This page is a buyer-side contents checklist for a material package. It is not a guide to comparing contractor bids. For bid process and bid comparison, use how to get a glazing bid in Florida.
Why the package definition matters
When a GC or developer buys commercial windows direct, the risk is not only price. The risk is a truck that arrives without engineering docs, without hardware, or with freight terms that dump crates at a dock you cannot unload.
A complete material package is the written list of what the seller must furnish before fabrication release and at delivery. Incomplete packages create change orders after award, even when the unit price looked clean.
This checklist is a template. Fill it for your project. It is not a record of any ACG job and it does not invent dollar amounts, allowances, or lead-time weeks.
Buyer-side material package checklist (template)
Mark each row Included / By others / Not applicable. Attach the completed table to the RFQ or PO.
TEMPLATE ONLY. Confirm every cell against the PO. No prices. Not a project record.
| Category | Must confirm on package | Included? | Notes / owner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Product | System series, frame finish, glass makeup, gaskets, setting blocks, anchors as specified | ☐ | Match opening schedule mark for mark |
| Engineering | Product data, shop drawings, Florida Product Approval or NOA docs where required, glass schedule | ☐ | Who stamps / who files with AHJ: project-specific |
| Freight | Delivery city, Incoterms, dock vs set-down, crate count expectation, damage claim window | ☐ | Name the delivery point on the PO |
| Hardware | Hinges/pivots, closers, locks, panic / exit devices, pulls, thresholds, weatherstrip | ☐ | List by opening; avoid vague “allowance” |
| Exclusions | Field install, sealants, flashings by others, operators, access control, permits, unloading labor | ☐ | Must be written, not implied |
Product line items
Product is more than “windows.” On commercial work the package usually needs framed units or stick members, glass to the approved makeup, gaskets, setting blocks, and any anchors or clips the manufacturer requires for the tested configuration.
Require a mark-for-mark crosswalk to the door and window schedule. If the schedule shows twenty opening types and the quote shows one lump quantity, ask for a takeoff tie-out before award.
Finish must be named (anodize class, paint system, color code). “To match building” is not a finish release.
Engineering and approval documents
Material without paperwork is incomplete on Florida commercial projects that need product approval evidence. Ask what documents ship with the package: product data sheets, shop drawings, and the Florida Product Approval or Miami-Dade NOA package where the project requires it.
Fabrication release should wait for approved shops or a written release-at-risk from the buyer named on the PO. Verbal dimensions are not a release.
Freight and receiving
Name the delivery city and the delivery condition. Dock drop, curb drop, and inside delivery are different scopes. Unloading equipment, dry storage, and a signed receiving ticket with damage notes belong on the buyout notes.
Ask whether freight is included to the named point or billed separately. Either answer is fine. Silence is not.
Hardware set
Entrance doors and operable units fail buyout when hardware is an “allowance.” List hinges or pivots, closers, locking, exit devices, pulls, thresholds, and weatherstrip by opening mark.
If hardware is by others, say so on the same schedule. Mixed responsibility without a written split is how panic devices arrive after the leaf is already glazed.
Exclusions to put in writing
Common material-only exclusions include field install, perimeter sealants, flashings by others, automatic operators, access control, temporary protection after delivery, and permit or NOA filing fees. Put each exclusion on the quote cover sheet.
Also clarify what happens on damaged crates: photo window, claim party, and whether replacement lead time restarts the manufacturing clock.
How to ask for the right package quote
Send elevations and the door and window schedule. Add one sentence: material-only package (or furnish-and-install if that is what you need). State the delivery city and whether hardware is included.
ACG works from West Palm Beach, Naples, and Tampa. Call (772) 486-7711. FL CGC #1531993.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should a complete commercial window material package include?
A complete material package typically covers product (frames, glass, gaskets), engineering and approval documents, freight to a named delivery point, hardware sets where specified, and a written exclusions list. Confirm every line against the PO. Do not invent prices or allowances.
How is buying commercial windows direct different from comparing glazing bids?
Bid comparison focuses on which contractor wins. A material-package checklist focuses on what must be on the purchase order so the opening is complete when the truck arrives. Use both: one for contractor selection, one for buyout contents.
What exclusions should a GC watch for on a material-only quote?
Common exclusions include field install, perimeter sealants, flashings by others, operators, access control, unloading beyond dock drop, and AHJ filing fees. Ask for exclusions in writing before award.
How should a GC request a material-only package quote?
Send elevations, the door and window schedule, and a one-line scope note: material-only. State the delivery city and whether hardware is included or by others.