How to Write an AV Tender That Gets You Comparable Quotes
An AV tender that is vague gets vague quotes. See what to include, how to score responses and how to get AV quotes you can actually compare like for like.
Chris Gore Updated 2026
An AV tender is only as good as the information you put into it. Send suppliers a vague request and you will get vague quotes back, each built on different assumptions, which makes choosing between them close to impossible. Most of the work happens before the tender goes out, and it starts with a clear brief, as we explain in our guide on how to brief an AV company.
Why AV Quotes Are So Hard to Compare
Two suppliers can read the same one page request and price completely different projects. One includes cabling, commissioning and training, the other does not. One assumes your existing displays stay, the other replaces them. One prices a year of support, the other prices none. The totals look comparable, but the scopes are not. A good AV tender removes that guesswork by telling every supplier exactly what to price and how to present it.
What to Include in an AV Tender
A Clear Scope and Room Schedule
List every room, its size, its seating capacity and what it will be used for. Say which rooms are new and which are existing, and what equipment you already own. A simple room schedule in a table is far more useful to a supplier than a paragraph of description.
How Each Room Will Be Used
Describe the meetings, not just the hardware. Who uses the room, how many people join remotely, which platforms they use and whether any sessions are recorded. This is where most briefs fall short, because it is the information that decides what the right system is.
Platform and Technical Requirements
State your conferencing platform, any security or network requirements, and any standards the system must meet. If a particular brand is a requirement, say so and say why. If it is not, allow equivalents, so suppliers can propose what suits the room instead of what they have in stock.
Site Conditions and Timing
Give access hours, building rules, ceiling and cabling constraints, and the dates that matter. A supplier who knows the fit out programme can plan around it. Our piece on how long a meeting room AV installation takes helps you set realistic dates.
Support, Warranty and Training
Ask every supplier to price support and warranty in the same way, and to state response times. Our guide to what an AV support SLA should include lists the points to cover. Ask what training users receive, because a system nobody can use is an expensive ornament.
How to Ask for Prices You Can Compare
Give suppliers a pricing template and ask them to complete it. Itemise equipment, installation, cabling, programming, commissioning, training, support and any optional extras. Ask for assumptions and exclusions to be stated clearly. When every response uses the same structure, you can compare line by line and spot where one supplier has quietly left something out.
How to Evaluate AV Tender Responses
Decide your scoring criteria before the responses arrive, and weight them. Price matters, but so do the quality of the design, relevant experience, support arrangements and how well the supplier understood your brief. Ask for references and speak to them. Our guide to comparing AV integrators explains how to judge who to trust, and our list of five AV contract red flags covers what to check before you sign.
Common AV Tender Mistakes
The usual mistakes are issuing the tender before the brief is finished, specifying products instead of outcomes, giving suppliers different information in different conversations, and choosing on price alone. Another is failing to allow a site visit. A supplier who has not seen the room is pricing a guess. Keep a log of every question and answer, and share it with all bidders so nobody has an advantage.
Build a clear brief before you issue your AV tender, so every supplier prices the same thing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an AV tender?
An AV tender is a formal request that asks suppliers to price and propose an audio visual solution against a defined scope, so you can compare their responses and choose a supplier.
What should an AV tender include?
A room schedule, how each room will be used, your platform and technical requirements, site conditions, timing, support and warranty expectations and a pricing template that every supplier completes.
How do I make AV quotes comparable?
Give every supplier the same information and the same pricing template, ask them to state assumptions and exclusions and answer all questions in a shared log.
Should an AV tender name specific brands?
Only where there is a real requirement, such as a platform certification or an existing estate. Otherwise allow equivalents so suppliers can propose what best suits the room.
How should I score AV tender responses?
Agree weighted criteria in advance, covering price, design quality, experience, support and how well the supplier understood the brief, then score every response against the same list.
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