This technical report is intended as a guide to assist in the development of a specification or material requisition for analysers and their associated support systems. It is intended to be used for enquiry purposes and the subsequent assessment of the bids presented by the prospective vendors. The intention is to cover the general principles and items that need to be addressed when purchasing large analyser systems.

This technical report is not intended as a design specification in its own right and design guidance has been deliberately omitted. It is to be read in conjunction with IEC TR 61831, On-line analyser systems – Guide to design and installation, which provides further guidance on specific design details which need to be included in the specification or material requisition used for the purchase of analysers and associated systems.

To simplify the specification and bid process it is desirable to have a standard format for both the enquiry documentation and the response from the analyser vendor. This technical report is intended to provide that framework.

Clause 4, 'Scope of supply' lays out the headings and any relevant associated comments for the specification of a complete analyser system. Analyser systems are not all the same and individual requirements for total content will invariably differ. However this technical report is laid out such that individual clauses can be selected or omitted as required. The recommended approach is to include all clause headings and where relevant state as "Not Applicable".

Clause 5, 'Bid technical evaluation' covers procedures for bid assessment and gives suggested points against which bids should be analysed.