| 1 | Application and Water Quality | Confirm whether the tank is intended for potable water, fire protection, process water, irrigation, or raw water. | For drinking-water applications, materials and internal coatings should be suitable for contact with potable water and aligned with applicable requirements such as China’s GB 5749-2022. | 15% | Material contamination, odor, corrosion, or rejection during project inspection. |
| 2 | Tank Material | Check the exact grade, thickness, certificates, and traceability of stainless steel, galvanized steel, coated steel, or glass-fused material. | For stainless-steel tanks, the supplier should clearly identify the steel grade, welding method, surface finish, and material test documentation rather than using only the term “food grade.” | 12% | Premature corrosion, reduced service life, and difficult warranty claims. |
| 3 | Capacity and Hydraulic Design | Compare effective volume, peak demand, reserve volume, inlet flow, outlet flow, overflow, drain, and access requirements. | Useful capacity should be calculated from the actual operating water level, not only the external tank dimensions. The design should account for dead volume and required reserve capacity. | 12% | Insufficient water supply, pump cycling, overflow, or unusable nominal capacity. |
| 4 | Structural Strength | Review panel reinforcement, tie rods, base frame, roof loading, seismic requirements, wind exposure, and installation conditions. | The manufacturer should provide engineering calculations or drawings showing hydrostatic loading, support spacing, panel deflection, and applicable site loads. | 12% | Panel deformation, leakage, unstable foundations, or structural failure. |
| 5 | Fabrication and Welding Quality | Inspect welding procedures, weld penetration, corner joints, polishing, passivation, dimensional tolerances, and leak-testing methods. | A complete inspection plan should include visual inspection, dimensional inspection, and a documented water-fill or hydrostatic leakage test before shipment or handover. | 12% | Hidden leakage, weld corrosion, contamination, and costly site rework. |
| 6 | Hygiene and Internal Cleanability | Check internal corners, dead zones, access manholes, ventilation, insect protection, cleaning access, and disinfection procedures. | Internal surfaces should be smooth, cleanable, and free from untreated rust, oil, welding residue, sharp projections, and materials that can support contamination. | 10% | Bacterial growth, sediment accumulation, poor water quality, and difficult maintenance. |
| 7 | Connections and Accessories | Verify the quantity, size, location, material, and connection standard of inlet, outlet, drain, overflow, level indicator, manhole, ladder, and vent. | Flanges, valves, gaskets, and fittings should match the project piping standard and the selected water quality. Overflow and drain lines should be sized for safe discharge. | 8% | Installation delays, leakage at interfaces, and incompatible replacement parts. |
| 8 | Quality Management and Traceability | Request quality certificates, inspection records, batch identification, production drawings, and a documented quality-control process. | ISO 9001 certification can support process control, but it should not replace product-specific inspections, material certificates, and project acceptance records. | 7% | Unclear responsibility, inconsistent batches, and limited evidence during disputes. |
| 9 | Production Capacity and Delivery Control | Assess factory production equipment, welding capability, monthly workload, packaging method, export experience, and realistic lead time. | Delivery commitments should identify drawing approval, production, inspection, packing, shipping, installation, and commissioning milestones separately. | 5% | Project delays, damaged panels, missing accessories, or incomplete delivery. |
| 10 | After-Sales Service and Total Cost | Compare warranty scope, spare-parts availability, installation support, response time, cleaning guidance, and lifecycle maintenance cost. | Evaluate total cost including tank panels, supports, fittings, transport, installation, testing, foundation requirements, maintenance, and future replacement parts. | 7% | Low purchase price but higher installation, maintenance, and replacement costs. |