A good RFQ produces comparable offers. A weak RFQ produces attractive numbers built on different assumptions. The template below focuses on the data that affects system architecture, usable output, approval, schedule and lifecycle responsibility.
It can be adapted for a single outdoor cabinet or a larger multi-cabinet project, but project-specific electrical and site information must be added by qualified designers.
A related HMX reference is the commercial and industrial energy storage range. Use it to frame the next supplier discussion, then record project-specific deviations before ordering.
Use this template together with the commercial BESS procurement evidence checklist: the checklist identifies the records to request, while this article turns them into comparable bidder instructions and acceptance gates.
Direct answer: Issue one controlled data sheet and require every bidder to mark comply, exception or not applicable. Narrative brochures should support the response, not replace it.
Research review date: 30 September 2026. Quantitative statements are tied to the linked source and should be rechecked if procurement occurs later.
For the final evidence review, use U.S. DOE BESS procurement checklist as a source check. The U.S. Department of Energy checklist separates early project development, technical specifications and interconnection work for commercial lithium-ion systems.
Issue a site-data pack before asking for price
For EPC procurement teams, distributors and industrial buyers, the first task is to turn the intended service into measurable inputs and acceptance limits. The following table keeps the decision tied to evidence instead of a broad product label.
| RFQ section | Buyer supplies | Bidder returns |
|---|---|---|
| Application | Objectives, load and tariff data | Proposed operating strategy |
| Electrical | Point of connection and available fault/grid data | Single-line diagram and ratings |
| Site | Ambient, location, access and hazards | Derating and layout requirements |
| Safety/compliance | Destination and project requirements | Evidence matrix |
| Commercial | Delivery boundary and schedule | Price, exclusions and milestones |
Buyers defining the initial scope can compare these requirements with HMX’s 100kW/215kWh air-cooled system. The page is a product or project reference; final suitability still requires a written project specification.
For current market and policy context, review IEA Batteries and Secure Energy Transitions. The IEA scenario used for planning reaches 1,500 GW of global storage by 2030, with batteries providing 1,200 GW. This is a system-planning scenario, not a supplier sales forecast.
Define guarantees, tests and document ownership
The commercial offer should state its assumptions, exclusions and measurement boundary. Buyers can then compare systems on the same basis and keep later design changes under document control.
| Bid comparison field | Normalised value | Clarification trigger |
|---|---|---|
| Power | Continuous AC kW at site condition | Only a short-term or DC value stated |
| Energy | Usable delivered energy and test method | Nominal kWh only |
| Efficiency | Boundary, load point and auxiliaries | Single number with no condition |
| Warranty | Time, throughput, limits and remedy | Years only |
| Service | Response, spares and remote support | No local responsibility |
Action points for the project team
- Attach the load file, single-line diagram and site photos to the RFQ.
- Require deviations in a numbered schedule.
- Approve the FAT protocol before production completion.
- Keep guarantees, exclusions and remedies in the contract rather than only in email.
The technical comparison should also be checked against IEC 62619:2022 scope. IEC 62619:2022 covers safety requirements and tests for secondary lithium cells and batteries used in industrial applications, including stationary and motive uses.
Why buyers receive bids that cannot be compared
These are the practical objections and failure modes most likely to stop approval, delay commissioning or create an avoidable service call for EPC procurement teams, distributors and industrial buyers.
- Each supplier chooses a different efficiency and usable-energy boundary.
- Site works, interconnection studies and commissioning are hidden in exclusions.
- Warranty years are quoted without throughput, operating limits or remedy.
Questions the buyer should ask before approval
- What is guaranteed at the AC point of connection?
- Which deviations are recorded against the controlled RFQ?
- What FAT, shipping and SAT evidence releases each payment milestone?
Turn the RFQ into an auditable project baseline
Give the bidder an editable compliance matrix with requirement number, response, deviation, evidence reference and responsible party. Attach the load file, site data, single-line diagram, photos, delivery boundary and target schedule. Answers should refer to controlled documents so a brochure statement cannot silently replace a project commitment.
For a concrete equipment-level review, apply the checks above to the 150kW/315kWh air-cooled system and request confirmation for the intended site conditions and operating mode.
Normalise power, energy, efficiency and availability fields. State the site condition, operating mode, measurement point, auxiliary treatment and test method for each guarantee. Request warranty time, throughput or cycle conditions, state-of-charge and temperature limits, exclusions and remedy. The same discipline should apply to acoustic, environmental and communication requirements.
For specification and acceptance work, IEC 63056:2020 scope provides an independent reference. IEC 63056 adds safety requirements for secondary lithium cells and batteries used in electrical energy storage systems up to 1,500 V DC nominal.
Define document and test gates before price negotiation closes. Typical gates include preliminary design, design freeze, FAT approval, witnessed or recorded FAT, shipping release, installation inspection, SAT and handover. Link each gate to deliverables and open-item rules. Require a numbered deviation schedule and prevent unlisted exceptions from appearing in later drawings.
Evaluate service as a separate bid line: remote diagnostics, software maintenance, preventive visits, response times, technician location, training, critical spares and end-of-warranty support. The winning bid should be the clearest compliant lifecycle offer, not simply the lowest cabinet price.
Project workflow
- Issue controlled inputs and a numbered compliance matrix.
- Normalise guaranteed values and commercial boundaries.
- Approve drawings, evidence and FAT criteria before release.
- Close SAT, training, backups, spares and warranty contacts at handover.
Records that should survive the purchase order
The project file should let a new engineer reconstruct what was bought, why it was selected and how compliance was demonstrated. Keep source data and approved revisions together; a collection of undated email attachments is not adequate configuration control.
The same evidence and acceptance questions can be used when assessing HMX’s HMX project references; catalogue information should be reconciled with the controlled quotation and drawings.
- Approved single-line, layout, interface schedule and equipment data sheets.
- Guarantee schedule showing operating conditions, measurement points and exclusions.
- Certificate and report index matched to the ordered model and configuration.
- FAT, shipping, SAT, training, settings backups and open-item closure records.
Before design freeze, the project team should review Sungrow C&I ESS operation and maintenance manual. Sungrow documentation for a 100/215kWh-class C&I system identifies PCS, power distribution, batteries, EMS and local control as core equipment, with cooling and fire systems as auxiliaries. This confirms why buyers need one interface and responsibility schedule for the complete system.
Review this baseline whenever equipment, firmware, operating mode or site responsibility changes. The technical file, guarantees and acceptance method should describe the same configuration throughout the project.
What to Put in the RFQ Now
Send suppliers the same load file, site sheet and compliance matrix. Ask for a numbered deviation schedule so that price differences can be traced to real scope differences.