m,
Welcome to TFP... A great place to find all the answers to your new pool build questions... No matter what color your county is...
Well, normally that is now how it works.. It is always a good idea to know what type of equipment you want, but most pool builders want to use their preferred brand of equipment.
It is never a good idea to mix brands of equipment in most cases.. there are a few exceptions, but as a general rule it makes the most sense to stay with the same brand.
I doubt you could go wrong using any of the big three brands of equipment. Pentair, Hayward and Jandy. If, for example, you really want Pentair, then it would make sense to eliminate any builders that will not provide Pentair equipment. It does not even make sense for them to bid the project.
It makes sense to supply your pool builder with a general description of what you want the pool to look like, and what features you want, but at the same time, I would want to be open-minded about what the pool builder recommends...
In my case, we had some ideas that changed based upon the designers experience and I believe made our pool look a lot better than my original plan.
I guess my point is.. You don't need to be too structured during your hunt for a pool builder.. It is kind of like a job interview.. you are just looking to see if they are a good fit.. Do they seem responsive, is the price anywhere near what you can afford, etc.
"Assuming" they even come back with a bid, you can then start narrowing down the exact details of the pool construction and equipment.
As a general recommendation, you want a saltwater pool, with no UV or Ozone, and a variable speed pump.
Once you start getting feedback from your bidders, post the info here and we can help you get things fine tuned.
Thanks,
Jim R.