Choose a manufacturer by how well the proposed assembly, evidence and delivery scope match your project. A useful proposal explains the design basis, assumptions, verification and handover responsibilities as clearly as the price.
Start with the duty, not the brochure
A custom switchboard brings the electrical requirements and physical installation together. The design has to accommodate the supply, circuits, protection, environment, access and documentation your project needs.
Give prospective suppliers the same specification and schedules. Ask them to identify assumptions, departures and alternatives. This produces a more useful comparison than asking several manufacturers for an undefined “standard board”.
Questions to ask every tenderer
| Question | What a clear response should establish |
|---|---|
| What is the design basis? | Named platform or construction approach, electrical duty and operating conditions. |
| What evidence supports it? | Relevant design-verification basis and routine-verification deliverables. |
| What is included? | Design, manufacture, equipment, testing, delivery and any site services. |
| What is excluded? | Programming, network studies, installation, commissioning or other work outside scope. |
| How are changes controlled? | Drawing approval, substitutions, variations and updated documents. |
| What happens at handover? | Agreed records, manuals, drawings, outstanding items and support contacts. |
A logo or accreditation can be useful supporting information. Check its current scope and validity rather than assuming it certifies a particular switchboard.
Look for practical manufacturing detail
Ask to see relevant examples of completed work and the manufacturer’s role in those projects. Good project information distinguishes manufacturing, controls integration and site installation. It also shows whether the proposed approach suits your application.
Discuss cable access, transport splits, spare capacity and maintenance before approving the layout. These details can make more difference to the installation than a general claim about a platform’s maximum rating.
How CWS approaches a project
Clive Wilson Switchboards manufactures in Invercargill for projects across New Zealand, with a business history dating to 1971. Our work includes main switchboards, MCCs, distribution boards and control panels.
Simotrol is a key CWS platform. Schneider Prisma, Logstrup and custom arrangements are considered where the application calls for them. The platform selection guide explains the questions that guide that choice.
Design documentation, workshop manufacture, powder coating and identification all contribute to the finished product. See the project case studies for specific examples and defined CWS scopes.
Compare the complete offer
- Same circuit schedule and equipment assumptions.
- Same fault, thermal, environmental and separation requirements.
- Same document and testing scope.
- Same site interfaces and delivery responsibilities.
- Same programme milestones and approval assumptions.
Send your enquiry pack and tell us where the project is up to. We can discuss a manufacturing proposal that makes the decisions and open inputs visible.
Questions we hear
Does custom always mean a completely bespoke enclosure?
No. A verified modular platform may be configured to suit a project. Custom engineering and established systems can work together.
Should I choose purely on the lowest tender total?
Compare scope, assumptions and departures first. The totals may cover different equipment, evidence, delivery or site responsibilities.