FAQ
Question: Why not have our EPC handle the Quality Assurance and Procurement for our project.?
Answer: Most US based EPCs are not in the business of Quality Assurance, and do not have the expertise or staff in place to conduct Production Quality Reviews and Quality Testing at production facilities in China or Malaysia. For the Procurement piece, the buyers at many EPCS work with 1-3 Tier 1 module manufacturers. When it is time to cut a PO, they work with their US salesman at the Chinese supplier. PVBuyer works directly with the management teams at the Chinese HQs to get our clients the best possible price and, more importantly, the quality support for years to come. With your local EPC handling the purchase, if there is a quality claim in 2 years, there is an 80% chance that their main US salesman has moved on and they are left with no support internally at the HQ level. By working with PVBuyer, your company will get a continuity of support from the manufacturers on warranty claims. As PVBuyer will be continually bring the suppliers business & RFQs, we command a very high level of customer support from the supplier’s HQ staff.
Question: Can PVBuyer help our company source modules from Tier 2 or Tier 3 suppliers?
Answer: PVBuyer does not include any Tier 2 or Tier 3 manufacturers in our RFQs. If a client wants to save 2 cents per watt on modules from a lower tier module manufacturer, they will need to contract with one of our competitors. (Our competitors will happily charge to arrange a factory audit before they tell your company that the quality is unacceptable. PVBuyer will not waste our client’s time or money on audits of Tier 2 and Tier 3 manufacturers.)
Question: How are PVBuyer’s Risk Mitigation and Quality Assurance services different or better than your competitors?
Answer: As the most experienced solar procurement and quality assurance company in the US, PVBuyer works on the client’s side to make sure that solar assets are built using the highest quality materials at the lowest price. Our competitors tend to use quality scare tactics to sell over-priced quality inspections that are usually performed by top inspection firms offering their services at a fraction of the cost that is charged to the client. Our competitors tend to stress their “independence” while conducting quality tests for both their clients AND for PV manufacturers. PVBuyer acts independently from manufacturers, but we are engaged commercially with the suppliers to assure our client’s get the lowest cost structure.
Question: What do PVBuyer’s Procurement and Quality Assurance services cost?
Answer: PVBuyer offers their services as separate procurement and quality assurance modules that can be customized to the level of risk mitigation required by our clients.
Answer: Most US based EPCs are not in the business of Quality Assurance, and do not have the expertise or staff in place to conduct Production Quality Reviews and Quality Testing at production facilities in China or Malaysia. For the Procurement piece, the buyers at many EPCS work with 1-3 Tier 1 module manufacturers. When it is time to cut a PO, they work with their US salesman at the Chinese supplier. PVBuyer works directly with the management teams at the Chinese HQs to get our clients the best possible price and, more importantly, the quality support for years to come. With your local EPC handling the purchase, if there is a quality claim in 2 years, there is an 80% chance that their main US salesman has moved on and they are left with no support internally at the HQ level. By working with PVBuyer, your company will get a continuity of support from the manufacturers on warranty claims. As PVBuyer will be continually bring the suppliers business & RFQs, we command a very high level of customer support from the supplier’s HQ staff.
Question: Can PVBuyer help our company source modules from Tier 2 or Tier 3 suppliers?
Answer: PVBuyer does not include any Tier 2 or Tier 3 manufacturers in our RFQs. If a client wants to save 2 cents per watt on modules from a lower tier module manufacturer, they will need to contract with one of our competitors. (Our competitors will happily charge to arrange a factory audit before they tell your company that the quality is unacceptable. PVBuyer will not waste our client’s time or money on audits of Tier 2 and Tier 3 manufacturers.)
Question: How are PVBuyer’s Risk Mitigation and Quality Assurance services different or better than your competitors?
Answer: As the most experienced solar procurement and quality assurance company in the US, PVBuyer works on the client’s side to make sure that solar assets are built using the highest quality materials at the lowest price. Our competitors tend to use quality scare tactics to sell over-priced quality inspections that are usually performed by top inspection firms offering their services at a fraction of the cost that is charged to the client. Our competitors tend to stress their “independence” while conducting quality tests for both their clients AND for PV manufacturers. PVBuyer acts independently from manufacturers, but we are engaged commercially with the suppliers to assure our client’s get the lowest cost structure.
Question: What do PVBuyer’s Procurement and Quality Assurance services cost?
Answer: PVBuyer offers their services as separate procurement and quality assurance modules that can be customized to the level of risk mitigation required by our clients.