Two quotations for "the same" school desk can differ sharply without either supplier lying. One is quoting a frame with a thinner tube, a 15 mm top and a carton; the other is quoting a 1.5 mm frame, an 18 mm MDF top, a moulded edge and a pallet plan.
The price is not the problem. The problem is comparing two documents that describe different products.
Here are the seven lines that move a school furniture price most — and what to write into your comparison sheet so the offers become comparable.
1. Scope: what is actually included
Start with the unit. A "school desk" can mean the desk only, the desk and chair, or the desk, chair and a shared bench. A "set" can mean one desk plus one chair, or one desk plus two chairs.
Ask for a line-item scope per model:
- what is in the set;
- whether assembly hardware is included;
- whether a spare parts kit is included;
- whether the price is ex-works, FOB or delivered.
A quotation that does not state the Incoterm is not a quotation you can compare. FOB Ningbo and delivered to a school in Nairobi are different products in accounting terms.
2. The board, named and measured
"18 mm board" is a thickness, not a material. MDF, particleboard and plywood have different costs, different screw-holding and different behaviour when wet.
Ask for the board type, thickness and edge treatment. A 15 mm particleboard top with a glued PVC band and an 18 mm MDF top with a moulded rim are not the same offer, even if both are described as "18 mm" in a summary email.
3. The frame: tube, wall and finish
Frame cost lives in details that are easy to omit:
- tube diameter and wall thickness;
- welding method and jig control;
- pre-treatment stages before powder coating;
- powder chemistry and specified thickness;
- whether the frame is adjustable and how it locks.
A 1.2 mm wall and a 1.5 mm wall can look identical in a photo. Ask for the number, and ask whether it is measured on the tube or including the coating.
4. Hardware and spares
A cheap quotation often saves on the small parts: thinner glides, plated instead of stainless fixings, fewer spares. These are the first things a school loses or breaks.
Ask what ships in the carton and what the spare-part price is. A supplier who cannot quote a carton of glides today will not be quick in year two.
5. Packing and carton marks
Packing is a cost line and a risk line. A five-layer export carton with edge protection and a pallet plan costs more than a single-wall carton with the goods loose.
For a school project, carton marks matter as much as carton strength: model, size mark, colour and room reference on the outside. If the installer has to open every carton to find the right size, the saving on packaging is paid back in labour.
6. MOQ per model and per colour
A low unit price often depends on a production run. Ask for the MOQ per model and the MOQ per colour, and whether mixed colours can share a run.
A quotation for 500 sets in two colours is not comparable to a quotation for 500 sets across nine colours. The second may carry colour-change downtime and higher minimums per colour.
7. Payment, lead time and what starts the clock
Payment terms affect the real cost of the order: 30/70 T/T, a letter of credit, or a deposit with a balance before shipment. Lead time matters just as much, because a late container can cost more than a price difference.
Ask when production starts — after deposit, after colour approval, or after the pre-production sample is signed. Then ask for the shipping window separately.
Normalise before you compare
Put the offers into one sheet with the same columns. A simple version:
| Line | Offer A | Offer B | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Set contents | Desk + chair? Spares? | ||
| Board | Type, thickness, edge | ||
| Frame | Tube, wall, coating | ||
| Hardware | Fixings, glides, spares | ||
| Packing | Carton, pallet, marks | ||
| MOQ | Per model / per colour | ||
| Incoterm | FOB / delivered | ||
| Lead time | Start point | ||
| Payment | Deposit / balance |
If a supplier cannot fill a line, write "not stated" rather than assuming the better value. An empty cell is a risk, not a discount.
The cheapest offer is rarely the cheapest order
The lowest price usually wins on one of these lines: thinner board, thinner tube, fewer coating stages, simpler packing, or a higher real MOQ. Sometimes that is exactly the right trade — a school with a tight budget and indoor classrooms may not need the heaviest frame.
The mistake is not choosing a lower specification. It is believing you are comparing the same thing.
Send us two quotations you are comparing. We will mark the lines where the products differ, even when the difference is not in our favour.
