Procurement & Tender Support
We act for the buyer through procurement: the specification, the tender documents, bid scoring and contract review. The aim is bids you can lay side by side and an award you can defend.
Installer quotes rarely compare. One prices 640 panels and another 600. One includes scaffold and a roof survey, and one leaves both out. Warranty terms, inverter makes and yield assumptions all differ. A straight price comparison tells you almost nothing until those differences are removed.
The fix is a specification that describes outcomes. It sets the capacity, the yearly output each bidder must show, the standards the work must meet and the items every price must include. Above 50 kWp the MCS standard MIS 3002 stops applying, because its scope ends at 50 kWp of DC output. The document must then set its own standards for design, testing and commissioning. Ask every bidder to state yield from the same sunshine dataset, such as PVGIS. That stops an optimistic guess from winning the tender.
Scoring comes next. A weighted scorecard keeps price apart from quality. Quality covers warranty, maintenance terms, programme, experience on similar roofs and the bidder's finances. Fix the weights before bids open and write them down. That matters if the decision is ever questioned.
Public bodies work under the Procurement Act 2023. It replaced the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 for procurements started on or after 24 February 2025. A framework can shorten the route. Crown Commercial Service's Demand Management and Renewables agreement, RM6314, has a solar PV lot, and its buyer guide gives a term that ends on 23 March 2027. If your project runs later, check what replaces it. Private buyers are not bound by the Act, but a documented process still helps with lenders and auditors.
After the award, the contract matters as much as the price. We review payment stages, the performance guarantee, defect cover and the handover pack. A generation guarantee only helps if it is measured the way the bids were.
What it delivers
- An output-based specification that every bidder prices against
- Tender documents, bidder questions and a level field
- A weighted scorecard covering price, quality, warranty and delivery
- Checks on each bidder's experience and financial standing
- Review of payment milestones, guarantees and handover terms
Outcomes
- Bids that can be compared line by line
- A written record of how the winner was chosen
- Warranty and guarantee terms that sit in the contract, not the brochure
Sources & further reading
Frequently asked questions
Do you sell or install any equipment?
No. We advise the buyer and do not sell or install solar equipment, so the tender is run for the client alone.
Can you work inside public procurement rules?
Yes. We write the specification and scoring to fit the Procurement Act 2023 or a framework call-off, and we keep the record an auditor will ask for.
Insights on procurement & tender support
12 questions to ask before hiring a commercial solar installer
Twelve questions to ask an installer, for example on insurance, accreditation, roof checks, price, warranties and aftercare, with what a good answer looks like.
Read more →Solar and tenant farmers: who can sign the lease?
A tenant farmer cannot grant a solar lease alone. Tenancy type, landlord consent and surrender decide who signs, while the money needs agreeing too.
Read more →Commercial solar contract disputes: what remedies do you have?
Late installer or weak yield? Four routes: contract remedies, adjudication, mediation and court. Which fits, how fast each works, and what it costs.
Read more →Planning a solar tender?
Tell us the number of sites, the buyer type and your timetable. We will outline the procurement route that fits.