When data centre relocation quotes come back, the spread between them can be wide. Two suppliers can price the same move thousands of pounds apart, and both can be honest. The difference is rarely the day rate. It is what each quote includes, what it assumes, and what happens when the plan meets the day.

Here is what to check, line by line, so you are comparing like for like.

Start with the scope, not the total

The first question is who does what. A lower price often means less work, not cheaper work.

• Who powers down, de-cables and de-racks at the origin?
• Is the equipment delivered to the loading bay, unpacked into the cage, or racked and cabled to your elevation?
• Is packaging removed and taken away afterwards?
• Who powers up and tests?

If one quote stops at the loading bay and another hands over racked equipment, they are not the same job.

How the equipment is packed

Servers packed in cardboard and servers packed in sprung, rack-format flight cases are not equivalent, even if both are described as “secure packing”. Ask what the equipment travels in, whether rails stay fitted, and whether the packing is anti-static.

How it is transported

• Dedicated vehicle, or shared with other customers’ goods?
• Direct from dock to dock, or via a depot where it is handled again?
• Is the vehicle sized for the weight, with a tail-lift?
• For cross-border moves: who prepares the export paperwork, and who acts as importer at the other end?

Insurance

This is where quotes differ most quietly. Check whether goods in transit cover is included at all, what value it is based on, whether it pays market value or replacement cost, and how long it runs if the move is delayed. A quote without cover is not cheaper if something is dropped.

Access, waiting and overruns

Every site has its rules: inductions, escorts, loading bay slots, change windows. Ask how each supplier handles waiting time, overruns, weekend or out-of-hours work, and minimum charges. These rarely appear in the headline price, and often appear on the invoice.

The things that only show up on the day

The best quotes are written by someone who has asked about the sites. A recent example from our own work: a data centre with no goods lift, where everything had to go up in the passenger lift. That is time, and it needs to be planned. It isn’t unusual, and it is cheaper to plan for than to discover.

Questions to ask when comparing data centre relocation quotes

• What exactly is included, from power-down to handover?
• What will the equipment travel in?
• Is the vehicle dedicated, and is the route direct?
• What insurance is included, on what value, and for how long?
• What is charged extra, and when?
• Who will be on site, and have they worked in this type of facility before?

A good supplier will answer all six without hesitation. If you would like ours, request a quote for your data centre relocation, single-site or multi-site moves.