Two quotations can both say “digital X-ray” and cover quite different purchases. One might keep the existing generator and add a cassette reader; another might supply a detector and acquisition software. Neither description tells the radiology manager whether a reportable image will reach the reading room.
Follow one image from exposure to reporting
With computed radiography (CR), the exposed imaging plate travels to a reader. With a digital radiography (DR) detector, the image goes to an acquisition workstation without that separate plate-reading step. Walk the route with a radiographer. Where would a reader sit? Who carries cassettes? If a single detector is shared, which examination room waits while it is elsewhere?
Compare what stays, what changes and what is missing
List the existing generator, table, wall stand and cassette holders by model. Ask a qualified engineer and the bidder to confirm compatibility in writing. A detector fitting the tray is not proof that the acquisition system, generator and software will work together. A retrofit does not renew an ageing generator.
For CR, ask the bidder to itemise the reader, plate sizes, cassettes and replacement options. For DR, ask for the detector, acquisition console, licences, cables or batteries and charger as applicable. For both, identify who configures transfer to the hospital image archive. If films are still needed for referral, put the printer and media on their own lines.
Ask for a demonstration with a destination
Specify an acceptance demonstration led by the facility’s qualified imaging team, using its test procedures rather than a patient. Can the team acquire a test image, identify it correctly, retrieve it at the intended reading station and export it for referral? Agree who investigates a failed transfer. A screen lighting up beside the machine only proves the first part.
Build downtime into the comparison
For a facility in Juba buying through Kampala, ask where a faulty reader or detector must go, who arranges transport and whether a temporary replacement is included or excluded. Compare written answers; don’t count an unspecified replacement as a service benefit.
Send Exper the generator model, current capture method, room layout and reporting destination. Ask for separate quotations for each feasible upgrade, with exclusions marked.
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Technical reference: Carestream’s DR retrofit configurations (reviewed 3 November 2026).