How to Write an Industrial Door Technical Specification for a Tender

In a tender document, the technical specification defines product requirements and measurable acceptance criteria to make the bids comparable. A clause written without measurements (“quality panels shall be used”) is met differently in every bid, and at evaluation you are left with no comparable figure. A clause written with measurements both aligns the bids and becomes your acceptance criterion at delivery.

This article sets out how to build an industrial door specification, using the structure of our own product specifications. The reader in mind is the engineer preparing the tender, the technical buyer and the project office.

The preparation sequence

1. Define clear dimensions, lift arrangement, usage and environment for each door.
2. State the required function and performance to assess, with a relevant standard/class where applicable.
3. Ask the bidder for model, configuration and the document/revision supporting each clause.
4. Match evidence scope to the offered door; record missing evidence as an open question.
5. Define in advance which documents and functional checks will be accepted at handover.

The dealer or project technical team prepares size and building information. Alkur does not conduct site surveys; product assessment follows the B2B partner channel.

How to verify document scope

A component test does not automatically prove complete-door performance. A feature requested in a specification is likewise not an achieved test result for the offered product. Review the manufacturer specification’s EN 13241-1 reference separately from the scope of each declaration, report or assessment submitted.

Information submitted	What to check
Product specification	Requested feature and definition of the offered model
Performance/conformity declaration	Declarant, product scope and relevant configuration
Test report	Sample, size, components and performance actually measured
Component document	That component’s scope only; no automatic complete-door coverage

A document title alone is insufficient. Ask the bidder to clarify mismatched models, revisions or scope; do not relabel a report as a certificate or a specification as an independent test.

The eight headings of a specification

Specification clauses can be grouped under these eight headings. Each heading helps compare the proposed solution and the evidence supporting it:

1. Document and scope requirements. Type of declaration or report, issuer, product/model scope and its match with the offered configuration.

2. Panel characteristics. Infill density and type, panel thickness, sheet thickness, panel height options, surface pattern, standard RAL colour, performance classes.

3. Tracks. Track size and wall thickness, the safe-stop arrangement at the top, the connection between the return tracks, compatibility with the lift types.

4. Hinges and rollers. Material, noise behaviour, side capping profiles.

5. Torsion springs. Standard conformity, cycle life and its alternatives, spring-break safety, corrosion protection.

6. Cables. Construction (wire count and lay), tensile rating, cable-break safety.

7. Sealing. Top, bottom and inter-panel seals, the perimeter seal and its flexibility at low temperature.

8. Powered or manual operation. Manual opening during a power cut, the chain hoist option, pneumatic safety, locking arrangement.

How to write a measurable clause

Each technical clause should explain what will be assessed and how it will be accepted. Where a performance class is required, include its standard and scope. Size, equipment and document-delivery clauses do not all need the same formula.

Examples, from our own specification:

• Panel: polyurethane infill at 40 kg/m³ between galvanised sheets, 40 mm panel thickness, 0.40 mm sheet thickness, panel height options of 460 / 500 / 560 / 610 mm.
• Wind resistance: EN 12424 Class 3 (700 Pa, that is 0.700 kN/m² or approximately 71.4 kgf/m²). Writing “Class 3” alone is not enough; state the standard and the project pressure being specified.
• Water tightness: EN 12425 Class 2. Air permeability: EN 12427.
• Panel acoustic data: the manufacturer specification states R’w = 26 dB for the panel. This is not automatically an acoustic rating for the complete door system offered.
• Torsion springs: conformity to DIN 17223, 15,000 cycles as standard life, with 25,000, 50,000 and 100,000 cycle alternatives available on request.
• Cables: 6 × 19 = 114 wires laid around a polypropylene core, rated to 200 kg/mm²; cable-break safety as standard.
• Seals: the perimeter and head seal shall retain flexibility down to −30 °C.

The 15,000- and 100,000-cycle options describe nominal cycle ratings for the selected spring assembly only. They do not establish a service life in years or a warranty for the complete door without considering daily use, door size, maintenance and other components. State the expected cycle load and the spring option in the specification.

Five mistakes that make bids incomparable

1. Adding an unnecessary brand or model restriction. This narrows bids by name rather than by technical value. The applicable procurement rules and administrative specification must be checked separately; standards, classes and measurable performance should form the comparison baseline.

2. Giving a class without its standard. “Class 3” on its own does not say which standard’s class it is; write EN 12424 Class 3.

3. Leaving document scope unstated. If component documents are not distinguished from a complete-door declaration or report, the bids cannot be checked for equivalent coverage.

4. Omitting cycle life. Bids given without a stated usage intensity cannot be compared; the same door gets priced against different spring classes.

5. Leaving dimensions and lift type blank. Without the headroom, the lift type is assumed by whoever is bidding, and each bid prices a different installation.

Start from the ready specifications

Ready technical specifications for industrial sectional doors, high-speed PVC doors (roll and folding), dock levellers (hinged and telescopic) and dock shelters are on our Catalogues and Documents page, and the same files appear in the documents section of the relevant product pages. The TR and EN sections within a PDF can carry different revision dates. Before using either section in an export project, check the exact model, revision, technical scope and destination-market requirements.

Bid and acceptance matrix

Row	Information required	What to record in the bid and at acceptance
Geometry	Opening, lift and obstacles	Confirmed form/drawing and revision
Performance	Function or class needed for the project	Model-scoped declaration/report and pending confirmation
Equipment	Panel, spring, motor/controller and safety	Included models, limit type and accessory list
Operating profile	Peak usage and expected movement	Documented component limits; uncertain calculations separate
Handover	Documents and installed-function checks	Actual result, open finding and retest

Each requirement, offered response and supporting evidence appears side by side in the completed file. Two bids with different scopes are not compared as the same price item. Warranty and maintenance scope are confirmed separately in writing; spring cycles are not years or warranty duration.