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Procurement Strategy

Independent consultancy on how to run the tender, who to invite, what to ask for, and what to sign. The procurement phase, governed properly, before any contractor touches the asset.
Regulated and accredited
  • RICS
  • ISO 9001
  • ISO 14001
  • CHAS
  • NAPIT
  • MCS
what this service is

The work that happens
before the contract is
signed.

Procurement decisions made badly are expensive. A tender that selects the wrong contractor on price alone, or a contract that gives away performance guarantees and step-in rights, locks the asset owner into a fifteen-to-twenty-year position they cannot economically unwind.
Arc advises the asset owner on the procurement phase itself. We structure the tender, draft the pack, invite the right competitors, evaluate the submissions on technical merit and commercial terms, and advise on the contract Arc would recommend signing. We are not the contractor and we do not earn a margin from the contractor appointed. The recommendation is shaped by what is right for the asset owner.
what we deliver

What we deliver.

Four core workstreams across a typical procurement mandate.
01

Tender pack & specification

Tender documentation drafted to procurement-grade standards. Technical specification, commercial terms, evaluation criteria, and submission requirements set out clearly so contractors compete on like-for-like terms.
02

Supplier longlist & shortlist

Independent longlist of capable contractors. Shortlist constructed against capability, financial standing, track record, and fit. No preferred-contractor relationship anywhere in Arc.
03

Submission evaluation

Submissions evaluated against the published criteria. Technical depth, commercial reasonableness, programme realism, and contractor capacity assessed. Written evaluation report with a defensible recommendation.
04

Contract terms consultancy

EPC contract terms reviewed and negotiated alongside the legal team. Indexation, performance guarantees, retention, step-in rights, and termination provisions handled before signing, not after problems arise.
why arc

Independence is the entire point of paid procurement consultancy.

Arc has no preferred contractor, no margin relationship with any supplier, and no commercial interest in which party wins the tender. The recommendation that comes out of Arc's evaluation is shaped by what is right for the asset owner and only by what is right for the asset owner.
Procurement is the single most leveraged decision in a commercial renewable energy project. Once the contract is signed, the position is largely locked. Spending procurement properly, with independent professional consultancy, is materially cheaper than fixing a bad contract afterwards.
RICS regulation matters here. Procurement consultancy sits within the professional standards framework property funds and procurement-governed organisations apply to all consultancy engagements.
why arc

Why Poor Procurement Decisions Become Fifteen-Year Problems

Clearly, it is very hard to exit a commercial renewable energy contract once signed. One poorly run tender, a contractor chosen purely on price, or a contract that effectively gives away performance guarantees and step-in rights and forces an asset owner down into a fifteen- to twenty-year obligation where it has very limited ability to re-contract can be locked in; and the risk is best managed in the procurement stage, not after you have a 'stinker of a contract'. Asset owners have to use energy procurement consultants like Arc Renewables well in advance of the tender document itself being produced, as against once it is too late, and the energy procurement contract has already proved to be bad:
Procurement consultancy is the value that has to occur before the contract has even been signed writing the tender and tender pack, inviting relevant bidders to submit their tenders, comparing these tenders against each other on their merits (technical, commercial) and then determining which terms are appropriate for a contract on what you are about to sign. Arc Renewables, as an independent energy procurement consultant not linked to any contractor, has no margin with the party who is appointed. This means the output is dictated solely by the interests of the asset owner.

If you manage property funds or own assets in the capital, then having access to an energy procurement strategy advisory London teams can speak to adds genuine impartiality to a marketplace dominated by undisclosed, preferred-contractor relationships.
why arc

What Independent Energy Procurement Consultancy Actually Involves

Building the Tender Pack: Specification, Terms and Evaluation Criteria

The vague or fluctuating tender pack: the call to enter for what cannot reasonably be compared. All well-run tenders should have the following key components.

  • Sufficiently detailed technical spec so that all contractors are price the same scope and package.
  • Commercial terms agreed upfront before proposals are requested, not thereafter.
  • Published evaluation criteria to ensure defensible scoring if it is ever challenged.
  • The necessary information is included in the bidders’ submission to ensure all can be compared fairly.

This is precisely the basis on which energy procurement consultancy services are constructed: with contractors competing on an apples-with-apples basis instead of putting together tender offers designed to suit themselves.

Constructing a Defensible Supplier Longlist and Shortlist

When preparing to tender, the contractors who will be able to bid must first be compiled in an independent way that is not defined by pre-existing relationships. An identifiable longlist/shortlist built against the:-

  • Technical capacity for the kind of asset
  • Financial capacity (where the contract is over several years)
  • Experience in relation to comparable projects
  • Compatibility with the owner's risk appetite and delivery program

Renewable energy procurement consultants UK funds that become involved at this stage usually do not have preferred-contractor agreements anywhere in their business, and it is because of this that a truly capability-focused longlist, and not just a handful of familiar faces, can be developed.

frequently asked

Questions clients ask before engaging.

Procurement Strategy is the consultancy work that happens before contract signature. Tender structure, supplier evaluation, contract terms. Project Management & Delivery is the operational work that happens after signature: Arc managing the project as the owner's appointed party, governing the contractor on the ground. The two services connect, but they are engaged independently because the buyer can engage one without the other.
Arc will assess that contractor as part of a competitive process and write the evaluation against the same criteria as any other bidder. If the preferred contractor wins on the published criteria, they win. If they do not, the recommendation says so. The fee buys an honest answer, not a confirmation of a pre-existing decision.
Six to twelve weeks from initial scoping to signed contract for a standard EPC procurement. Longer for portfolio programmes where multiple sites are tendered together or where contract negotiations are complex.
Yes. The legal team owns the contract document and the legal review. Arc owns the commercial and technical evaluation and the procurement governance. The two functions are different and both are needed; we do not displace the legal function.
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get in touch

Get in touch with our team.

A fifteen-minute call is enough to understand your asset, your objective, and your decision context and to tell you whether Arc can add value in your situation.
Book a consultation
or call 0203 813 6171
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Independent renewable energy consultancy for UK commercial real estate. Regulated by RICS. Investor-literate advice.
0203 813 6171 info@arcrenewables.co.uk
21 Abbeville Mews, 88 Clapham Park Road, London SW4 7BX
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Regulated and accredited
  • RICS
  • ISO 9001
  • ISO 14001
  • CHAS
  • NAPIT
  • MCS
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