The EPOS Quote Comparison Checklist

Write your requirements before comparing EPOS quotes

It is difficult to compare suppliers fairly if each one has been asked a different question. Before requesting or reviewing quotes, write down what your business actually needs the system to support.

Start with the ordinary transactions your staff deal with. A cafe might need to take an eat-in breakfast order, record the correct table and handle a separate takeaway coffee. A retailer might need to sell several items and deal with an ordinary return according to its own process. A venue might need to take payments alongside the way it already handles bookings.

Then list the physical setup you expect: how many selling points you need, where they will be positioned and which existing equipment, if any, you hope to keep using. Tell each supplier the same requirements and ask them to identify what their quotation includes.

Define a small-business POS setup before you buy

A small venue might begin with one checkout terminal, EPOS software, a receipt printer and a compatible card payment device. A café may also need kitchen printing; a pub may need tabs; a leisure venue may need timed booking and check-in. Mark each function as essential now, optional or planned for later. This lets suppliers quote the same working setup rather than different assumptions about what a “basic EPOS system” includes.

When comparing POS systems for small businesses, ask each supplier to identify the software plan, physical equipment, payment arrangement and setup work for that configuration. Check how users, terminals or locations affect the quote, and request a demonstration using a normal order and one awkward exception from your own venue.

The cheapest-looking quote is only cheaper if it covers the same job.

Make sure the quotes describe the same setup

Hypothetical example: a cafe receives Quote A for a till setup and Quote B for what appears to be a similar system. Quote B has the lower headline figure, so it initially looks more attractive.

On closer inspection, Quote A includes installation and an agreed amount of staff training. Quote B lists the equipment and software but does not clearly state who configures the cafe’s menu or whether installation is included.

That does not automatically make either quote better. It means they are not yet comparable.

Go through each quotation line by line and mark every item as one of four things: included, additional cost, your responsibility, or not confirmed. Never turn a blank space into an assumption.

Separate upfront, regular and variable costs

A single “total” can hide important differences. Rewrite each quotation into categories so you can see when and why money is being charged.

One-off or initial costs

Record quoted equipment, installation, initial configuration, training and any other setup work separately. Check whether VAT is included or added to the figures you have been given.

Regular costs

List software, support or other recurring charges and record how often they are payable. Note the period for which the quoted amount applies rather than assuming a monthly figure will remain unchanged indefinitely.

Variable costs

If the proposal includes charges that depend on usage or transactions, record the supplier’s quoted terms separately from fixed fees. If card processing forms part of the proposal, ask for the relevant charges and contract information in writing so you can assess them using your own expected trading pattern.

Do not mix your forecasts with confirmed supplier charges. Label an estimate as an estimate so that six months later you can still tell which numbers came from the quotation and which came from your own assumptions.

Find out who does the work needed to get started

Buying an EPOS system is not the same as having a business-ready setup. Establish what needs to happen between accepting the quote and serving the first customer.

Ask who is responsible for entering or configuring the information your business needs, preparing the hardware, installing equipment and showing staff how to use the agreed setup. If you are expected to complete part of that work yourself, find out what it involves and what information you need to provide.

If you want to reuse existing equipment, give the supplier its relevant details and ask for written confirmation of what they will and will not set up or support. Do not assume that an existing printer, terminal or other device is covered simply because it is already in the building.

Turn “training included” into a useful answer

Ask what the quoted training actually consists of: how it is delivered, who can attend, what it covers and whether there are limits relevant to your team. You need enough detail to decide whether staff will be prepared for the everyday tasks you expect them to perform.

Turn “support included” into specific answers

“Full support” sounds reassuring but is difficult to compare unless you know what it means.

Imagine your main till stops working during a busy Saturday service. Your quote comparison should help you answer practical questions before that happens:

• How do you contact support?
• On which days and during which hours is help available?
• What types of problem are covered by the quoted support?
• What happens if the problem involves hardware?
• What happens if the faulty item is equipment you already owned?
• Are repair, replacement or site visits included where applicable, or separately charged?
• What should staff do while the problem is being investigated?

Record the supplier’s actual answer rather than reducing it to a tick beside “support”. Two suppliers can both say support is included while offering materially different arrangements.

Check equipment ownership, contract and exit details

A quote should make clear what you are buying and what you are committing to.

For hardware, establish whether equipment is purchased by you, rented or supplied under another arrangement. Ask what happens to it at the end of the agreement.

For ongoing services, record the contract term, renewal arrangements and any relevant notice or exit conditions stated in the proposal or agreement. Read the actual documentation rather than relying on what you remember from a sales conversation.

Also ask how you can obtain the business data you are entitled to take with you if you later change provider, including what process, format or charges may apply. Get the answer in writing and keep it with the quotation.

Use the demonstration to test your working day

A demonstration becomes more useful when you bring your own examples rather than watching only the supplier’s prepared sequence.

Hypothetical cafe example: ask to see how a member of staff would handle an ordinary eat-in order using the setup being quoted. Then use a takeaway order. If your real menu includes customer choices, use one of those examples. Ask what the staff member would do if the customer changes something before the order is completed.

The point is not to catch the demonstrator out. You are checking whether the proposed setup makes sense for the work your team will actually perform.

Use the same core scenarios with every supplier. Write down anything that requires extra equipment, additional setup or a different working process, then check whether that difference affects the quotation.

Build an EPOS quote comparison sheet you can actually use

Put the information side by side. Copy confirmed wording or summarise it accurately, and use “not confirmed” wherever you still need an answer.

If you want to compare total fixed costs over a particular period, use the same period for every quote and include only charges you can support from the quotation. Keep variable charges alongside the calculation rather than hiding uncertain estimates inside a precise-looking total.

Resolve the important blanks before choosing

When your comparison sheet is complete, highlight every “not confirmed”. Decide which unanswered points could materially affect cost, implementation or day-to-day operation and send those questions back to the relevant supplier.

Keep written replies with the original quotation so the final comparison reflects clarified information rather than memory.

Final EPOS quote checklist

• Have all suppliers quoted against the same core requirements?
• Do you know exactly which hardware is included?
• Is the ownership or rental arrangement clear?
• Have you separated upfront, regular and variable charges?
• Do you know whether quoted figures include VAT?
• Is responsibility for installation and initial setup clear?
• Do you know what staff training is actually included?
• Have support hours and scope been confirmed?
• Have you checked what happens with existing equipment?
• Are the contract, renewal and exit arrangements understood?
• Have you asked how relevant business data can be obtained if you leave?
• Have you tested the proposed setup using ordinary tasks from your business?
• Have all important blank fields been answered rather than assumed?

The final decision should be explainable in practical terms: what the system needs to do for your business, what the supplier has agreed to provide, what your team remains responsible for and what the quoted arrangement will cost.