Classification of Automation Project

I am classifying automation projects into small, medium and large categories. This calssification has to be done during tendering stage hence low level design details are not known. Can somebody suggest what are the properties and weightage to consider? I'm planning to consider following properties

1. total price
2. manhours
3. no: of PID loops
4. no: of SCADA/HMI screens
5. no: communication nodes
6. no: of networks

Any inputs?

a) What is the purpose of this categorization? It seems like an intellectual exercise to me.

b) It depends. A system that would be a small project for an electric utility would be a large project for a water utility, and an unimaginably huge project for a bakery.

c) You don't have I/O count in your list, a unit of measure often used to make judgements about system complexity.

For a design-and-build project, a good property to consider is:

Time allowed for completion

A medium-sized automation project that would normally require 1 year suddenly becomes a large project if it has to be done in 3 months.

Many project managers, consultants, and engineers do not realize this, and pay for that ignorance when the penalty clause for late project completion kicks in.

Thank you all for the inputs.
I'm thinking from a system integrator or contractor point of view. Classification is required to allow me add/deduct some process steps ( small projects don't require all process steps to be followed which can overburden the schedule).

I/O count should have been considered in the first place. Oops, I missed it.
Time allowed for completion and type of job ( new design or retrofit/upgrade) are also good inputs.

Thanks guys..

( small projects don't require all process steps to be followed which can overburden the schedule).

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That is a SURE fire way to make a small project into a very large one. You should reconsider that train of thought.

I'm with Mickey on this....

Whatever your organisation has put in place to categorise, cost, plan, execute, and finalise your projects, there can be no short-cuts.

As sure as night follows day, the project you try and push through at minimum cost will be the biggest back-biter. And because you haven't backed it up with proper documentation, project management, negotiation skills, disclaimers, schedules, etc., the customer will see no hard evidence and will stand his ground on delivery and performance, even if it is his fault.

No way you can categorize likt this!

Last week I made a quotation before noon for a project worth 70 000USD. Took me about 4 hours Then I then spent an hour with my boss and looked it over.

In the afternoon I made a quotation for a small system worth 4 000USD and it took me about the same time as I spent on the large project however I did not waste an hour with my boss.

Main difference was that we had made a project that was very similar to the large one. The small one was with an unknown PLC and some special features and I had to look in to a bunch of details and almost made the design.