Decide what you are buying.
A leak survey locates and records leaks. A repair scope says which leaks will be fixed and by whom. Verification records whether those repairs worked. Ask each bidder to price the same parts of that job before comparing totals.
A leak survey also differs from a full compressed-air system assessment. The Compressed Air Challenge’s provider guide describes broader work on supply, demand, controls and measured system performance. If you need that work, name it in the request; the word ‘audit’ alone does not define it.
What published service descriptions leave to confirm.
| Published description | What to ask before ordering |
|---|---|
| Plant Air Audit: a fixed-price study and a report with leak locations, photos, flow-loss estimates and priorities. | Does the quoted price include any repairs or a return visit? Confirm your site coverage and report date. |
| Airmech (UK): leak tags, photos and a site map; repairs can be quoted separately or included in a service plan. | Which repair tasks and parts are included in this offer? Who checks the repair afterward, and is that visit priced? |
A detailed report can be a useful deliverable on its own. It does not establish that repairs or a return visit are included. Get the agreed work in writing for your facility; a published savings estimate is not a verified result.
Put these six items beside each price.
| Compare | Get a written answer |
|---|---|
| Areas and access | Which buildings, lines and machines are covered? Identify exclusions, access equipment, permits and the site’s safe-work requirements. |
| Survey conditions | Which operating conditions and shifts will be observed? How will inaccessible or untested areas be recorded? |
| Report and handoff | Will each leak have a unique ID, location, photo and priority? Request a sample report, an editable register and a delivery date. |
| Repairs | Name who supplies parts and labor, which repairs are included and what additional work needs approval. Separate planned shutdown work. |
| Verification | Who checks each repaired leak, by what agreed method, and when? Specify the evidence returned and any charge for another visit. |
| Full quoted cost | Separate survey, report, repairs, parts, access equipment, travel, return visits and taxes. Confirm minimum charges, exclusions and quote validity. |
DOE’s leak guidance treats identification, tagging, tracking, repair and verification as parts of an ongoing program. Use that sequence to assign responsibility. Agree technical methods and site access with your maintenance team and a qualified provider.
Keep the leak ID through repair and verification.
Ameren Illinois’s 2026 leak-survey and repair application provides a concrete example of the handoff. Its leak log has separate fields for inspection, repair and verification dates and initials. It also records the leak’s location and description. A survey date alone cannot fill the repair and verification fields.
Ask the survey provider to return records your repair team can continue using, with the same leak IDs. Name the person responsible for unresolved items and keep the evidence of completion beside the original finding.
The Ameren document is one utility program’s form, not a universal standard or proof your project qualifies. If an incentive matters to your purchase, have the program confirm eligibility, required records, deadlines and any preapproval before you commit.
Ask what a savings estimate assumes.
If a quote includes estimated annual savings, ask whether leak flow is measured or estimated, the method and system pressure, operating hours, electricity rate and compressor energy assumptions. Keep the estimate separate from the quoted service cost and from savings measured after the work.
Repairing leaks can reduce air demand without reducing electricity use by the same proportion. DOE says the system supply and compressor controls need reassessment after repairs. Ask a qualified compressed-air specialist how energy use will be measured and compared under suitable operating conditions; this guide does not prescribe control changes.
Compare the replies in one sheet.
The optional blank sheet puts three offers beside the same scope questions. It has no formulas and does not upload anything. Keep unknown costs blank and note what needs confirming. You can also send us the quote or scope you already have.
Send every bidder the same request.
Fill in what you know and leave the rest as questions. Your maintenance team and provider should agree the technical work and safe access arrangements.
Please quote a compressed-air leak survey for [facility and location], covering [buildings, lines and equipment]. Our available operating and access windows are [details]. Please list excluded or inaccessible areas.
Separate the price for the survey and report, repairs and parts, access equipment, travel, and post-repair verification. Identify minimum charges, taxes and other exclusions.
Please include a sample report. We need a leak register with unique IDs, locations, photos and priorities that our repair team can update. State when we will receive it and in what file format.
Confirm who handles repairs, which work requires further approval, who verifies each repair and what completion records are returned. Flag any shutdown or special access requirements for our maintenance team to review.
If you estimate energy savings, state whether leak flow is measured or estimated and give the method, system pressure and other inputs. Explain how actual energy performance would be checked afterward. If incentive paperwork is included, identify the program and our required actions before ordering.
Please confirm quote validity, scheduling and the named contact responsible for the work.
Send the purchase you’re working on.
Send one quote, a photo, a product link or a description. We will check what can be compared and what still needs verifying.
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