Writing an LED display tender specification in Nepal

Why should a tender specify performance rather than a brand?

Specify measurable performance, not a manufacturer, because that is what lets several qualified suppliers compete while still guaranteeing the screen you actually need. A specification that names one model invites a single bid, or a bid that matches the name and not the quality.

Performance wording also protects the evaluation committee. If the document says “outdoor, IP65 front and rear, at least 5,000 nits, refresh at least 3,840 Hz”, every bid can be checked against the same numbers. If it says “equivalent to brand X”, the committee has to argue about what equivalent means, and that is where complaints and delays start.

Which technical parameters must the specification state?

At minimum, state the pixel pitch, active display size, brightness, ingress protection, refresh rate, grey-scale depth, viewing angle, service access and operating environment. Each is a number or a defined term that a bid either meets or does not.

Pixel pitch should follow from viewing distance: pitch in millimetres roughly equals the closest comfortable viewing distance in metres, so a ward notice board read from across a road can use a coarser pitch than a council chamber wall. Size is best given as a target with a tolerance, because cabinet dimensions differ between manufacturers and an exact figure can exclude good bids by a few centimetres. Our pixel pitch guide explains the trade-off in detail.

For outdoor screens, specify IP65 on both the front and the rear — a front-only rating is common and inadequate for Nepal’s monsoon — and a brightness suited to direct daylight. Indoor screens typically sit between 600 and 1,200 nits, and asking for more than the room needs only raises power draw and glare. If the display will ever be filmed for news or events, require at least 3,840 Hz refresh.

What should the tender say about control, content and power?

Describe how the screen will be operated — who updates content, from where, and how often — and require a control system that does that. A screen updated weekly from an office across town needs a networked content management system and scheduled playback; one fed live from a laptop at events needs a video processor with the right inputs.

Ask bidders to state the controller, the content software and whether remote management is included, and require training for the staff who will use it. Ask for scheduled on/off and automatic brightness on outdoor screens so the display is not running at full output at midnight.

Power deserves its own clause. Require the bidder to state maximum and typical power consumption, the supply arrangement they propose, earthing, and surge protection. Given voltage swings and load management in much of Nepal, a requirement for appropriate protection and a clean shutdown arrangement is reasonable and easy to evaluate.

Which documents should bidders be required to submit?

Ask for a manufacturer authorisation letter, CE and RoHS certificates for the product offered, and work completion certificates from comparable installations. Together these show that the bidder is a genuine channel for the product, that it meets recognised safety and materials standards, and that the bidder has delivered similar work before.

Manufacturer authorisation matters more than it looks. It is what makes the warranty enforceable and spare parts obtainable; a bidder who cannot produce one may be supplying grey imports with no factory support behind them. Work completion certificates should be for installations of similar type — outdoor if your screen is outdoor — rather than for any electronics supply.

Formal procurement requirements — registration, tax clearance, bid security and the like — are set by your organisation’s procurement rules and change over time, so take those from your procurement unit rather than from a supplier.

How should warranty, spares and support be written?

Require a manufacturer warranty of at least two years honoured locally in Nepal, a stated quantity of batch-matched spare modules and power supplies delivered with the screen, and a defined response time for faults. These three clauses decide whether the screen is still working in year three.

Batch matching is the detail that matters: replacement modules from a different production batch can show a visibly different colour. Asking for spares from the same batch, held on site or by the supplier in Nepal, avoids a patchwork wall after the first repair.

Which clauses help the committee evaluate bids fairly?

Include a compliance table that bidders must complete line by line, a requirement to submit the manufacturer’s datasheet, and a clear statement that the price must cover a complete installed and commissioned display. That combination turns evaluation from interpretation into checking.

The compliance table should mirror your specification: each requirement, the bidder’s offered value, and the datasheet page that proves it. Where the datasheet and the table disagree, the datasheet should govern. Ask that the price include the structure, cabling, power work, installation, calibration, training and the spares stated, so that a lower bid cannot win simply by leaving the steel or commissioning out.

If the site is outdoors, consider a pre-bid site visit or a site survey clause. Structure, access and power at the site drive much of the cost, and bidders who have seen the site quote more accurately. Our quotation checklist covers the same inclusions from the buyer’s side.

What are the most common mistakes in LED tender documents?

The commonest mistakes are copying a specification written for a different site, asking for a finer pitch than the viewing distance needs, and omitting the structure and power from the scope. Each produces either an overpriced screen or one that is incomplete on handover.

We are happy to review a draft specification for technical consistency before it is issued, or to survey the site so the requirements reflect what is actually there. That review is free and does not commit your office to anything.

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