Why foreign companies could not get the timely and right quotation

Today an foreign power plant contractor called me for the quotation about his gas turbine power plant projects in Australia and Africa. He complained to me that weeks after he had informed his Chinese producers, he still did not get the technical proposals and design documents for his projects, and he had promised to his clients that he would send them the power plant proposal. And finally he got his quotation with a few words and figures, which could not meet the quotation demands to his clients, he was very frustrated by this situation.

The reasons he could not get why he expected for this power plant as gas turbine powered are:

1. The Chinese producers are very busy with domestic demands;

2. Chinese power plant and transmission line equipments suppliers are weak in design and edit proposals in English;

3. The Chinese producers do not fully understand the power plant EPC's demand due to lower English skill, esp. for the technical requirements for a gas plant power station project;

4. They have worked as a consortium member with famous Chinese power plant EPC, usually they are China National companies, for so many years as to 20 to 50 years, their working language is English. And they can fully understand the requirements, and possibility of being awarded the contracts. So they are confident in these projects when Chinese National EPC acts as prime contractor.

5. They are not familiar with foreign companies, not sure the cooperation would generate any positive results, so they do not intend to invest so much time and money in advance when the contract is not sure to win with a foreign company as power plant EPC.

A China purchasing agent will provide solutions

1. providing as detail as possible the power plants requirements and background information, such as technical documents, commercial requirements, fund sources, your ground work with the potential clients, other Chinese competitors in the projects, your estimation on possibility to win, how to win to show them confidence, supporting documents helping them to edit the technical documents and quotation;

2. locating a local Chinese purchasing agent or representative to coordinate between Chinese power plant equipments producers, projects designers, and other projects agents;

3. hiring a local purchasing agent, who has lot of experience to work in this area, and has good connection with all the needed partners such as designers, China National EPC, producers and others.

4. working closely with a local Chinese representative who can coordinate famous Chinese power plant EPC contractor ro consortium, so that the purchasing agent can utilize the resources from these famous Chinese EPCs, as Sinomach, Chinacables, CMEC. Apart from resources from these EPCs, Chinese producers and manufacturers, consultants, esp. the most reputable ones, would feel much more comfortable to work with projects when these National EPC contractors have been involved, they believe in and have confidence in these EPCs.