Few projects are no-brainers.
With an investment worth millions on the line, it is NOT sufficient to merely evaluate vendors' proposal presentations, compare price and delivery, and then call it a day. Visits must usually be made to other mill sites and demonstration trials performed at the vendors' pilot facilities. Lastly, it frequently is necessary to perform careful trials on existing equipment and make sophisticated lab measurements on the paper before deciding between several seemingly viable machine configurations. In conducting these tests it is important to involve experienced and knowledgeable technical people to insure the validity and applicability of the results. Lastly, it is important to provide checks and balances for the entire process, seeking the informed opinions of qualified people who have no vested interest in the outcome.