HI Sandy, an onerous document will sort the wheat from the chaff. It tends to put the cowboys off. Some of our requirements at Frankston City Council include:
- Costing in 5 years maintenance to the tender
- Bank guarantee 5% of contract sum, retained until after 12 months defects liability period concludes
- Insurance cover, 20% of contract sum plus $20m liability
- Liquidated damages varies per contract - approx. $300/day for large solar contracts
As a minimum, tenderers are asked for the following experience:
Experience
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The head contractor must have a minimum of 5 years’ experience in the solar PV industry.
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Experience: commercial solar
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Preference given to contractors with experience in in the supply design and installation of commercial solar systems in the 30kW to 100kW range
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Experience: councils
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Preference given to contractors with experience in solar installation for local governments
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Experience: grid connection
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Experience with grid connection approvals and requirements in the United distribution network
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Melbourne presence
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The contractor must have Melbourne based staff and a Melbourne based project manager responsible for overseeing the installations and client liaison
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CEC solar PV retailer code of conduct
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Preference given to solar retailers that are listed on the CEC solar PV retailer code of conduct
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CEC accredited in-house staff
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Preference given to contractors that have in-house CEC accredited electricians and/or designers
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CEC accredited electricians
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Preference given to contractors that have CEC accredited electricians on staff and that will be fully responsible for the solar installation.
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Project Management
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Preference given to contractors with accredited project management procedures and a dedicated project manager.
Preference given to contractors with ISO accredited project management procedures.
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We also use the following to help sort the wheat from the chaff:
Standard/Certification scheme
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Description/parameter
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‘Positive quality’ by the Australian Solar Council
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Preference given to panels that are on the ‘Positive Quality’ listing from the Australian Solar Council.
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VDE Quality Tested
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Preference given to panels that are VDE quality tested and certified, or certified with a similar independent third party testing organisation that provides continuous quarterly testing for reliability and degradation.
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Photon Laboratory International test results
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Preference given to panel manufacturers that have PV panels highest on the most current Photon Test result.
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‘Solar Scorecard’ by The Silicon Valley Toxins Coalition
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Preference given to panel manufacturers that rank higher on the ranking on the 2015 solar scorecard. http://www.solarscorecard.com/2015/
Panel manufacturers which demonstrate their recycling commitment and toxic material reduction through alternative documentation which does not involve the Solar Scorecard will be given consideration also.
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IEC61853 – 1
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Preference given to panels that have documented evidence of IEC61853 compliance/certification and details of module performance at 23 different temperature and irradiance conditions
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Atlas 25+
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Preference given to panels with Atlas 25+ certification with a basic tier classification or above
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PV+ test (TÜV Rheinland and Solarpraxis AG)
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Preference given to panels that are on the PV+Test listing
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Thresher mark certification with TUV SUD?
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Preference given to panels have Thresher mark certification
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Fraunhofer I PDVI testing
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Preference given to panels with Fraunhofer I PDVI testing with a ranking of greater than 3.
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PVUSA
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Preference given to panels which are published on the California ‘Incentive Eligible Photovoltaic Modules’ list:
http://www.gosolarcalifornia.ca.gov/equipment/pv_modules.php
and have a ratio of PTC (PVUSA Test Conditions) / STC (Standard Test Conditions) of 89% or greater.
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Here's our Table of Contents for the Specifications to give you an idea of the level of detail we go to. This has helped prevent many issues.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 General Specifications............................................................................................... 1
1.1 Description of Works............................................................................................. 1
1.2 Ancillary works required........................................................................................ 1
1.3 Management........................................................................................................ 2
2 General Requirements............................................................................................... 2
2.1 Standard of Materials and Workmanship................................................................. 2
2.2 Compliance with Codes......................................................................................... 2
2.2.1 Structural Safety........................................................................................ 2
2.2.2 Electrical Safety......................................................................................... 2
2.3 Notices and Fees.................................................................................................. 3
2.4 Licensed Electricians............................................................................................. 3
2.5 Design................................................................................................................. 3
2.6 Materials.............................................................................................................. 3
2.7 Supply and Metering............................................................................................. 3
2.8 Setting Out.......................................................................................................... 3
2.9 Cutting, Fixing, Drilling and Making Good................................................................ 3
2.10 Wiring Methods..................................................................................................... 4
2.11 Fastening and Fastening Materials.......................................................................... 4
2.12 Reticulation.......................................................................................................... 4
2.13 Electrical Isolation................................................................................................ 4
2.14 Internal works...................................................................................................... 4
2.15 Testing and Commissioning................................................................................... 5
2.16 Warranty and Free Service.................................................................................... 5
2.17 Safety................................................................................................................. 5
2.18 As-Installed Drawings and Maintenance Manuals...................................................... 5
2.19 Inspection of Documents and Site.......................................................................... 6
3 Technical Requirements............................................................................................ 7
3.1 General............................................................................................................... 7
3.2 Standards and Guidelines...................................................................................... 7
3.3 Submissions Required........................................................................................... 8
3.3.1 Grid Connection application......................................................................... 8
3.3.2 Technical information and as built drawings................................................... 8
3.4 Solar PV panel technical requirements.................................................................... 9
3.5 Preferred Solar PV panels.................................................................................... 10
3.6 Inverters........................................................................................................... 12
3.7 Metering and monitoring...................................................................................... 14
3.8 PV mounting systems.......................................................................................... 14
3.9 Solar PV provider............................................................................................... 16
3.10 Design and Installation........................................................................................ 17
3.10.1 General................................................................................................... 17
3.10.2 Solar PV Array location............................................................................. 17
3.10.3 Solar PV Design........................................................................................ 17
3.10.4 PV array installation.................................................................................. 17
3.10.5 Inverter Installation.................................................................................. 18
3.10.6 Earthing................................................................................................... 18
3.10.7 Cabling.................................................................................................... 18
3.10.8 Labelling.................................................................................................. 19
3.11 Testing and Commissioning.................................................................................. 19
3.12 Documentation and Training................................................................................ 19
3.12.1 Documentation......................................................................................... 19
3.12.2 Training................................................................................................... 20
3.13 Warranty........................................................................................................... 21
3.13.1 General:.................................................................................................. 21
3.13.2 Solar Panels............................................................................................. 21
3.13.3 Inverters................................................................................................. 21
3.13.4 Framing................................................................................................... 21
3.13.5 Cabling and isolators................................................................................. 21
3.14 Maintenance....................................................................................................... 21
3.14.1 Call out.................................................................................................... 21
3.14.2 Ongoing maintenance................................................................................ 21
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Hope this helps!
Ella Boyen
Asset Efficiency Officer
Frankston City Council
FRANKSTON VIC
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Original Message:
Sent: 26 September 2016 23:10
From: Sandy Eager
Subject: Solar Tender Documents
Hi,
I'm working on solar tender documents for fourteen of our largest electricity consuming facilities.
We're experiencing some tension between what is standard practice in the solar industry and what is usually required in a design and construction contract. The contract is fairly low risk and low value. Each solar installation on it's own only constitutes a small project but they've been combined together in a larger program of work for tender purposes.
I would greatly appreciate seeing some example contracts for this kind of work, and/or particularly information regarding whether clauses are included asking for securities, retention monies and for liquidated damages.
I'm a bit concerned that if the contract is too onerous it will bump up the price significantly and that some prospective tenderers won't even make submissions.
Sandy
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Sandy Eager
Bellingen Shire Council
Bellingen NSW
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