WattsUp Consulting | EV Charging Consultancy

The Questions Procurement Should Be Asking

Most RFPs focus on hardware specs and price. Those matter, but they're not where projects fail. Projects fail on delivery capability, after-sales support, and operational reality. Ask about those. If you want the supplier selection run properly end to end, that is what EV procurement consulting covers: a supplier-neutral specification, a tender the market can price the same way, and bids normalised before you read the numbers.

Delivery Capability

How many projects have you delivered at our scale in the last 12 months?
Who are your installation partners and how do you quality-control them?
What's your current backlog and realistic lead time?
Can we speak to three customers who had problems and how you resolved them?

Installer and O&M Model

Do you use your own installers or subcontractors?
What certifications and training do installers have?
How do you handle warranty claims and who pays for call-outs?
What's the escalation path when something goes wrong?

Uptime and Accountability

What's your actual uptime across your installed base? (Not target, actual.)
How do you measure uptime and who audits it?
What service credits apply when you miss SLAs?
What's your mean time to repair for different fault types?

Support and Escalation

What are your support hours and response time commitments?
Who do we call at 6pm on a Friday when chargers are down?
How many support staff do you have relative to your installed base?
What percentage of issues can be resolved remotely vs requiring site visits?

Pricing Transparency

Can you break down the quote into hardware, installation, and ongoing costs?
What's included in maintenance and what's chargeable extra?
How will pricing change at contract renewal?
What exit costs apply if we switch providers?

Data and Reporting

Do we own our charging data? Can we export it?
What reporting is included and what costs extra?
Is the platform OCPP-compliant? Can we switch backends?
How do you handle data privacy and security?

How to Spot Weak Delivery Hiding Behind Good Sales

A polished presentation doesn't mean polished delivery. Watch for these warning signs:

Unrealistic timelines

"We can have you live in 8 weeks" for a complex depot project is a red flag. Either they don't understand your requirements, or they're setting you up for disappointment.

Best-case-only TCO models

If their business case shows only upside with no sensitivity analysis or risk factors, it's a sales tool, not an honest projection.

Reluctance to share references

"Our customers prefer confidentiality" is often code for "our customers aren't happy". Insist on speaking to references, and ask specifically about problems encountered.

Proprietary everything

Proprietary connectors, closed software, exclusive maintenance requirements. All of these create dependency and increase your switching costs later.

Vague support structure

"We have 24/7 support" but they can't tell you how many people are on the team, where they're based, or what the escalation process is.

Sales team can't answer technical questions

If every question gets "I'll have to check with our technical team", you're not talking to the people who'll actually deliver your project.

Partner Selection Checklist

Use this framework to score potential partners. Weight each category based on your priorities.

Delivery Capability (25%)

☐ Proven track record at our scale
☐ Clear project management methodology
☐ Realistic timeline with contingency
☐ Strong installer network in our geography

Technical Fit (20%)

☐ Hardware meets our requirements
☐ OCPP-compliant and interoperable
☐ Smart charging and load management capable
☐ Integration with our existing systems

Support and Operations (25%)

☐ Uptime guarantees with teeth (service credits)
☐ Response times that match our needs
☐ Proactive monitoring included
☐ Clear escalation paths

Commercial Terms (15%)

☐ Transparent pricing with clear breakdown
☐ Acceptable payment terms
☐ Fair contract renewal terms
☐ Reasonable exit provisions

Strategic Fit (15%)

☐ Financial stability and longevity
☐ Roadmap aligned with our growth
☐ Culture and values fit
☐ Data ownership and portability

Frequently Asked Questions

How many quotes should we get?

At least three, ideally five. But more important than quantity is comparability. Make sure you're comparing like with like: same scope, same warranty terms, same service levels. A cheaper quote often excludes things the expensive quote includes.

Should we choose a hardware vendor or a turnkey provider?

Depends on your internal capability. If you have project management capacity and want control, buy hardware and manage installation separately. If you want one throat to choke, go turnkey. But understand that turnkey providers add margin, and you lose visibility into component costs.

What warranty and SLA terms matter most?

Response time for faults (not resolution time - easy to game). Uptime guarantees with actual penalties. Parts availability and replacement timelines. Remote monitoring and proactive alerting. Exclusions for vandalism, weather, and 'acts of God'.

How do we evaluate delivery capability?

Ask for references at your scale. A company that's installed 100 chargers across 50 sites is very different from one that's done 100 at one site. Ask about their installer network, geographic coverage, and what happens when there's a problem at 6pm on a Friday.

What are the red flags in sales presentations?

Unrealistic timelines, especially around grid connections. TCO models that only show best-case scenarios. Reluctance to share reference customers. Pushing proprietary technology with lock-in. Vague answers about after-sales support structure.

Should we worry about vendor lock-in?

Yes. Proprietary protocols, closed software platforms, and exclusive maintenance requirements all create dependency. Prefer OCPP-compliant hardware and ensure you own your data. Future flexibility is worth paying for.

Choosing a Charging Partner Without Regrets

Key Takeaways

In this guide