Wind turbine procurement tender: selecting the manufacturer, negotiating the contract
Wind turbine procurement tender: we support you from preparation through negotiations with turbine manufacturers to contract signing.
Tendering wind turbines requires expertise, strategy and the highest precision. With comprehensive market knowledge and technical know-how, we support you throughout the tender process. This includes independent advice on selecting suitable turbine components, such as the SCADA systems, and support throughout the negotiation process with the aim of achieving the best price. The wind turbine is the central component of a wind farm, technically and economically. A tender puts the bids of different turbine manufacturers on a comparable basis, from technical requirements to contract terms. This way you make your decision on a sound basis and go into the negotiation well prepared.
Fit with the site is important here: the rated wind speed is turbine-specific, and the power curve and the wind conditions at the site are decisive for the site assessment. The rated output of newly built onshore turbines depends on the market, the site and the year of construction; the turbine types currently available are to be used for the tender. Which turbine fits economically therefore depends on the wind resource, the grid connection and the transport options. In the supply contract for wind turbines, a few points are particularly important. The scope of supply must be clear: are only the turbines supplied, or also foundations, cables and installation, and who bears the risk at the interfaces? Power curve, availability and noise are often guaranteed and verified in tests after takeover.
Takeover itself must also be regulated, because it can take place for individual turbines, in groups or for the entire wind farm. The SCADA system can be accepted later but must be verified before overall takeover. Operation, maintenance and availability commitments are usually regulated in a separate, long-term service contract that is closely linked to liability for defects. General commitments, for example on grid code compliance, are difficult to enforce if they are not in the technical specification. They therefore belong in the tender documents. Anyone who considers this in the tender already negotiates with a better overview. At the end of the tender there is a supply contract that clearly defines scope, commitments, takeover and service.
Further negotiation points are the liability caps, which are usually capped separately for delay and for performance deviations, and the time of takeover, on which delay damages also depend. The contractual allocation of the risk for the installation cranes is project-specific and should be expressly regulated. The tower type also has an effect: a hybrid tower with a concrete base made of rings places different demands on transport and installation than a tubular steel tower. The technical basis is provided by the execution planning of your wind farm. In parallel, we tender the electrical and construction works. After delivery, we check the turbines in the technical acceptance according to the test and acceptance criteria agreed in the contract. Whether the committed values are achieved is shown by the power curve measurement. For solar projects, we advise on the tender of PV components.
