Machine Design Limits:
I am basing this bid on these assumptions, for most assumptions I offer and explanation, hopefully this will also help you further define the scope of your project.
- Only one customers medications are added to machine at one time (only one bagging operation at one time). The system will be designed to catch an incorrect medication, but a system that sorts packages would be significantly more complex.
- Details of all the medication packaging that the machine will accept is available. Such details are weight, geometry and bar code type. The machine will need to be designed around a set of limits.
- Machine is located in a building with access to normal power on a stable base (not exposed to weather or in a vehicle).
- As a prototype the machine it will have a manually entered database for customer, package, driver and bar-code details. Linking to a store database is not included.
- To reduce the machine complexity, the machine can choose from no more than three bag sizes.
Overall Scope:
I would produce the design, then proceed with prototype fabrication and testing. You would cover material and shipping costs. It's best you cover material costs, as there are some unknowns that could significantly affect the project cost, such as the bar-code scanning technology, which can be thousands of dollars depending on the required robustness of the system (Think how hard it can be to scan an item at one of those supermarket self checkout isles!)