How to specify office furniture in a tender or in technical bases

Some furniture technical bases are written with data that the evaluator can measure or read on a sheet, never with adjectives. If you have to prioritize, ensure five things: measurements with tolerance, minimum adjustments of the chairs, certification with its document, guarantee by product family and deadline broken down by stage. What is not written in the bases cannot be demanded later, and in a tender the offer that complies with what is written wins, not the one that the buyer had in mind.

Why do the technical bases decide the result?

Because they are the only moment in which the buyer defines quality; then you can only verify. If the bidding says “ergonomic chair,” the winning bid will be the cheapest chair that someone calls ergonomic. If they say "140 × 70 cm desk" without tolerance, a bidder with 139 cm is left out and another with a thinner board enters.

This guide is useful for those who write bases for a company, an institution or an architecture studio, and for those who evaluate the offers. It is written from the supplier's side: they are the gaps that we see repeated when quoting.

What measurements and tolerances must be written?

• Nominal measurementsof each piece (length, depth and height) with an explicit tolerance, for example ± 2 cm. Without tolerance, any difference ends in rejection or dispute.
• Cover thickness and material.An 18 mm board and a 25 mm board are not the same product even if they measure the same on the outside. For reference, the covers in the Dunati catalog are 25mm MDF with high pressure decorative laminate.
• Structure: material, gauge and finish (1.5 mm steel, 2 mm aluminum or 8 mm steel plate, with electrostatic paint, for example).
• Heights: 75 cm on fixed desks; in liftables, the full range, the number of motors and the load (the Lift series, for example, has two motors and three stages, goes from 65 to 125 cm and supports 125 kg).
• Tailor-made receptions and storage: the measurements of the plane. And a condition that should be added: that the successful bidder rectify measurements on the ground before manufacturing. In projects, Dunati can make that technical visit to review measurements, colors and final details.

What minimum adjustments should you ask for in a chair?

A full-time chair is specified by its adjustments. This table is used to copy it to the bases and adjust it to the position:

Separate the specification by type of position (operational, executive, managerial, cashier, visitor and multipurpose) and request a model by type. A single chair for all positions makes operations more expensive or leaves those with long hours short.

What does the Chilean regulations say and what does the mutual society ask for?

There are two public references that should be cited as a framework:

• HeSupreme Decree 594of the Ministry of Health, which establishes basic sanitary and environmental conditions in workplaces.
• TheLaw 16,744, on work accidents and occupational diseases, whose insurance is administered by mutual societies. They advise affiliated companies on risk prevention, including the ergonomics of positions.

What each mutual society asks for is expressed in its own guidelines. That is why the advice is specific:Ask the principal's mutual insurance company for guidance before writingand translate it into verifiable requirements (fits, measurements, materials). A serious bidder responds point by point with the technical sheet; an adjective cannot be revised. The interpretation for a specific case corresponds to the risk preventionist or the mutual insurance company.

What certifications to require and how to request them?

• Chairs: The usual reference is ANSI/BIFMA X5.1. Request that each bidder indicate, model by model, what certification it declares and what document supports it. In the Dunati catalogue, the Axis, Amara, Aquila, Eros, Grace, Midas and Cooper chairs, among others, are declared according to their technical data sheet.
• Acoustic booths: insulation with its measurement standard. Zenpod cabins declare ISO 23351-1:2020 and ISO 3382-2 on their sheet.
• Load capacity: the data by model and its source. Don't leave it as "heavy use." For reference, Dunati chairs have a maximum use weight of 120 kg.

Before publishing, verify that the certification you require exists in the Chilean market for the type of product. If no one accredits it, the tender is left without valid offers and you have to start over.

What warranty and spare parts to ask for?

Request the guaranteeby product family, in years and in writing, and the procedure to enforce it. For reference, this is Dunati's:

The legal guarantee of Law 19,496 runs separately. At Dunati, the claim is made to info@dunati.com with the order number; Technicians validate the failure with photos and background information, and an executive confirms the procedure before moving the product.

In spare parts, write which components the awarded party must replace (piston, wheels, arms, mechanism, carpet; motor and controller in lifts) and orderline continuityto be able to expand with the same model, laminate and tapestry. Dunati maintains spare parts for the chairs it assembles in Chile (armrests, mechanisms, backrests, bases and wheels, for example for Axis, Grace, Cooper and Aquila), so after the warranty the part is changed and not the chair.

What to ask about deadline, delivery and installation?

Demands thebroken down termby stage (manufacturing, import, dispatch and installation) and not a total, because a total hides the import. For reference, these are Dunati's deadlines; The firm term goes in each quote:

Special colors and wood veneers lengthen the term. That is why it is advisable that the bases set dates by stage and not a single milestone.

In addition to the deadline:

• Furniture installation included: assembly, leveling and connection of furniture electrification. Dunati connects electrification to the points left by the construction company; Electrical and data installations are carried out by the principal's electrician.
• Building conditions: elevator schedules, loading access and packaging removal, so that everyone quotes the same. In corporate buildings, Dunati coordinates these three points with the administration.
• Regions: If the destination is outside Santiago, request dispatch and installation at destination with separate deadline and cost. Dunati ships and installs in regions, and the transfer is quoted on a case-by-case basis.
• Terms of payment: write them in the bases. In projects, the usual thing at Dunati is 50% down payment and the balance before delivery; Companies can request a purchase order within 30 days, subject to approval.

What documents must the offeror attach?

• Technical sheetof each model, with measurements, materials and adjustments.
• Blocks and modelsto integrate the furniture into the project. Dunati delivers DWG/DXF blocks, 3D models in OBJ, 3DS and SketchUp and a plugin for pCon.planner; If your bases require another format, ask before publishing.
• Physical samplesof laminates, tapestries and meshes.
• A sample chairwhen the volume justifies it. Testing it with the team before awarding avoids buying in volume a model that no one wants to use. Dunati lends chairs to companies for evaluation; coordinates with the advisor.
• Origin of each component. Dunati manufactures covers, melamine storage and custom furniture in Chile; The metal structures are imported and the chairs are assembled in Chile with imported components.

What errors are common in technical furniture bases?

1. Copy a model sheetas a specification: it leaves out everyone else and is usually contestable.
2. Demand a certification without asking for the documentof the model offered.
3. Do not ask for the mutuality guidelineand discover after delivery that the chairs do not comply.
4. Forget installation, the packaging and the conditions of the building, which then make the offers incomparable.
5. Do not ask for samplesbefore allocating a large volume.

What should a tender for office chairs require to comply with mutuality?

Whatever the client's mutual insurance company asks for in its guidelines, translated into verifiable requirements: minimum adjustments, measurements, materials and the certification of the model with its document. The guideline is requested before writing.

What certification to request for office chairs?

ANSI/BIFMA X5.1 is the usual reference. Request that each bidder declare it by model and attach the support.

How do you specify a desk so that offers are comparable?

With measurements and tolerance, thickness and material of the cover, material and caliber of the structure, height (or range, if it is elevatable) and electrification.

What guarantee is reasonable to ask for?

One per product family and in writing. Dunati gives 3 years on chairs, 5 on desks, storage, tables and receptions, and 3 on sofas, armchairs, armchairs, poufs and booths.

How long should you give for delivery?

It depends on the size and origin. As a reference, a project of about 20 positions with line laminates starts in 10 business days of manufacturing, and what is imported takes around 85 business days. Set the deadline per stage.

What data does Dunati quote with?

With the company name Dunati Chile SpA, RUT 76.515.462-6, and delivers technical sheets, blocks and samples. Contact: info@dunati.com and +56 9 8583 5709.

Who does the electrical installations of the stalls?

The electrician of the principal or the construction company. Dunati connects the electrification of the furniture to the points left by the construction company.