PV component tender: modules, transformer, inverters and more

PV component tender: we guide you from tender preparation through negotiation with component manufacturers to contract signing.

Procuring photovoltaic components requires technical expertise, market overview and a confident negotiating presence. We support you throughout the process: from tender preparation through the selection of and negotiation with component manufacturers to contract signing. We also advise independently on which modules, transformers and inverters suit your project. Modules, inverters and transformer largely determine the performance, reliability and cost of your PV system. A tender makes the bids of different manufacturers comparable and strengthens your position in negotiation. Warranty, performance guarantees, delivery times and delivery terms also belong in the tender, because they are what makes the bids comparable in the first place.

Technically, the comparison starts with certificates. For PV modules, the standards IEC 61215 and IEC 61730 are decisive: the first comprises qualification tests, for example on hail, mechanical load and temperature cycling, but does not replace verification of suitability for the loads at the project site, the second safety aspects such as protection against electric shock, fire behaviour and mechanical stability. Inverters are tested for electrical safety to IEC 62109. It is important that the manufacturer and the exact model designation match the certificate; a certificate number can be cross-checked with the test body. The CE mark alone is a manufacturer's declaration and not independent proof. For mounting structures, traceable structural verification and corrosion-resistant materials count. For inverters, thermal behaviour outdoors and suitability for the intended installation location must also be compared; heat build-up can lead to shutdown. For transformers, besides rating and design, noise emission counts, because transformers cause a hum that plays a role in the permitting procedure. For modules, it is worth looking at the warranty terms and at behaviour over the service life, for inverters at service and spare parts supply. Anyone who asks for these points in the tender straight away compares bids on the same basis.

Then there is the grid connection. Generating plants must meet the technical rules of the grid operator, in Austria the TOR Erzeuger, which divide plants into types A to D by power and grid connection voltage. Whether and how conformity is to be demonstrated, for example through tests and simulations, should therefore be defined in the tender. In this way, inverters and transformer can be matched together to the connection point defined by the grid concept. Which manufacturers come into question follows from the technical requirements of the project and not from predetermined choices.

With our experience in the PV industry and a broad network of manufacturers, we make sure your tender is well set up technically, legally and strategically and that economically sensible solutions result. Our advice is independent: what matters is what fits your project technically and economically. The selection is coordinated with the execution planning. Procurement and delivery then follow. We tender the electrical and construction works separately.