A tender specification for an X-ray baggage scanner should pin down three things: the tunnel size and throughput the site actually needs, the certification and dose limits the regulator requires, and the acceptance criteria that decide whether the machine passes. Everything else — brand, colour, screen size — is noise that narrows competition or raises price.
| Item | Typical requirement |
|---|---|
| Tunnel size | 500×300 mm for hand baggage; 650×500 mm for cabin baggage; 1000×800 mm for oversized items |
| Steel penetration | 32–40 mm (state the test standard) |
| Spatial resolution | 0.8 mm horizontal and vertical |
| Wire resolution | 0.102 mm (AWG38) |
| Conveyor | 0.20–0.25 m/s, load rating matched to the application |
| Imaging | Dual energy, 4/7-colour material classification; dual view where overlap is expected |
| Leakage dose | ≤1 μSv/h at the cabinet surface |
| Certification | CE, RoHS, FDA where applicable; national security-equipment test report |
| Warranty | Two years, with response-time commitment and spare-parts availability |
Over-specifying penetration. Writing 40 mm steel for a site that screens handbags raises the price and can disqualify compliant bidders. Specify what the threat requires.
Naming a brand. “Equivalent to brand X” narrows the field to one supplier and usually ends in a single-source price.
Specifying the machine but not the line. A scanner without roller tables, a re-check bench and a defined queue layout will underperform on day one, whatever the datasheet says.
Should the specification include the image-processing features? Only the ones that affect operations — material classification, image storage, user accounts. Feature lists inflate cost without changing throughput.
How do I compare bids fairly? Require a factory test report for penetration and resolution, and a site visit or demo with your own bags. Datasheet numbers vary by test method.
What about after-sales? Ask for the local service partner, response time and spare-parts lead time — this matters more than a one-year warranty extension.
Send us the site, the items to be screened and the daily peak, and we will return a specification draft with the matching models: 5030C, 6550C, 8065C, 10080D.
