A swim spa quotation looks simple on the first page: a model number, a price, a lead time. It is only on the second and third pages, and in the sample you were sent, that the real comparison begins. Outdoor Swim Spa WS-PC01A is one of the more compact configurations in our outdoor swim and hydrotherapy range, and the difference between two proposals for the same model usually comes down to what is included, what is optional, and what nobody wrote down. The steps below are how a purchaser should read the sample and the quotation side by side before signing.

1. Start from the shell, not the feature list

Catalogue data for WS-PC01A lists a 3000 × 930 mm form, a single control system, two water pumps, one filter pump, 28 jets in total, one LED light plus nine small LED lights, and a total power figure of 3.25 kW. Treat those numbers as the reference point your sample must match, and check them against the physical sample before you read the price at all.

With the sample in front of you, look at four things: the shell surface, the corner and edge detailing, the insulation build, and how the access panel sits. A moulded acrylic shell should read as one continuous surface with no rippling or fuzzy gel-coat at the corners, because those are the places where a thin layup shows first under thermal cycling. Press the side wall and the base. A hollow, drum-like response points to thin or partially filled insulation, which matters most in the cold months and in coastal sites. Then ask which side the equipment is mounted on and whether that side can be turned to suit your deck. A sample you cannot service is not a sample, it is a problem you have not met yet.

One caution before comparing: the catalogue page shows the main features as water jets, LED lighting and ozone, but it does not list a swim training system for this model. If your project is being sold as a place to swim against a current, do not assume that equipment is standard on WS-PC01A. Ask for it by name, in writing, with the pump or nozzle package that delivers it, and put the same requirement into every proposal so the bids stay comparable.

2. Reconcile the jet count with the jet map

"28 jets" is a total. Two proposals can both be honest and still deliver completely different experiences, because one may concentrate the jets in a seating bench and the other may spread them across a recline position and the lower back. Ask each supplier for a jet map on the drawing: jet type, jet size, position and which zone each jet is wired to. Then match the map to the way the spa will actually be used. A resort or wellness treatment schedule needs repeatable zones; a family terrace usually wants comfortable seating depth and safe step entries before it wants more jets.

3. Read the proposal as a bill of materials

Our catalogue lists control systems, UV sterilisation, water pumps, heat pumps, sand filtration, insulation and steps as options, and availability changes with the model. That single sentence is where most price gaps between two bids appear. Compare the proposals line by line and mark each item as standard, optional, or absent:

• Filtration: is the sand filter included, and what is the filter media volume and backwash arrangement?
• Water treatment: ozone is shown on the standard feature list; is UV sterilisation priced in, or quoted as an extra?
• Heating: which heat pump model, at what air temperature, and what is the stated heating time for the filled volume?
• Insulation: what material, what thickness, and does it cover the shell, the base and the cabinet side that faces the weather?
• Steps and access: are steps, handrail and access panel included, and are they the same on both bids?
• Controls: one control system is listed; confirm the controller type, remote or app control, and language of the interface.

The 3.25 kW total power figure is a specification for a defined configuration, not a promise about your installation. Ask each supplier to show the electrical requirement for the exact configuration they quoted, including supply phase, circuit protection, dedicated circuit sizing and the location of the isolator. A proposal that leaves the electrical scope vague is not cheaper, it is unfinished.

4. Score the sample and the proposal on the same sheet

Put one sheet between the two bids and grade the same six items: shell and insulation build, jet map and seating comfort, water treatment and filtration, heating and controls, electrical and installation scope, and after-sales and spare parts. Write what the sample showed, not what the brochure claimed. Where a claim cannot be verified from the sample or the drawing, mark it as an open question and send it back to the supplier before the comparison is closed.

5. Put the site condition into the comparison

A compact 3000 × 930 mm spa behaves differently on a suspended timber deck than on a ground slab, and differently again indoors where ventilation and drainage must be planned. Send both suppliers the same site information: the structural support arrangement, drainage route, distance from the power supply, exposure to wind and sun, and whether the unit will run year-round. Ask them to confirm their installation notes against that information rather than repeating a generic manual.

If the site needs a larger footprint or a longer water channel, compare WS-PC01A against Outdoor Swim Spa WS-PC01, which the catalogue lists at 3000 × 1050 mm with a larger jet total and higher total power. The point of that comparison is not to decide which one is better, but to see how much of the price difference comes from the shell size and equipment you actually need.

6. What to send us if you want the comparison done properly

Send the layout or deck drawing, the intended use (daily family swimming, wellness treatment, guest villa or resort amenity), the site condition, and the proposals you are holding. We will confirm which configuration of the swim spa and pool range suits that brief, mark what is standard and what is optional on our quotation, state the electrical requirement for the configuration quoted, and set out the installation and after-sales scope in writing. For projects where the shape or installation position drives the design, our customisable shape outdoor spa is the alternative worth pricing alongside a fixed model. Contact SANTERSON with the drawings and we will tell you plainly what the sample and the proposal should say before you commit.