Energy
What to have ready before an energy tender opens
Ten categories of checks for a bid team, each with an example from a verified tender record. The examples show what a tender asked for; they are not advice on any bid.
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Download the compliance matrix template (XLSX) (6 KB, free, no registration)
A spreadsheet for listing a tender’s requirements and tracking how the bid meets each one. You complete it yourself; it never determines legal, technical or regulatory compliance.
Qualification documents
Have the company registration, incorporation papers and eligibility evidence ready, and know who may bid and in what legal form.
Who may apply, and the documents the application must include
Example
In Great Britain, the applicant is the legal owner of each generating unit, or will be, or, under conditions, its despatch controller; it provides a copy of its certificate of incorporation and a VAT number, or notice that it has none yet. The unit must be in Great Britain or its offshore area, with a connection capacity of at least 1 MW.
From How capacity markets pay: the price applies only to the share of a unit the market counts; source: DESNZ: Capacity Market Rules, informal consolidation of
Whether a foreign company may bid on its own, and whether it must form a local company before signing
Example
In Kerala, a foreign company may bid on its own. If it wins, it must form a special purpose vehicle (SPV) before signing the battery energy storage purchase agreement: an Indian company registered under the Companies Act, 2013, as its subsidiary, with at least 51% shareholding, and comply with India’s rules on foreign direct investment. A winning consortium must form a project company registered under the same Act before signing, keeping the consortium’s shareholding unchanged.
From In SECI’s storage tenders, the subsidy needs its own guarantee too; source: Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI): RfS for 125 MW / 500 MWh BESS in Kerala with VGF (ESS-3), RfS No. SECI/C&P/IPP/15/00018/24-25
Whether there is any technical experience threshold
Example
The Kerala request for selection sets no technical experience threshold: the clause that would hold one reads “Not used”.
From In SECI’s storage tenders, the subsidy needs its own guarantee too; source: Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI): RfS for 125 MW / 500 MWh BESS in Kerala with VGF (ESS-3), RfS No. SECI/C&P/IPP/15/00018/24-25
Financial standing
Have recent accounts ready, with the figures the tender tests, such as net worth and turnover, worked out in the tender’s own unit.
The net worth threshold, and the unit it is set in
Example
Odisha bidders need a net worth of at least INR 9 million per MW of quoted capacity; the clause’s own example calculates it per MW.
From In SECI’s storage tenders, the subsidy needs its own guarantee too; source: Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI): RfS for 125 MW / 500 MWh standalone BESS in Odisha with VGF through PSDF, RfS No. SECI/C&P/IPP/15/0015/25-26
Bid security
Have the bid security arranged in an accepted form, for the right amount and unit, valid for as long as the tender requires.
The forms of bid security accepted, and how long it must stay valid
Example
In Kerala (SECI’s ESS-3 round), the earnest money deposit is INR 341,000 per MWh of quoted capacity. It can be a bank guarantee valid for 12 months from the last day for bids, a payment on order instrument from IREDA, PFC or REC, or an insurance surety bond.
From How battery storage is procured: what each scheme pays for, and what the winner gives up; source: Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI): RfS for 125 MW / 500 MWh BESS in Kerala with VGF (ESS-3), RfS No. SECI/C&P/IPP/15/00018/24-25
Whether an amendment corrected the amount, unit or wording of the bid security
Example
The Odisha request for selection first gave the earnest money per MW in its bid information sheet and in the figure of its earnest money clause, but per MWh in the amount in words. SECI’s Amendment-01 of corrected the words to per MW.
From In SECI’s storage tenders, the subsidy needs its own guarantee too; source: Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI): RfS for 125 MW / 500 MWh standalone BESS in Odisha with VGF through PSDF, RfS No. SECI/C&P/IPP/15/0015/25-26
Any financial security that new-build capacity must post, and whether a lower amount applies once a milestone is reached
Example
In Belgium, a legal or a natural person can apply, and new-build capacity posts financial security of EUR 20,000 per MW, or EUR 15,000 once it reaches its permitting milestone.
From How capacity markets pay: the price applies only to the share of a unit the market counts; source: Elia: CRM Functioning Rules, version 6 ()
Guarantees
Know which guarantees the winner must post after award, for how much, in what form and by when.
The performance guarantee: its amount, unit and when it is due
Example
The winning Odisha bidder posts a performance bank guarantee of INR 2.25 million per MW of contracted capacity before signing the agreement with GRIDCO.
From In SECI’s storage tenders, the subsidy needs its own guarantee too; source: Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI): RfS for 125 MW / 500 MWh standalone BESS in Odisha with VGF through PSDF, RfS No. SECI/C&P/IPP/15/0015/25-26
Whether the contract security rises in steps during the contract, and what can be shown instead of a step
Example
Under the ISCRFP25-1 standard agreement, the contract security rises in steps: a further USD 10,000 per MW of bid power capacity within two years of the effective date, unless the seller instead shows an executed NYISO interconnection agreement; a further USD 10,000 per MW no later than one year before the initial commercial operation milestone date; and USD 5,000 per MW more for an extension of that date.
From NYSERDA’s standard bulk storage contract settles against a market index, not the battery’s own revenue; source: NYSERDA: ISCRFP25-1 Attachment A, Index Storage Credit Standard Form Agreement
Technical compliance
Have the asset’s technical data ready as the tender counts it, with the certificates and manufacturer documents it asks for.
The derating factor for the asset’s duration and zone in this auction, the storage it applies to, and whether it has been revised
Example
Terna’s revised Annex 4 to the capacity market’s technical provisions (DTF 2) for delivery year 2028 sets the derating factor, by zone, of electrochemical storage that was not in the offer curve of the delivery-2027 auction, or was offered in it as new capacity but not selected: at 4 hours 40% in the North and Centre-North, 51% in the Centre-South, 21% in the South and Calabria and 21% in Sicily and Sardinia; at 2 hours 21%, 26%, 13% and 13%.
From One battery, three capacity markets: how much of it counts; source: Terna: Annex 4 to the capacity market’s technical provisions DTF 2, delivery year 2028, revised version (storage derating), dated
The certificates, manufacturer’s authorisation and warranty forms required for each main item of equipment
Example
For each critical item, such as PV modules, lithium batteries, inverters and the step-up transformer, the bidder must submit the manufacturer’s authorisation and warranty form, its ISO 14001:2015 certificate or NEMA licence, and its ISO 9001:2015 certificate or KEBS certification.
From Kenya’s mini-grid battery tender: a firm price for batteries its own documents size two ways; source: Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Corporation (REREC), Kenya: tender document, RFX No. 1000001594, battery replacement and upgrade works at seven solar mini-grids
Local content
Know the local content or origin rules that apply, the share they set, the undertaking or evidence that proves them, and the penalty if a commitment is missed.
Local content requirements, and the undertaking they need
Example
Odisha’s Amendment-01 adds a minimum local content of 20% of the total project cost in BESS procurement, with an undertaking from each bidder.
From In SECI’s storage tenders, the subsidy needs its own guarantee too; source: Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI): Amendment-01 to the Odisha BESS RfS, Ref. SECI/C&P/IPP/15/0015/25-26/Amendment-01
Rules on where key equipment may originate, and how origin is proved
Example
In IF25, at least 75% of the electrolysers in a project must originate in a country other than China; for those, the stacks must originate outside China and no more than two main specific components may originate in China. Origin is the country of last substantial transformation stated in the customs declaration, and shares are expressed in capacity of the total electrolyser.
From How hydrogen support auctions work: the guarantee comes before the money; source: European Commission (CINEA): call document INNOVFUND-2025-AUC-H2, version 1.2 of
The penalties if a committed local procurement and investment amount is not delivered and not remedied in time, and their cap
Example
Under Taiwan’s final R3.3 contract template, if the ESG local amount (ESG 在地金額) was not delivered and not remedied by the ministry’s deadline, the punitive penalty (懲罰性違約金) was 20% of the gap between that amount and actual procurement and investment; in a serious case (情節重大), with execution reports late or progress lagging and not remedied within the next three reporting periods, the ministry could claim up to a further 10% of the gap; the two together were capped at 30% of the gap.
From Taiwan’s offshore wind R3.3: the NT$30 billion pledge that won full points also decides a licence year; source: Ministry of Economic Affairs (經濟部): allocated-capacity contract template for phase 3 (離岸風力發電區塊開發獲配容量契約書, 契約範本), announced
Permits and grid connection
Have the permits, planning consents and grid connection documents the tender requires, and know the date by which each must be in place.
Which permits must be granted, and the equipment registered, before the bid date
Example
To bid in Germany’s onshore wind auctions, the turbines’ permits under the Federal Immission Control Act must be granted, and the turbines registered, four weeks before the bid date, and the bidder posts security of EUR 30 per kW bid.
From Renewable energy auctions: the price formula decides what a winning bid is worth; source: Erneuerbare-Energien-Gesetz (EEG 2023), Germany’s Renewable Energy Sources Act, section 36, gesetze-im-internet.de
The planning consents, grid connection agreement and site rights the application must include
Example
In Great Britain, an application for a contract for difference includes the project’s planning consents, a copy of its grid connection agreement, with transmission entry capacity for at least 75% of its estimated capacity where it connects to the transmission network, and, offshore, a seabed lease or agreement for lease. In Allocation Rounds 7 and 7a, a unit of 300 MW or more also needs a supply chain plan statement unless it is offshore wind; an offshore wind unit, fixed-bottom or floating, gives a copy of its Clean Industry Bonus statement instead.
From Renewable energy auctions: the price formula decides what a winning bid is worth; source: The Contracts for Difference (Allocation) Regulations 2014 (SI 2014/2011), legislation.gov.uk
Schedule and milestones
Know the bid timetable and every date after award, with what happens if one is missed.
When an award lapses if the asset is not yet in operation, and on what grounds and for how long the deadline can be extended
Example
A German onshore wind award lapses 36 months after its public announcement for turbines not yet in operation. On an application made before then, the Bundesnetzagentur extends the period only where a third party has lodged a legal challenge against the turbines’ permit after the bid, or insolvency proceedings have been opened over the manufacturer of the generator or another essential component; the extension on each of these grounds may not exceed 18 months in total, without prejudice to an extension on the other, and should not exceed the permit’s period of validity.
From Renewable energy auctions: the price formula decides what a winning bid is worth; source: Erneuerbare-Energien-Gesetz (EEG 2023), Germany’s Renewable Energy Sources Act, section 36e, gesetze-im-internet.de
The penalty for late operation, and how it rises with the length of the delay
Example
A German onshore wind bidder whose turbine is put into operation more than 30 months after the award is announced pays a penalty, calculated on the awarded capacity not in operation within 30 months of the announcement at 10 euros per kW, within 32 months at 20 euros per kW, or within 34 months at 30 euros per kW.
From Renewable energy auctions: the price formula decides what a winning bid is worth; source: Erneuerbare-Energien-Gesetz (EEG 2023), Germany’s Renewable Energy Sources Act, section 55, gesetze-im-internet.de
Whether the delivery dates allow for current equipment lead times
Example
An IEA survey of industry players in 2024 found that, as of , it takes two to three years to procure cables and up to four years to secure large power transformers; the report does not publish the number of respondents.
From How grid and transmission equipment is procured: the supplier field narrows before the project; source: International Energy Agency (IEA): Building the Future Transmission Grid
The current bid deadline, and whether amendments have moved it
Example
Package 4 was issued on with a bid deadline of ; after five addenda, bids were due on at 10:30 CAT, when their technical parts were to be opened in public at ZESCO’s headquarters in Lusaka.
From Development-bank tenders: which bank pays can decide who may bid; source: ZESCO Limited: Package 4 (RFB ZM-ZESCO-495237-CW-RFB), original tender documents archive: Request for Bids of , REV01 and Addendum No. 1
Contract risk
Read the contract terms that carry price, delay and liability risk before the bid price is set.
The rate and cap of delay damages, and whether the contract replaces the standard conditions’ rate
Example
Where a contract sets no other rate, Elia’s specific conditions for electrical equipment in Belgium charge 0.2% of the contract amount per working day of delay, up to 10% of the contract amount.
From Transformer lead times: when suppliers are chosen at the framework, the delay risk comes with each order; source: Elia Group: Specific Purchase Conditions, Electrical Equipment, Belgium
Whether prices are fixed, and the formula for any revision
Example
Elia’s general purchase conditions for electrical equipment, which cover transformers, set fixed prices: a price is revised only by a formula in the contract documents, and never in a contract of one year or less.
From Transformer lead times: when suppliers are chosen at the framework, the delay risk comes with each order; source: Elia Group: General Purchase Conditions, Electrical Equipment (2022 edition)
Any payback obligation, and whether storage is exempt from it and on what condition
Example
Belgium’s functioning rules for the 2025 auctions exempted energy storage from the payback obligation on one condition: that an amendment to the royal decree on the methodology came into force before the bid deadline of . That amendment came into force on .
From How capacity markets pay: the price applies only to the share of a unit the market counts; source: Elia: CRM Functioning Rules, version 5 (), the rules for the 2025 auctions
Submission formalities
Know the submission route, the deadline, and the format and envelopes the bid must follow, with any mandatory forms.
The submission route and the closing date for bids on the buyer’s tender page
Example
The Odisha round was published on ; online bid submission closed on , according to SECI’s tender page.
From In SECI’s storage tenders, the subsidy needs its own guarantee too; source: Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI): tender page for the Odisha BESS RfS, SECI-2025-TN000027
Whether bids go in separate technical and financial envelopes, and whether electronic bidding is used
Example
The RfB was an international Request for Bids under the World Bank’s Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers, Seventh Edition (issued ), open to all eligible bidders, in two envelopes, technical and financial, without prequalification and with no electronic bidding.
From Development-bank tenders: which bank pays can decide who may bid; source: ZESCO Limited: Package 4, Nakonde Stepdown and Kasama 330 kV substations (RFB ZM-ZESCO-495237-CW-RFB), Update 4 archive: Request for Bids REV05 of , Addendum No. 5 and its notice, Clarifications No. 2
Whether a site visit is mandatory, and the signed form that proves attendance
Example
The site visit, set for 4 and at the sites, was mandatory: a Site Visit Form signed and stamped by the bidder’s and REREC’s representatives is a mandatory document at preliminary evaluation.
From Kenya’s mini-grid battery tender: a firm price for batteries its own documents size two ways; source: Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Corporation (REREC), Kenya: tender document, RFX No. 1000001594, battery replacement and upgrade works at seven solar mini-grids