Pearl, Marcoms and Xenial were each briefed on the same round-table exhibition stand: a 5×3 m footprint, MDF construction, branded back wall, LED cove lighting and two 55-inch touch screens. All three are now on official, TRN-bearing quotes: AED 20,890, 26,250 and 34,000 all-in. A separate 3D miniature of the container was quoted by Marcoms, Xenial and a late fourth entry, Raidy Printing. Below is what each price actually buys across both scopes, where they diverge, and the gaps to close before anyone is awarded.
| Pearl 19,895 net | Marcoms 25,000 net | Xenial 32,300 net | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commercials | |||
| Net price | 19,895.00 | 25,000.00 | 32,300.00 |
| VAT 5% | 994.75 Shown | 1,250.00 Shown | 1,700.00 Shown |
| Total incl. VAT | 20,889.75 | 26,250.00 | 34,000.00 |
| Line-item pricing | 2 lines | 1 line | 4 lines, 1 priced |
| Payment terms | 50% on contract signing, 50% on handover | 50% on quote approval, 50% at mock-up date | 100% in advance |
| Validity | 14 days | 30 days | 14 days (exp. 24 Aug) |
| Lead time | Not stated | Not stated | 15 to 20 days after PO + payment |
| TRN / tax ID | 100616901300003 | 100310798200003 | 100608616700003 |
| Cancellation exposure | Silent | 80% of value | 100% of value |
| Jurisdiction | Not stated | DIFC Courts, Dubai | Not stated |
| Structure | |||
| Stated footprint | 5 × 3 × 2.9 m | 5 × 3 m Verbal, not on quote | 5 × 3 m floor, no height |
| Back wall | MDF, vinyl graphic + roller paint, 55" cut-out | MDF, Fenomastic paint, branding provision | MDF, Fenomastic, plotter sticker, LED strip. 1.5 m + 2 m × 3 m h |
| Side wall | No | No | 3 × 3 m, MDF + LED |
| Flooring / platform | MDF + black carpet | No | MDF + carpet, 5 × 3 m |
| Counter | No | No | 1 × 0.5 × 1 m, PU paint |
| Lighting | LED cove at platform edging | Not itemised | Cove + profile-channel LED throughout, engraved pillars |
| AV & power | |||
| Touch screens | 2 × 55" supplied | Provision only | 2 × supplied |
| Additional display | No | No | 1 × 43" TV |
| Laptops | 2 included | No | No |
| AV cost separated | 3,795.00 Yes | No | No |
| Electrical / DB / cabling | Not stated | Not stated | DB + full cabling |
| Screen content | Client | Client | Client |
| Furniture & logistics | |||
| Seating | No | No | 6 chairs + 1 bar stool |
| Tables | No | No | 2 glass tables |
| Brochure stand | No | No | 1 |
| Transport / install / dismantle | Not stated | Included in T&Cs | Incl. at zero cost |
| 3D production | No | In-house | No |
| Prior work with OI | None | Yes | None |
| Ownership | Not stated | Rental, all items | Not stated |
| Marcoms 10,850 net | Xenial 10 to 12k / 35 to 37k | Raidy 22k / 27k | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commercials | |||
| Quoted price | 10,850.00 | 10,000 to 12,000 35,000 to 37,000 |
22,000 (40 cm) 27,000 (60 cm) |
| VAT position | +5% stated (542.50) | Not stated | Not stated |
| Total incl. VAT | 11,392.50 | 10,500 to 12,600 est. | 28,350 est. (60 cm) |
| Price firmness | Approximate | Range | Around |
| Timeline | 20 to 30 days | Approx. 1 month | 4 to 5 weeks |
| Model & build | |||
| Stated size | 50 cm | Not stated | 40 cm or 60 cm |
| Print method | Resin 3D printing, internal detail | 3D print, natural fibre material | Opt 2 mix: resin, metal, clay, polymer |
| Enclosure | 3 sides acrylic, 1 side clear | Not stated | Not mentioned |
| Display case / podium | Included, 1 pc | MDF podium + glass top | Not mentioned |
| Colour accuracy | Painted finish | Exact Pantone | Not stated |
| Lighting | Excluded | Not stated | Not stated |
| Design / artwork | Our scope | Our scope | Our scope |
| Can also build the stand | Yes | Yes | No, 3D only |
25,000 stand + 10,850 model = 35,850 net, or 37,642.50 incl. VAT. One PO, one project manager, one delivery date.
Pearl cannot do 3D, so the model goes to Raidy: 19,895 + 22,000 = 41,895 net, or 46,895 if the recommended 60 cm is needed. Two suppliers, and more expensive.
32,300 stand + 10,000 to 12,000 model = 42,300 to 44,300 net. Taking their Option 2 model instead pushes the pair to roughly 67,000 to 69,000.
Adding the 3D scope strengthens the Marcoms case on price, not just on capability. Bundling both with Marcoms comes in 6,045 below Pearl plus Raidy at their cheapest, and 11,045 below it if Raidy's recommended 60 cm is required. The earlier trade-off, paying a premium for 3D capability, no longer applies once the model is counted: Marcoms is now both the capable option and the cheapest combined route.
Marcoms say approximate, Xenial give ranges, Raidy say around. Before the PO, get one fixed number against a fixed size and finish, otherwise the 3D scope will drift.
40 cm, 50 cm and 60 cm are being priced as if interchangeable. Fix the size first, then re-price all three. Raidy's own team say 40 cm cannot hold the internal detail, which is worth testing with Marcoms at 50 cm before committing.
Marcoms confirmed the case is included and Xenial offer a podium with a glass top. Raidy mention neither. A cased model and a bare model are not the same deliverable, so get the case priced across all three.
20 to 30 days (Marcoms), about a month (Xenial), 4 to 5 weeks (Raidy). With the event date still unconfirmed, the model is the long-lead item, not the stand. It should be ordered first.
We asked whether the 10,850 is negotiable and never got an answer. Worth pushing once, since it is already the lowest number and they are being awarded the stand alongside it.
Option 1 at 10 to 12k and Option 2 at 35 to 37k are quoted for the same brief. Until they explain what the extra buys in the finished model, only Option 1 is comparable to the other two.
The strongest quote on price and paperwork. Cheapest by 5,105 net, the only one that supplies the touch screens and prices them separately, states a stand height and includes flooring. The 2 laptops are a genuine extra nobody else offered. What rules it out is capability, not cost: no 3D production, and we have no delivery history with them. Awarding Pearl means a second supplier for the model, which at Raidy's 22,000 puts the pair at 41,895 net, above Marcoms for both. Keep as the fallback if Marcoms will not move on scope or cancellation terms.
Recommended, and cheapest once both scopes are counted. Same 5 × 3 m footprint as Xenial for 26,250 all-in on the stand, 5,360 above Pearl. They are the only vendor with 3D production and the only one we have delivered with before, and taking stand and model together they come in at 35,850 net, below every other combination. Be clear about what the paper says though: this is the thinnest written scope of the three, one MDF wall with a screen provision rather than a supply, no flooring, furniture or counter, and an 80% cancellation charge on a rental basis. All of that has to be priced and negotiated before the PO.
Most complete build, now properly documented. The official quote resolves the earlier ambiguity: 34,000 is the all-in total, not net. Xenial apply a 1,700 discount that exactly cancels the VAT, so the taxable value is 32,300. The 13,110 premium over Pearl buys a side wall, a counter, engraved LED pillars, a full furniture package, a third screen, electrical works and logistics at no charge. The catch is commercial, not technical: 100% payment in advance and a 100% cancellation charge once confirmed, so all the timing risk sits with us.
Marcoms lists "touch screens 65 inch & 55 inch". Confirmed as an error: the scope is 2 × 55" for all three vendors. Get it corrected in writing before the quote is signed, otherwise it becomes a variation claim later.
Resolved: 34,000 is the all-in total. One wrinkle to raise: the 1,700 VAT is 5% of the pre-discount 34,000, but the taxable amount is stated as 32,300, on which 5% is 1,615. Their total is internally consistent, but ask for the tax invoice to show VAT on the discounted value.
All three are the same 5 × 3 m footprint, but they fill it very differently. Marcoms' quote is one line for a wall, so before the PO get a fixed BOQ from them: floor, back wall, side wall, counter, 2 × 55" touch screens, furniture, electrical, plus the 5 × 3 m in writing.
The single biggest open item on the award. Pearl and Xenial supply the screens; Marcoms only build the cut-out. Renting two 55" touch panels in the UAE typically runs 3,000 to 5,000, so on a true all-in basis Marcoms is closer to 30,000 than 26,250. Get it priced as a line item before the PO so the comparison is honest.
The 3D production capability is the reason for the award, but it does not appear anywhere on the quote. Confirm what is included: how many visuals, how many revision rounds, and whether it is inside the 25,000 or billed separately. A capability that decides a tender should be a deliverable in the PO.
Xenial want 100% in advance with a 100% cancellation charge once confirmed, against Pearl's 50/50 and Marcoms' 50/50. With the event date still TBC, paying everything up front on a 15 to 20 day lead time is the weakest position of the three. Push Xenial to 50/50 as a condition of award.
Marcoms include it in their T&Cs and Xenial itemise it at zero cost. Pearl's quote is silent on transport, installation and dismantling, which is one more reason their 19,895 is not as clean a comparison as it first looks.
Marcoms is explicitly rental with post-event inspection liability. Pearl and Xenial are silent. If the stand is intended for reuse across the season, ask for a purchase price and storage terms, which changes the ranking entirely.
Marcoms produce 3D work that neither Pearl nor Xenial offer. For a stand whose whole job is to look considered on the floor, having the 3D visual produced by the same team that builds it removes the guesswork between render and reality.
We have run events with Marcoms before. A supplier who already knows our brand standards, approval loop and delivery expectations carries far less execution risk than the cheapest bid from a vendor we have never briefed.
Stand and 3D together come to 35,850 net, which is 6,045 below Pearl plus Raidy and around 6,500 below Xenial. The stand alone looks like a premium; the pair does not.
On the stand alone, Pearl is the stronger quote and Marcoms is the thinnest written scope of the three. Once the 3D model is counted the picture changes: Marcoms deliver both scopes for 35,850 net, below every other combination, and Pearl cannot do the model at all. The award is therefore defensible on price and capability. What still has to be closed in writing before the PO is real though: the screens, the flooring, the 80% cancellation clause, and a firm price and size for the model. None of those are optional.