An objective comparison of offers from pre-qualified Vendors
Our platform and highly competitive process are superior to in-house procurement processes and ad-hoc quote comparisons
-
Beam Procure Marketplace
.webp)
.jpg){kind=logo}
.png)
Australia's leading marketplace platform for commercial solar projects
Our platform and highly competitive process are superior to in-house procurement processes and ad-hoc quote comparisons. Choosing Beam's marketplace platform and expertise means you get access to a combined three decades of industry expertise and a commitment to quality that will pay off many times over.
To ensure projects are implemented to a high standard and will remain supported during the warranty period, we have pre-qualified all Vendors on Beam.
Vendor Pre-qualification
Before your project commences the Procurement process, we have done all the hard work pre-qualifying Vendors to participate on the Beam platform.
Vendor Registration
To ensure projects are implemented to a high standard and will remain supported during the warranty period, we have pre-qualified all Vendors on Beam. To register on the platform Vendors must have and keep up to date the following:
- Minimum 5-years of operation in commercial solar
- Clean Energy Council (CEC) Vendor and Installer accreditation
- Three customer references of commercial solar projects
- Current financials and credit score from Equifax
- Current insurances with an appropriate level of cover
Vendor Score
-
Credit Score - annual credit score independently assessed by Equifax
-
Solar Audit Score - Each project that is implemented by a Vendor on the Beam platform is audited and scored by our solar engineers. The average of a vendor's solar audit scores informs their total score.
-
Customer Feedback Score - Each project that is implemented by a Vendor on the Beam platform is scored based on our customer survey.
-
Management System Certification - Vendors will score additional points for certification under AS and ISO Safety Management Certification, Quality Management Certification and Environmental Management Certification.
-
Contract Score - Vendor's standard Capex and PPA contract terms and conditions, and our experience negotiating on behalf of customers with the vendor are incorporated into a Contract Score.
-
Volume Score - Vendors are scored based on the quantity of MW they have installed over the last two full years.
-
Experience Score - Vendors are scored based on when their first commercial scale project was installed.
Initial Offers
For all projects small and large we start with Initial offers. We request Initial Offers for your project from Pre-qualified Vendors through the Beam platform. This ensures all Vendors are providing competitive pricing and a quality solution on what you want.
Minimum Requirements
We have developed a 22 page Supplier Conditions for Participation that all offers must comply with. These conditions are in addition to Australian Standards and Clean Energy Council Standards and continue to be developed as standards and technology evolve. When Vendors submit an offer through Beam it must comply with all Minimum Conditions of Participation. This allows us to align all offers so a meaningful comparison can be made and any surprises avoided during contracting.
Project brief
As each project is unique, we provide a comprehensive project brief to vendors outlining all key details about your project. All information from the Assessment is available for Vendors, including the proposed layout, connection points, electricity interval data and energy prices. We collate the site schedules, diagrams and photographs for inclusion in the Project Brief. Any additional requirements that you have can be quickly and easily add to the Project Brief and attachments.
Initial Offer Selection
Vendors provide competitive pricing and a quality solution through the Beam platform. For each Initial Offer we calculate the equipment and warranty scores, vendor score and calculate the annual cost savings from that offer. Initial Offers provides an objective comparison of offers so you can proceed to the next step with confidence.
Detailed Offers
For larger projects, we can carry out a second round of procurement. Three to four Vendors will be shortlisted for the Detailed Offers round with the aim of selecting one Vendor for contract execution. The Detailed Offers round can either be a Request for Proposals (RFP) or Weighted Reverse Auction (Auction). We manage the Final Offers process throughout the following stages.
Project Brief and Scoring
The project Brief will be updated with new information, which may include structural and electrical assessments, plus additional information from the site. We have developed a detailed question set and scoring for commercial solar projects in Australia that Vendors respond to in the Detailed Offers round. Question weighting can be adjusted upon request and this will inform the Vendors' non-price score in both an RFP and Auction project.
Site Inspection
We coordinate and attend site inspections by Vendors at the target site(s). This can be done as a single site visit with all shortlisted vendors attending or with vendors attending individually. We will work with your site contact to coordinate a suitable time(s) and ensure inductions and PPE requirements are met by all attendees. The site inspection will typically involve inspection of roof areas, distribution boards, connection points, potential inverter locations, potential cable runs, site access and lifting locations and potential site storage. Our solar experts will answer any project specific questions and we'll rely on your site contact for site specific questions.
Detailed Offers Selection
Vendors will submit their Detailed Offers through the Beam platform and these will be scored by Beam according the questionnaire scoring and weighting. We will work with Vendors to clarify any points that are unclear and will be continually optimising for reduced price and increased quality in negotiations with Vendors.
We will provide financial analysis of Detailed Offers based on offered pricing and contract terms. We will provide assistance with selecting a vendor to contract with, including back-and-forth clarifications and meetings with you as part of the decision-making process.
Weighted Reverse Auction (optional)
For Auction projects, the non-price score for each Supplier and will inform the 'weighted' component of the weighted reverse auction. Vendor's then continually bid on price to improve their rank and attempt to win the auction.
Contract Execution
- We will request a final contract from the successful Vendor incorporating the terms and conditions agreed in the tender process
- We will review the major commercial terms and propose amendments to align with the tender requirements if they do not align.
- We will assist your legal term to interpret the more technical contract terms specific to the solar industry.
- We will provide feedback on acceptability of contract terms proposed by the Vendor
- We will facilitate final contract execution between the Vendor and you based on terms and conditions agreed in the RFP process.
Initial Offers
Free
First round of offers for large projects (only round for projects <100 kW)
Start here after your Assessment.
-
Detailed project brief and custom requirements
-
22 page minimum requirements based on CEC and AS
-
40+ Pre-qualified Solar Retailers invited to offer
-
Solar panel, inverter and installation warranty scoring
-
Apples vs Apples comparison with Beam Solar offers engine
Final Offers
Platform Fee
Second round of offers for large projects to improve price and quality
Shortlist 3-4 Solar Retailers.
-
Detailed and bespoke requirements in project brief
-
Supplier site inspection and interviews hosted by Beam Solar
-
20+ metrics scored + custom questions and scoring
-
Request for Proposal or Weighted Reverse Auction
-
Assistance with contract review and negotiation
Bespoke Procurement
Custom
Assistance with procurement outside the Beam Solar platform.
Start here for in-house procurement.
-
Expertise and advice structuring open tenders and EOIs
-
Sharing of supplier pre-qualification information and advice
-
Technical advice and bespoke requirements documentation
-
Assistance with tender evaluation and analysis of proposals
-
Facilitation of supplier site inspections and interviews
Initial Offers
Apples vs apples comparison of offers
Self service through our platform
- Single round RFP on the Beam platform
- Minimum requirements and custom project brief
- 50+ pre-qualified vendors invited to offer
- Access to Beam's objective Vendor Score
- Solar, inverter, battery and warranty scoring
Detailed Offers
Multi-round RFP with select vendors
Completed by a solar engineer
- Includes everything in Free
- Request for Proposal (RFP) or Reverse Auction
- Vendor site inspections hosted by Beam
- 20+ metrics and custom questions scored
- Assistance with contract review and negotiation
In-house Assistance
Support with your procurement process
Completed by a solar engineer
- Includes everything in Free and Premium
- Assistance with development of project brief, minimum conditions, inclusions and exclusions.
- Access to vendor and equipment scoring
- Evaluation of RFP responses and provision of reports and advice.