Issue one property and exposure package
Provide the same floor plan, zone names, operating hours, traffic and load information, chemical register, cleaning routine, shutdown limits, known history, condition photographs and available test data to every bidder. State which information is verified, observed, supplied by others or still unknown. Include access restrictions and the intended decision schedule. A common package makes proposals more comparable and reduces the chance that one bidder prices detailed investigation while another assumes a clean, empty and uniform floor.
Require bidder verification and departures
Ask each bidder to identify the site review completed, measurements taken, inaccessible areas, additional tests needed and assumptions relied upon. Require a departure schedule listing every change from the issued scope rather than burying differences in fine print. If an item cannot be priced until removal or testing, request a clear allowance, unit basis or decision process. The goal is not to force false certainty but to make uncertainty visible before award.
Specify tests and acceptance sources
Request the test method, purpose, number and map of locations, timing, operator, recorded site conditions, units and current acceptance document. Separate moisture, strength, adhesion, contamination or other tests rather than grouping them under testing included. Ask how results change the proposed system or price and who has authority to accept an exception. Test numbers without locations, methods and criteria cannot be compared reliably or connected to later work.
Break preparation and repairs into visible scope
List removal of existing layers, decontamination, cleaning, mechanical preparation, dust control, weak-concrete removal, crack or spall repair, joint work, transitions and disposal as distinct items. Ask for methods, affected zones and acceptance evidence. State how quantities are confirmed after the surface is exposed and how changes are authorized. Preparation should not disappear into one sentence when it can determine both price and the surface on which every later layer depends.
List every proposed coating layer
Require exact products and manufacturers, layer order, purpose, intended thickness or coverage evidence, aggregate or broadcast, texture, colour, markings and current technical documents. Ask what substrate and environmental conditions each layer requires, how recoat intervals are handled and what compatibility source applies. Product-family labels are not enough. The schedule should show which layer addresses which documented exposure and identify performance claims or limitations that remain conditional.
Define quality checks and mock-ups
Set the inspections required after preparation, repairs and each important stage. Request the proposed method for documenting cleanliness, profile, environmental conditions, mix or batch information, application, thickness and deficient-area correction where relevant. If a mock-up is useful, define its location, size, substrate, texture, colour, acceptance authority and limits as a representation of the full floor. Record hold points so review occurs before the evidence is covered.
Price phasing and operating constraints
Provide the available closure windows and routes that must remain in service, then ask for a zone-by-zone sequence covering equipment moves, isolation, preparation, repairs, layers, inspection, markings and reopening. Identify assumptions for temperature, ventilation, access and continued operations. Request alternates separately when a shorter shutdown changes the system or cost. Define who communicates delays and what process applies when hidden conditions or test results change a phase.
Expose exclusions, warranty conditions and closeout
Ask for an explicit list of exclusions, owner-supplied work, hazardous-material assumptions, active leaks or movement, protection, power, heating, ventilation, waste, cleaning and access responsibilities. Read warranty language with its maintenance duties, limitations and responsible party; do not treat a term length as a full comparison. Specify the closeout package, including marked-up zones, installed materials, tests, repairs, inspections, photographs, exceptions and care instructions. Use those documents and the total scope—not price alone—to prepare the final comparison. Illustrative blank buyer checklist, not a project example or an approved specification: zone [ ]; existing coating [ ]; preparation/testing allowance and basis [ ]; repair allowance and basis [ ]; proposed layers and current document/version [ ]; reopening evidence and responsible reviewer [ ]; exclusions [ ]. Have each bidder complete the same row; compare unresolved allowances and exclusions before totals, and have the responsible installer verify the completed scope before selection.
These sources provide workplace, legal or technical context for the specific subjects they address. They do not diagnose the slab, select a system or replace current product instructions and property-specific professional review.
WorkSafeBC — Slips, Trips & Falls · WorkSafeBC — WHMIS 2015 · BC Laws — Strata Property Act · Sherwin-Williams — Concrete Surface Preparation Guide
Sources reviewed September 22, 2026. Confirm current requirements and documents for the exact property and proposed system.