What changes the amount of work?
Two models of the same overall length can require very different preparation. A clean exterior with an agreed uniform finish is a different brief from a removable assembly, a detailed cutaway or a model with a demonstrated mechanism. Small visible features may require separate parts or selective simplification; decide what must remain recognizable.
Source readiness matters too. A complete approved CAD assembly helps define the starting point, but the exhibition configuration, level of detail and display interfaces still need decisions. Reconstructing from photographs, resolving conflicting revisions or defining missing geometry is separate work.
A static display or a demonstration model?
| Item | Static display | Expanded demonstration |
|---|---|---|
| Source preparation | Approved exterior geometry | Exterior plus selected internal components |
| Detail | Fixed arrangement | Defined removable parts or reviewed movement |
| Finish | Agreed colour and visible faces | Additional contrast, labels or component finishes |
| Display | Specified base | Base plus separately scoped lighting or cover |
| Packing | One agreed destination | Reusable packing and assembly instructions |
| Reviews | Defined geometry and finish approvals | Additional feature and mechanism approval |
Compare two quotations without losing scope
Start with a shared specification and ask both quotations to refer to the same revision. “One model” is too broad to compare: one supplier may include a finished base and another may quote unassembled components. Keep optional items separate so you can remove a feature without silently removing a requirement that makes the exhibit usable.
| Line item | Make the comparison explicit | Question to resolve |
|---|---|---|
| Reference preparation | Supplied production CAD versus reconstructed external geometry | Who resolves missing dimensions and approves the result? |
| Model construction | Fixed components, separate assemblies and visible seams | Which parts arrive assembled? |
| Finish and graphics | Surface work, colour references and printed labels | Which faces and details receive the specified treatment? |
| Display equipment | Base, clear cover, lighting and power supply | Which equipment is included, and who installs it? |
| Transport and handover | Packing, delivery destination and reassembly | Who receives and checks the exhibit? |
Put “not required” or “excluded” against genuinely unnecessary items. An empty cell is an unresolved assumption. The final comparison should show both the total and the work still left for your own team.
Understand why one late change can affect several work stages
Separate essential communication from optional presentation effects. Keep the overall arrangement, recognisable product features and readable labels in the base scope. Ask for lighting, movement or extra display copies as separately priced options when their value is uncertain. This gives you a realistic way to reduce scope without making the core display harder to understand.
Include the whole display and its journey
The model, mount, labels, cover and packing each take space. Ask for the assembled and packed envelopes, access requirements and responsibility for installation or repacking. A cover is not an automatic inclusion, and moving a fragile display is not the same as shipping an unassembled printed part.
State the event date and the date the model needs to reach the destination. Identify any internal approval milestones that come earlier. Actual production and transport timing belongs in the quotation.
Use review gates to assess the delivery plan
Work backwards from the date the exhibit must be installed, not the exhibition opening alone. Allow for receipt, inspection, assembly and a contingency appropriate to the destination. Ask the project plan to distinguish reference approval, construction, appearance review, final assembly and dispatch. The duration of each stage depends on the actual design and capacity; this guide does not promise a standard lead time.
A quotation is more actionable when it states what the customer must approve and when. If an event date cannot move, raise unresolved geometry, access restrictions and transport constraints during the first discussion. See the model brief checklist for the information that supports that review.