Solar PV tenders in the UK

Solar PV tenders cover rooftop panels on school and council buildings, ground-mount arrays and carports, bought by councils, schools and other public bodies. This page lists live notices across solar supply and installation codes, explains what buyers check, from competent person schemes to roof safety and insurance, and shows how installers win lots and frameworks. Heat pumps and wind aren’t covered here. Our tender eligibility checker is coming soon. Until then, tell us your trade and postcode to join the free weekly list of live tenders, starting soon.

What buyers usually ask solar PV suppliers for

Solar buyers ask about electrical competence, safe roof work and insurance. The pack sets the detail. Few notices state it up front: in the week to 10 Oct 2026, 29 of the 470 live notices in our data (about 6%) stated insurance requirements in the notice.

Competent person schemes for microgeneration and electrical work

The government lists the authorised competent person schemes. For microgeneration the scheme operators are APHC, BESCA, Certsure, HETAS, NAPIT and OFTEC. Schemes let installers self-certify certain building work instead of getting building regulations approval. The replacement roof coverings schemes (NAPIT and CompetentRoofer) cover connected work but not solar panel installation, so a roofing registration alone doesn’t cover panels. Check which scheme the pack names.

Roof work: working at height and CDM

Roof work brings in the Work at Height Regulations 2005, which include duties on organisation and planning, competence, and avoiding risks from work at height. The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 set out client duties for managing projects and the appointment of a principal designer and principal contractor. Expect the pack to ask for method statements, how you will protect people on and below the roof, and who holds each CDM role.

Product and installer certification

Packs may name product or installer certification beyond the competent person schemes. We haven’t sourced any, and we don’t state one as a legal requirement, so read the pack for exactly what it names and when it must be held.

Insurance

If you employ staff, employers’ liability insurance is compulsory for employers in Great Britain, with limited exemptions (the 1969 Act). Public liability is set by each buyer, and professional indemnity may be asked for where design is included. See public liability insurance for tenders.

SSIP and Constructionline

Some packs ask for a health and safety assessment scheme or a pre-qualification register. See SSIP, CHAS and Constructionline.

How to win solar contracts

Design-and-build versus install-only lots, and smaller projects

On above-threshold contracts, buyers must consider lots, or give reasons for not using them, so a programme may be split into design, installation and maintenance, or by group of sites. Read the lot descriptions closely. In the CPV list, 09331000 (solar panels) and 09331200 (solar photovoltaic modules) are goods, while 09332000 (‘Solar installation’) and 45261215 (‘Solar panel roof-covering work’) point to installation, so a notice with only the first two may be supply only. The 0933 prefix also picks up 09331100 (solar collectors for heat production), which is solar thermal rather than PV.

Check whether the notice treats the contract as goods, services or works. From 1 January 2026, goods and services contracts fall under the full Act rules at £135,018 including VAT for central government and £207,720 for other authorities, and works contracts at £5,193,000. Below those thresholds, when a buyer invites tenders, section 85 bars a separate suitability stage before tenders are submitted, but the buyer can still assess suitability at the award stage. The bar doesn’t apply to works contracts estimated at £135,018 or more (central government) or £207,720 or more (others). Welsh devolved buyers follow their own rules, and framework call-offs are excluded.

If a buyer advertises a below-threshold contract worth £12,000 or more (central government, including NHS trusts) or £30,000 or more (other authorities), including VAT, it must first publish a below-threshold tender notice (section 87). Buyers can also invite quotes from chosen suppliers without advertising. Procurement by a school is outside these rules.

Frameworks and dynamic markets for decarbonisation programmes

A buyer with many sites may use a framework, where each job is a call-off awarded with or without competition among the appointed suppliers. Dynamic markets must stay open to new suppliers at any time, and the number of members can’t be limited. Our guide covers frameworks and dynamic markets.

Carbon and social value evidence

PPN 006 asks central government departments, executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies to require a Carbon Reduction Plan for contracts worth more than £5 million a year including VAT, where relevant and proportionate. Central government departments, their executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies must also give social value at least a 10% weighting on above-threshold contracts where it is relevant and proportionate (PPN 002). NHS bodies are outside PPN 002’s scope. Use the buyer’s own method for carbon where the pack gives one, and be specific about local jobs and apprenticeships.

Pitfalls to check before you commit

• Structural surveys. Check who assesses roof condition and loading, and whether surveys are in your price.
• Grid connection timelines. Connection to the distribution network operator (DNO) sits outside your control. Ask what the buyer assumes and who carries the delay risk. We make no claim about typical timelines.
• Asbestos on older roofs. The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 include a duty to manage asbestos in non-domestic premises and rules on identifying its presence and on licensing. Ask for the asbestos information for the roof before you price.

Who issues solar PV tenders

Councils and schools commission rooftop installations on their own buildings. Division 09 (energy) had 9 live notices in the week to 10 Oct 2026, and that division is wider than solar, so expect a small live list. For related work, see construction tenders, roofing tenders, electrical contracts and heat pump and heating tenders.