Specifying Solar Lighting in a Municipal RFP
A well-written solar lighting RFP gets reliable systems and fair bids; a poorly written one invites undersized "catalog" products to win on price and fail in winter — so the spec must require performance, sizing transparency, and documentation, not just a wattage and a price. For a municipality, the RFP is the only lever that keeps undersized products out.
This reference covers writing performance-based requirements, requiring the engineering, and avoiding the under-spec trap.
Write performance-based requirements
| Specify | Detail |
|---|---|
| Light level & uniformity | To the applicable IES standard (RP-8 roadway, RP-20 parking) |
| Autonomy & worst-month basis | Minimum nights; sized to the worst month |
| Battery, BMS & warranty | Chemistry, management, coverage including battery |
| Durability & domestic content | IP/IK ratings; BABA where applicable |
The decisive specifications are autonomy and the worst-month design basis — they're what guarantee winter survival and what undersized bids omit.
Require the engineering
Mandate a photometric report and a sizing calculation (load, worst-month resource, battery/panel sizing, autonomy) from every bidder — the single best filter against catalog drop-shippers. A bidder who can produce the sizing math for your site has done the engineering; one who can't is selling a generic product.
Avoid the under-spec trap
RFPs listing only wattage and lumens let undersized systems qualify, and the cheapest, least-reliable bid wins — then fails in winter. Performance plus sizing requirements prevent it. Score on compliance, durability, warranty, references, and lifecycle cost — not price alone, since the cheapest undersized bid is the most expensive outcome if it fails. 360 Solar provides the documentation a sound RFP should require.
Frequently asked questions
How do you specify solar lighting in an RFP?
Specify IES light levels, autonomy and worst-month basis, battery/BMS and warranty, durability, and BABA, and require a photometric report and sizing calc from every bidder.
Why require a photometric report and sizing calc?
They're the best filter against catalog drop-shippers, proving each bidder sized the system for the site (load, worst-month resource, battery/panel, autonomy).
What is the under-spec trap?
Listing only wattage and lumens lets undersized systems qualify and win on price, then fail in winter.
How should bids be evaluated?
On engineering compliance, durability, warranty, references, and lifecycle cost — not price alone.
What's the single most important requirement?
The worst-month sizing calculation — it proves the system won't fail in winter, and it's what undersized bids leave out.
Ask for help drafting a solar RFP. Get it at 360solarlighting.com/free-quote.