How to Review an Aluminum Window Quote: A Scope-First Checklist

A useful aluminum window quotation should explain what is included, which project documents it follows and what still requires confirmation. When two suppliers offer different totals, first check whether they are pricing the same package.

This guide helps project buyers, fabricators and contractors compare quotations for aluminum window and door profiles. It is a purchasing checklist, not a substitute for project-specific design review.

1. Start with one drawing revision

Give each supplier the same drawing issue and window schedule. Check opening identifiers, frame dimensions, operating types and unit counts against each quotation. Record any provisional quantities or dimensions rather than allowing them to disappear inside a total price.

Ask the supplier to identify the drawings used for pricing. If the design changes, request a revised offer linked to the new revision so the comparison remains meaningful.

2. Identify what is actually being supplied

A quotation for aluminum profile extrusions is different from a quotation for fabricated frames or complete glazed windows. Confirm whether the offer covers raw lengths, cut and machined components, assembled frames or finished units.

Ask for the proposed profile series and opening configuration. Similar-looking aluminum profiles should not be treated as interchangeable without checking the system documentation. Frame and sash interfaces, connectors, glazing provisions and hardware compatibility need to suit the intended assembly.

3. Make glazing assumptions explicit

Compare the stated glass build-up and any project requirements for safety, acoustic or thermal performance. Confirm whether glazing is supplied, installed or excluded.

If glass is supplied by another party, record who will confirm compatibility with the frame, glazing accessories and fabrication details. A line reading “glass by others” represents a different supply scope from a complete glazed-window offer.

4. List hardware and accessories

Check handles, hinges, rollers, locks, restrictors, seals, screens, trims and subframes where applicable. Ask which items are standard, optional or supplied separately.

For Aluminum Window & Door Profiles used in a coordinated system, request the references needed to check the proposed components together. Leave unresolved substitutions visible in a clarification list until the relevant project team has reviewed them.

5. Compare finish, quantity and packaging

Confirm the finish type, color reference and surface appearance. Where appearance matters, agree how a physical sample will be reviewed and retained as a reference. A screen image alone is a weak basis for final appearance approval.

Check quantities, supplied lengths where relevant, packaging scope and any minimum-order assumptions. When comparing Aluminium Profiles or Aluminum Extrusions on a weight basis, also review the product definition, fabrication and included services; a price per kilogram does not describe a complete window package.

6. Separate delivery from installation

Ask the supplier to state the delivery destination and the responsibilities included in the offer. Review freight, unloading, installation, site measurement, protection, taxes and duties as separate items wherever they apply.

Confirm the currency, payment terms, quotation validity and lead-time assumptions. Ask when the stated lead time begins, for example after drawing approval, deposit receipt or another agreed milestone. Keep estimates distinct from confirmed commitments.

7. Close the clarification list before ordering

Use a comparison sheet with columns for the project requirement, each supplier's proposal, included or excluded items, and questions requiring an answer.

Send the same unresolved questions to the suppliers and keep their responses with the quotation. If the scope changes, request a revised quotation rather than relying on informal assumptions.

An aluminum profiles manufacturer or system supplier can respond more clearly when the request identifies the intended assembly and the documents that govern it.

Quick review checklist

• Same drawing revision, opening schedule and quantities.
• Clear distinction between profiles, fabricated components and complete windows.
• Identified profile series and operating configuration.
• Glazing, hardware, seals and accessories listed.
• Finish reference and sample approval process agreed.
• Packaging, delivery and installation responsibilities stated.
• Commercial assumptions and exclusions recorded.
• Outstanding deviations answered in writing.

Before you confirm the order

The aim is to compare equivalent scope, not simply the lowest total. Share the project schedule and current drawings with CIMU when discussing a proposed window or door profile package, and confirm the final configuration and responsibilities in the agreed order documents.