If your purchase specification is vague, the risk lands on you after the order is placed: a unit that cannot hold output at your site temperature, a fuel system nobody priced, missing documents at shipping and arguments over who pays for the gaps. That means delay to first power, change orders, lost margin and costly downtime when the plant fails its first tests.
USP&E Helps You Write a Specification Suppliers Must Answer
We know you want a fair contest between suppliers and no surprises after award. USP&E has delivered 150+ power projects in 45+ countries, with 25,000 MW contracted since 2002, and our 400+ engineers and project managers specify, buy, install and commission gas turbine plant around the world. Our systems are ISO 9001 and ISO 45001 certified, and every deal runs under FCPA and OFAC controls. USP&E is a full-service EPC and O&M contractor, not a broker.
You do not need a hundred-page document to get good quotes. You need a clear statement of what the unit must do, where it sits, what is in each scope and what evidence every bidder must hand over.
Start with Site Conditions, Duty and Fuel
Your specification should open with the facts the turbine must live with: site elevation, the range of ambient temperatures and humidity, dust and salt exposure, and any noise or emissions limits written into your permit. Output and heat rate change with these conditions, so ask every supplier to state performance at your conditions rather than at standard rating conditions.
Then describe the duty. Is the unit for base load, peaking, standby or bridge power while a larger plant is built? How many starts per year do you expect, and how fast must it reach full load? A unit chosen for steady base load may not suit frequent starts, and the maintenance plan changes with the duty.
Finally set out the fuel. Give the gas composition, supply pressure and any variation you expect, and say whether you need a liquid backup fuel. Our overview of how natural gas turbine power plants are laid out shows how fuel, inlet and exhaust choices shape the rest of the plant.
Draw a Clear Scope Split and Grid Interface
Most disputes come from the scope split, not the turbine. Write a simple table that shows, line by line, who supplies the turbine, generator, enclosure, inlet filtration, exhaust and silencer, fuel skid, lube and cooling systems, controls, step-up transformer, switchgear, foundations and cabling. Every line should have one name against it, yours or the supplier’s.
Describe the grid or island connection as clearly as the machine. State the voltage, frequency, fault level, protection philosophy and grid code rules the unit must meet, and whether it must run in island mode or black start. Ask each bidder to confirm compliance or list deviations, so a cheap offer cannot hide a missing relay panel or a generator that cannot meet your grid code.
If you are also looking at a surplus or inventory unit, use the same table. A GE gas turbine already built and sitting in stock can be the faster route to power, but only if you check it against the same site, duty, fuel and grid rules as a new build.
Ask for the Same Documents, Tests and Format
List the documents you need with every quote: general arrangement drawings, performance curves at your conditions, fuel and utility needs, a list of spares, a maintenance schedule, warranty terms and the test plan. For surplus units, add the hours and starts history, the last inspection reports and any records of overhaul. Ask for factory and site tests to be described step by step, with who witnesses each one.
Send a fixed quote form with your RFQ and ask every bidder to fill it in. Prices, exclusions, delivery and deviations then line up in one sheet, and clarifications can be handled in writing before award. Ask how the unit would be supported after handover, because long-term service agreement scope for gas turbines can change the true cost over the life of the plant far more than a small gap in the purchase price.
The same discipline applies whether you buy used/new gas turbines, a remanufactured GE Frame 6B, natural gas engines/stations or new gas turbine generators for a mine or utility site. Buyers planning AI gas turbines, hyperscale generators and gas turbines for compute under hyperscale EPC/O&M should also write their specification early, including for the New USP&E FX-45 45MW Modular Gas Turbine for the Hyperscale Data Center sector in the USA. For model-by-model buying notes, see our sister site on new gas turbine generator model notes.
Global Offices Behind Your GT Commissioning Programme
Your team wants answers in its own time zone. USP&E’s offices in Colorado Springs (1755 Telstar Dr, Suite 300) and Knoxville (800 S Gay St, Suite 700) lead your new GT commissioning programme conversations in the US, from the first data request to the site visit, so questions about fuel, interconnection and delivery are answered by people who can be on site.
The wider network carries the heavy lifting for new gas turbines, commissioning spares and bridge units: London (162-168 Regent Street) for structuring and finance, Johannesburg (22 Kildoon Rd, Bryanston) for engineering and project controls, Cape Town (31 Brickfield Road, Woodstock) for design and commissioning support, and Wuxi, China (No. 1, Ningzhou Road, Wuxi) for China supply chain and manufacturing.
For a turbine purchase specification, Colorado Springs and Knoxville engineers can write your RFQ and judge the bids, while Wuxi checks packages and parts sourced from China. Regions served: USA | AFRICA | UK | UAE | CHINA. USP&E’s reach covers 150+ power projects in 45+ countries and 25,000 MW contracted since 2002, and the company is ISO 9001 and ISO 45001 certified.
Proof from Recent GT Commissioning Projects
You want proof that USP&E has specified, supplied and commissioned gas turbines for demanding buyers. These projects show that record.
- USP&E has refurbished seven GE Frame 6B gas turbines to zero hours in-house for major US hyperscale data-centre developers.
- Perenco, Guatemala: USP&E delivered a 13.1 MW HFO/diesel modular power station under full EPC in under five months, on time and on budget. Read the case study.
- NEOM, Saudi Arabia: USP&E supplied three zero-hour Siemens SGT-400 gas turbines as the single technical and commercial interface, and the client reported savings of over $10 million. Read the case study.
HowTo: Write a Purchase Specification and RFQ for a New GT
Your 3-step plan: 1. Share your site data, duty, fuel and grid rules. 2. Receive a purchase specification, scope table and quote form. 3. Compare the bids like for like and award with confidence.
- Write down the site conditions, duty, fuel and grid rules the unit must meet.
- Define the scope split: what the supplier provides and what your EPC team provides.
- List the documents, tests and warranties you need with every quote.
- Ask every supplier to quote against the same format so quotes compare like for like.
- Compare new units with surplus and inventory units against the same specification.
- Clarify gaps with each supplier in writing before you award the order.
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FAQ: New GT Purchase Specification and RFQ Scope
What should a gas turbine purchase specification include?
USP&E includes site conditions, duty, starts, fuel composition and pressure, grid or island rules, noise and emissions limits, a line-by-line scope split, the documents and tests each bidder must provide, warranty terms and a fixed quote form. Together these let you compare offers like for like before award.
Why should performance be quoted at my site conditions?
USP&E asks for site-condition performance because output and heat rate fall as temperature and elevation rise. A rating at standard conditions can overstate what the unit delivers on your hottest days. Quotes at your own conditions show which offer really meets your load when it matters.
How do I avoid scope gaps between suppliers?
USP&E uses a scope table with one name against every item, from the turbine and generator through fuel skid, controls, transformer, switchgear, foundations and cabling. Bidders confirm each line or list deviations, so missing items are found before award rather than during installation.
Can I compare surplus and new gas turbines in one RFQ?
USP&E compares surplus, inventory and new units against the same specification. Surplus units also need hours and starts history, inspection reports and overhaul records. Using one format shows whether a faster stock unit meets your site, duty, fuel and grid rules as well as a new build.
Where are USP&E’s offices for gas turbine projects?
USP&E leads gas turbine projects from Colorado Springs and Knoxville in the US. London supports contracts and finance, Johannesburg and Cape Town add engineering and field depth across Africa, and Wuxi follows up packages, parts and equipment made in China.
What gas turbine projects has USP&E delivered before?
USP&E has refurbished seven GE Frame 6B gas turbines to zero hours in-house for major US hyperscale data-centre developers. Public case studies also include three zero-hour Siemens SGT-400 gas turbines supplied for NEOM in Saudi Arabia as the single technical and commercial interface.
Is USP&E a broker for gas turbines?
USP&E is not a broker. USP&E specifies, supplies, installs, commissions and maintains gas turbine plant with its own people, so the team that writes your purchase specification is the same team that tests the unit, brings it online and answers for its performance afterwards.
How fast can USP&E review my gas turbine RFQ?
USP&E can start as soon as you share your draft RFQ or your site data, duty and fuel details. Engineers flag missing conditions, unclear scope lines and absent documents first, so your RFQ goes out complete and bidders have less room for exclusions and surprises.
Award the Right Turbine the First Time
A clear specification gives you quotes you can trust and a unit that meets your site from day one. A loose one leaves gaps you pay for later in delay and change orders. USP&E will help you specify, buy and commission with confidence.
Start now: send your load, site and fuel data through the contact page, phone +27 10 822 2324 or write to info@uspeglobal.com, and search current USP&E inventory while the team scopes your new GT commissioning programme.
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