Commercial Battery Storage RFP: What to Ask Vendors and How to Compare Bids
Updated November 5, 2026
A good battery RFP gives vendors your 12 months of interval load data, utility tariff, site constraints and goals, then asks every bidder to price the same scope so bids can be compared line by line on usable capacity, warranty, degradation and lifetime cost.
What to include in the RFP
- Load data: 15-minute interval data for at least 12 months, plus your current utility tariff and demand charges.
- Goals: peak shaving, backup power, solar self-consumption, demand response or a mix, ranked by priority.
- Site details: available footprint, indoor or outdoor placement, electrical single-line diagram, and service voltage.
- Scope: whether the bid covers engineering, permitting, interconnection, installation, commissioning and ongoing monitoring.
Questions every vendor should answer
- Usable (not nameplate) kWh and continuous kW at your site temperature range.
- Cell chemistry and certifications (UL 9540 system listing, UL 9540A test data).
- Warranty term, guaranteed capacity at end of term, and cycle or throughput limits.
- Expected round-trip efficiency, auxiliary (HVAC) consumption and degradation curve.
- Who operates the dispatch software and what happens if the vendor exits the market.
- Projected annual savings, with the assumptions shown.
How to compare bids
Normalize every bid to the same basis: cost per usable kWh, warranted energy over the term, and modeled savings using your tariff. The lowest upfront price often hides shorter warranties, higher augmentation costs or optimistic savings assumptions. Ask each finalist for references at similar sites.
Typical timeline
Expect several weeks for bids, then permitting and utility interconnection that can take months depending on your utility and jurisdiction. Fire code review under NFPA 855 is often on the critical path.
Before you send it
Run a first-pass estimate so you know roughly what size and budget to expect, which helps you spot bids that are far off.
Frequently asked questions
How many vendors should I invite?
Three to five qualified bidders is usually enough to get competitive pricing without making comparison unmanageable.
Should I ask for nameplate or usable capacity?
Usable capacity. Nameplate figures overstate what you can actually dispatch once depth-of-discharge limits and losses are applied.
What data matters most?
Twelve months of 15-minute interval load data and your exact tariff. Without them, savings estimates are guesses.