When you first request a breathalyzer quote, the number that usually comes to mind first is how many people will use it. But even with 30 users a day, a quick check at one location right before work and a setup that collects results from several sites call for different equipment and add-on services. An individual who wants to check their own condition before driving also has a different purpose from a business that wants to manage employees' test results.
A breathalyzer is a device that checks a person's condition by measuring the alcohol in their breath. In a quote request, before "how many people will use it," you should set out what you will decide from the test result and how far that result needs to be kept or passed on. Only when the intended use is clear can you compare, on the same basis, a detection-focused setup, a reading-focused setup, and a setup that includes recording, printing, or system integration.
Headcount is the second piece of information for setting quantity
The total number of users is needed, but it alone cannot decide the number of devices or the features. First you need to confirm whether many people will use one device during the 20 minutes before work, whether devices must be split between the work area and the office building, or whether they must be carried from site to site. Even with the same 100 people, a site where users crowd into one place and a site where they are spread across several locations need different operating methods.
What happens after the test also affects the choice. If it is enough to look at the screen on site and confirm right away, a procedure for collecting results separately may not be the key point. On the other hand, if test results must be kept as printouts or compiled into files, you need to check whether storage, printing, and transfer fit the actual workflow. Rather than simply writing "management features needed," writing down who receives which results in what form reduces misunderstandings in the quote.
First, set out what the test results are used for
In the quote request, state separately whether you need fast detection, numeric readings, or record keeping. Detection aims to quickly pick out people who need further checking, and a numeric reading aims to confirm the measured value. Which approach fits depends not on headcount but on the decision procedure at the site and the outputs you need.
"Keeping results" also needs to be made specific. The items to check differ depending on whether you want to see the day's results on screen, print them on paper, check them as files on a computer, or link them to doors or identity verification devices. If you plan to link with doors, it is not enough to match equipment names. The quote conditions should also cover which information needs to pass between the device and the access equipment already installed at the site.
| Question to put in the quote request | What to write specifically | Why it is needed to compare setups |
|---|---|---|
| What will you do with the test results? | The range you need among quick checks, numeric readings, and keeping results | Sets the priority among detection, measurement, and recording features |
| When and where will it be used? | Peak usage times, fixed installation location, whether it moves, number of sites | Helps judge whether one device can handle operation, how to install it, and portability needs |
| Who receives the results, and how? | On-site screen, printouts, computer files, connection to existing access equipment | Decides whether to include storage, printing, and integration in the quote |
| What else needs to be prepared? | Consumables for breath testing, installation, initial setup, user guidance | Reduces items that get left out when only the unit price is considered |
Writing down location and time slots helps you avoid under-specifying
The phrase "for business use" alone does not reveal installation conditions. You should state whether the device will stay in a fixed indoor location, be moved between vehicles or several work zones, and be used at one site or several. If it needs to move, carrying and storage methods become conditions for comparing candidates. If it needs fixed installation, the installation space and power and connection environment become the conditions.
Write down usage times separately from the daily headcount as well. If users crowd in at a certain time, waiting and testing order on site can become an issue. If time slots are split, as with shift crews, there may be room to share one device. This is not a formula for setting a quantity in advance. It is information that helps the supplier understand how the device will actually be used.
The following is a hypothetical example. At Site A, 60 people arrive each day, but all of them pass through one entrance within 10 minutes, and the site wants to print and keep test results. The facts to note are not "60 people" but "concentrated use in a short time," "one location," and "keeping printouts." This means you need to confirm a flow that can handle people without a wait and the scope of the printing function. One possible action is to write the peak time, the planned installation location, and how the required printouts will be received in the quote request. If the quote states each of these separately, namely the feature, the scope of installation and initial setup, and whether consumables are included, you can consider the request conditions in this case to have been reflected.
Judge integration by what you will connect to, not by feature names
Terms such as smartphone connectivity, result storage, printing, and kiosk type can cover different scopes depending on the product. DATECH's official online store presents the AFM-5 as a smartphone-connected product and the AF-50U as a system with test result storage and printing. This shows that the workflow a product is meant to support can differ by feature, but it does not mean those features apply in the same way to every device or every site system.
If you have existing computers, cameras, fingerprint readers, or doors, it is better to explain their current purpose rather than just giving the device names. For example, state separately whether you want to identify the person tested and then reflect the result in the access procedure, or whether you want to collect results on a computer. In the supplier's answer, confirm item by item not only whether connection is possible but also what additional equipment, installation work, and initial setup are needed and where results will be viewed.
A quote should be a document for comparing what is included
When you request a quote, keep the conditions you need now separate from what may be added later. Even if you plan to expand to more sites, you do not have to include all equipment and options in the current purchase. Separating the current quantity, possible additional quantity, and items not yet decided reduces cases where costs are inflated by unconfirmed assumptions or needed conditions are left out.
Beyond the main unit, the type of consumables for breath testing and their compatibility with each model also need to be checked. The quantity needed depends not only on total headcount but also on how often tests are done and how long the system will be in use. In the quote response, you need to see whether the main unit, consumables, installation, initial setup, and user guidance are each included or separate, so that you can compare total cost on the same terms.
After you receive a quote, check each sentence of your request against the items in the answer. If only product names and a total amount are given, it is a good idea to confirm again whether the conditions tied directly to your purpose are included, such as recording method, printing, integration scope, consumables, and installation and setup scope. If conditions change, do not just report the new headcount. Tell the supplier which of the usage location, time, or use of results has changed and the date of the change, so a quote based on the old conditions is not mistaken for one that fits the new requirements.
