How to meet solar energy tenders in SA

Renewable energy in South Africa is seeing a surge in both interest and investment. As power cuts become a daily reality for millions of South Africans, the government has set aside a massive part of the national budget to invest in the renewable energy sector. Following suit, cities and municipalities are increasingly looking at alternative energy sources to reduce their reliance on state-owned energy supply.

While dwindling energy reserves have become a crisis and major concern in the country, it also presents an opportunity for SMEs within the renewable energy space. Cities and municipalities across the country looking to tap into clean, renewable energy sources have already started, or plan to start, awarding tenders to smaller independent power producers (IPPs).

Within this space, the demand for solar energy as a clean power source is growing significantly quickly. Read on to learn more about how SMEs can easily meet their solar energy tenders, from financing to panel supply and procurement.

The Opportunity – and Challenge – of Winning a Solar Energy Tender

For SMEs, especially ones recently launched, landing a solar power tender offers significant benefits like cash flow that can be reinvested into the business as well as the chance for client and process scaling. However, meeting these tender requirements can be complex and time-consuming.

While it’s an exciting step in the right direction for your business, winning a solar energy tender is only the first step. Meeting the tender requirements is where the challenge really begins. There are a variety of factors that you need to consider, like:

How can you ensure that the size and specifications of the solar panels you source match the requirements of the project?
Where can you source cost-efficient solar panels quickly and efficiently that have the correct specs?
What are the complexities of importing these panels?
Are there additional costs and tariffs to consider?
How do you arrange shipping and logistics?
How exactly do you vet the quality of the solar panels you’re sourcing?

And the most important consideration – what are the costs involved in arranging all of these processes?

The solar energy industry is complex and requires extensive technical experience and know-how to accurately meet tender requirements. For any SME, it can quickly become overwhelming and a drain on resources.

So what’s the solution?

There are two options for SMEs: one is to proceed with the tender alone which puts you at risk of losing time and money due to errors or inefficiencies. The other option is to work with a tender partner who can support you in meeting your solar energy tenders, from beginning to end – a partner like Sourcefin.

How to Easily Meet Your Solar Energy Tenders: Choose Sourcefin

At Sourcefin, we specialize in providing entrepreneurs and SMEs with a full suite of services that help them deliver on their tenders. We’re leaders in the solar energy space, having successfully financed and facilitated multiple solar energy projects across a variety of cities and municipalities in South Africa.

We have the technical expertise, the experience and the resources to help you meet one or all of your solar energy tender requirements seamlessly, including:

Tender financing – we provide the financing you need to meet your tender requirements.
Spec management of solar panels – we assess the project requirements and recommend the necessary panel size and specs that are best suited.
Extensive supplier networking – we work with a wide network of suppliers and importers who can source the panels you need according to your specs.
Stock procurement and delivery – we can arrange procurement of panels and panel parts, from importing to logistics.
Stock vetting and assessment – we know what to vet and test when it comes to assessing solar panel quality.

Sourcefin is equipped to assist in all of your end-to-end tender management processes. We also take on the risk so you don’t have to – you can get the financing and support you need while benefiting from working with an experienced and capable success partner.