigation kit BOQ FAQ
What is inside a solar irrigation kit BOQ?
In the tender described here: pump and motor, controller, PV modules, mounting frame and foundation, pressure pipe, suction hose, irrigation hose and fittings, plus the documentation set. Each kit type has its own minimum duty, module count and pipe bore, and the bill of materials has to name manufacturer, model and part number on every line.
How are solar irrigation kits usually classified?
This tender classified them by how the water is taken and how the pump is installed, not by kilowatts: portable surface, submersible, and fixed surface. That is closer to how a buyer thinks about a site than a power rating is, because the water source decides the pump type before the power does.
What pipe specification do irrigation tenders ask for?
In this case PVC pressure pipe to ISO 1452, PN16, UV resistant, in 5.80 m nominal lengths, with a 32 mm bore on the portable and submersible kits and 40 mm on the fixed surface kit. Suction hose was specified separately as semi-rigid corrugated, 6 m per kit, and irrigation hose at 23 to 25 mm internal bore with barbed fittings.
Why does a BOQ specify the mounting height of the modules?
Because it changes both the cost and the outcome. A module underside 2.50 m above ground puts the array clear of livestock and out of easy reach, which matters on an unattended site. It also means a taller, heavier structure and a deeper foundation than a ground-level frame.
What is the difference between pressure pipe and suction hose in a kit?
Pressure pipe carries water away from the pump and has to hold the pumping pressure. Suction hose feeds the pump on the inlet side and has to resist collapsing under vacuum, so it is corrugated or wire reinforced rather than plain PVC. They are different products and a kit needs both.
Should a kit BOQ list part numbers?
A serious one does. Manufacturer, model and part number on every line is what lets an evaluator check that the kit is complete and comparable, and it is what the buyer will hold the supplier to on delivery. A BOQ of generic descriptions is not really a BOQ.
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