Begin with the reasons to reject a machine
A shortlist becomes easier to manage when you decide what would make a purchase unsuitable. Write down the requirements that cannot be traded away: access, the required task, storage, operator suitability and support you can actually obtain. Keep preferences such as colour or a particular display separate.
Give every requirement a way to check it. “Compact” is vague; “supplier confirms the quoted configuration can use the measured route” produces a question with an answer. Do not set an arbitrary safe clearance yourself. Ask the supplier to assess the actual arrangement.
Use three outcomes
For each requirement, mark a candidate as supported, not supported or unanswered. Put the document reference or supplier response beside the mark. An unanswered question is not a pass, even when the machine is appealing in other respects.
For example, two machines may both offer the functions you need, while only one has a confirmed service arrangement and the correct attachment configuration in its quotation. That difference deserves attention before comparing optional extras.
Keep the shortlist small enough to investigate
Once obvious mismatches are removed, compare the remaining proposals against the same job brief. Include delivery, training, service access and the complete price of necessary options. If a supplier changes the proposal, update the evidence rather than retaining a tick from an earlier model.
Use the machinery planner to explore broad options before choosing candidates. A calculator suggestion does not replace a supplier's assessment of a particular machine.
Finish with a decision record
Write one paragraph explaining why the selected proposal meets the job and what still needs confirming. Keep rejected options and their reasons; they can save repeated research later. If no candidate meets the essential requirements, revise the approach to the work rather than relaxing an important limit to complete a purchase.
The useful result is a defensible shortlist, not a long ranking with invented scores. Buy only when the unanswered points that matter have been resolved.