Design, Supply, Installation, Commissioning & Maintenance of Solar Energy Systems For Zipline Facilities Tender at Zipline Rwanda Ltd

2026-02-27

Issued by: FlyZipline Rwanda Ltd. 

RFP Number: ZRW-RFP-2026-04 

Issue Date: February 27th, 2026 

Response Deadline: March, 27th 2026

1. Introduction 

Zipline Rwanda Ltd. invites qualified and experienced renewable energy solution providers to submit proposals for the design, engineering, procurement, installation, commissioning, operation, and maintenance of solar photovoltaic (PV) and battery energy storage systems (BESS) for Zipline facilities located in Muhanga and Kayonza. 

The objective is to secure a reliable, clean, cost-effective energy supply capable of supporting Zipline’s 24/7 mission-critical operations. Solutions must include all required civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, and control systems, including optional integration with backup generators. 

2. Company Background 

Zipline operates the world’s largest instant logistics and drone delivery network, enabling on-demand delivery of healthcare, commercial, consumer, and agricultural products. Our facilities rely on continuous, high-reliability power systems to deliver safe, consistent operations. 

3. Project Scope 

The Contractor shall lease OR design and deliver systems that meet the following minimum expectations: ● 24/7 operational continuity with 99.9% uptime. 

• Hybrid or off-grid-capable architecture 
• Renewable penetration maximized to reduce diesel reliance 
• Robust BESS sized for operational autonomy 
• Integration with Zipline’s existing distribution boards and backup generators where applicable; Generators should be part of the proposals. 
• Revenue-grade metering and monitoring systems 
• Multi-year maintenance and performance guarantees

4. Site-Specific Technical Requirements 

NOTE: Placeholder values inserted below (e.g., expected load ranges). Replace once contractor conducts measured consumption and peak demand. 

4.1 Facility – Technical Requirements Table 

Parameter 

Estimated Daily Energy Demand 

Peak Load 

Recommended PV System Size 

Recommended BESS 

Required Autonomy 

Supply Voltage 

Frequency 

Ground Resistance 

Required Minimum Availability 

Delivery Point 

Allowance for Zipline Check Meter 

PS: A site visit is required to determine the measurements of the parameters to your proposal 

5. Detailed Scope of Work 

5.1 Engineering & Design 

Contractor shall provide: 

• Technical studies including load profiles, irradiation modeling, autonomy modeling, PR calculations
• Single-line diagram

• Civil and structural drawings 
• Detailed equipment specifications 
• Protection, grounding, earthing, and lightning protection designs 
• Control logic and hybrid control philosophy 
• Commissioning plans 

5.2 Equipment Supply Requirements 

Contractor must supply: 

• Tier-1 PV modules 
• Industrial-grade inverters and charge controllers 
• Specify which BESS that is going to be used 
• Hybrid controllers / microgrid controllers 
• Surge protection devices 
• Combiner boxes, switchgear, breakers 
• Weatherproof enclosures or containerized systems 
• Backup generator (if offered as hybrid solution) 

All equipment must be new, factory-certified, and compliant with global and Rwandan standards. 

5.3 Installation & Construction 

• Site preparation, civil works, foundations, battery containers, inverter pads 
• AC and DC cabling, terminations, routing, trunking, conduits 
• Installation of metering systems 
• Interconnection to Zipline facility distribution board 
• Installation of fencing, security features, access control 
• Specify how long the installation and commission is going to take

Contractor assumes all responsibility for site safety and works execution. 

5.4 Commissioning, Testing & Acceptance 

Contractor must deliver: 

• Pre-commissioning tests 
• System functional tests 
• Capacity tests for PV and battery 
• Energy yield validation 
• Protection and trip-curve testing 
• As-built documentation 
• Commissioning report 

6. Performance Requirements 

Contractor must commit to: 

6.1 Minimum Availability Requirement 

99.7% annual availability, excluding: 

○ Force Majeure 

○ Scheduled maintenance 

6.2 Guaranteed Daily Output (GDO) 

Bidders must propose: 

• Minimum daily energy output 
• Day vs. night profiles (if applicable) 
• Minimum annual output (MWh/year) 

6.3 Liquidated Damages (LDs) Requirements

Contractor shall propose LDs for: 

• Failure to meet COD 
• Failure to meet availability guarantee 
• Failure to meet daily/annual output guarantee 

7. Monitoring, Metering & Communication 

Contractor must provide: 

• Revenue-grade bidirectional energy meters at delivery point 
• Web-based monitoring platform with dashboards 
• Local HMI or SCADA system 
• 24/7 data logging: 

○ PV generation 

○ Consumption 

○ Battery state-of-charge, temperature 

○ System events and alarms 

Zipline shall have unrestricted viewing access. 

8. Operations & Maintenance Requirements 

Contractor must provide full O&M including: 

Daily 

• Monitoring 
• Walk-around inspection 
• Removal of debris 

Monthly 

• Module inspection

• Cable inspection 
• Battery status checks 

Quarterly 

• Inverter service 
• Combiner box checks 
• Diesel generator service (if applicable) 

Annually 

• IV curve tracing (25% of strings minimum) 
• Thermography 
• Breaker and protection testing 
• Earthing resistance verification 
• Asset register validation 

9. Contractor Responsibilities 

• Secure all permits and approvals 
• Provide safety certification and HSE compliance plans 
• Maintain accurate books and records for audit 
• Maintain adequate insurance coverage 

10. Proposal Submission Requirements 

10.1 Technical Proposal 

Must include: 

• Methodology and execution plan 
• System design & sizing per site 
• Single-line diagrams 
• Project schedule with COD date

• O&M strategy and SLAs 
• Quality assurance processes 
• Risk assessment and mitigation plans 

10.2 Financial Proposal 

Provide: 

• Itemized Bill of Quantities (BoQ) per site 
• CAPEX and OPEX breakdown 
• Multi-year O&M pricing 
• Proposed LD schedules 
• Payment milestones 
• Quotes should in RWF 

10.3 Legal & Compliance Documents 

• RDB Certificate 
• Tax & RSSB clearance 
• Relevant licenses (RURA Generation License,EIA Certificate, Technical Standards Compliance,Electrical Installation License, etc.) 
• References from previous clients 

11. Evaluation Criteria 

• Technical compliance 
• Vendor experience & capacity 
• Financial competitiveness 
• Performance guarantees 
• O&M capabilities 
• Contractual robustness

• Delivery timeline 

12. Submission Instructions 

Submit proposals in PDF electronically to: 

• africa.procurement@flyzipline.com
• Aletha.kampire@flyzipline.com 
• rwanda.bids@flyzipline.com 

Subject line: 

“RFP Response – Solar Energy Systems – Zipline Rwanda Ltd.” 

13. Terms & Conditions 

• Zipline reserves the right to accept or reject proposals 
• Costs of preparing responses are borne by bidders 
• Confidentiality is required for all shared documents 

We look forward to receiving your proposal and thank you for your interest in working with Zipline Rwanda Ltd.

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