How to Evaluate Solar EPC Bids Beyond the Lowest Price
A practical scoring framework that has been used on tenders ranging from a single clinic to a 180-site portfolio.
- 01
A 40/30/30 split (price/technical/delivery capacity) consistently produces better outcomes than the conventional 70/20/10.
- 02
Delivery capacity — local presence, technician depth, spares logistics — is the most under-weighted dimension.
- 03
Three killer questions surface bidder weakness faster than 30 pages of technical scoring.
The 40/30/30 framework
| Dimension | Weight | What it captures |
|---|---|---|
| Price (lifecycle, not capex) | 40% | 10-yr NPV including diesel offset and replacement |
| Technical | 30% | Design quality, equipment, methodology |
| Delivery capacity | 30% | Local presence, technician depth, spares, references |
Three killer questions
- Name the technician who will lead commissioning on this contract, and provide their CV with three reference contacts.
- Provide the address and inventory list of the spares warehouse that will serve this contract.
- Show the last three monthly O&M reports from a comparable installation, with raw data and remedial action log.
Bidders who cannot answer these in writing are bidders whose performance will rely on assumptions they have not made. The answers also create accountability the contract can be written against.
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