Finding project buyers in energy and infrastructure
A battery storage timeline, who to call at each stage, and why a 60-day auto-archive is the wrong rule for long procurement.
Energy and infrastructure buying is project-shaped. Capex windows open and close. Developers, EPC firms, asset owners, and field contractors all influence the outcome. If your team tracks “companies in energy”, you will always be late.
The better approach is to track projects and the people who control each stage, then connect them to the packages you can supply. This article uses one illustrative battery storage project to show how.
A project timeline for a battery storage system
Typical stages. Ranges are illustrative and vary by country and project.
| Stage | Typical length | Who decides | Your move |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feasibility and site | 0–6 months | Developer's development lead | Share technical data. Do not discuss price. |
| Permitting and grid connection | 6–18 months | Developer and grid operator | Track permit and queue status; confirm voltage and capacity. |
| Design and EPC selection | 3–9 months | Developer, owner's engineer, EPC bidders | Get specified and register as a vendor. |
| Equipment procurement | 2–6 months | EPC procurement lead | Quote against the specification. |
| Construction and commissioning | 6–12 months | EPC site manager and commissioning lead | Delivery, spares, and field support. |
Stakeholders on one project
Illustrative example — not a real project
20 MW / 40 MWh battery storage, Lower Saxony
- Stage
- Permitted. Equipment package not yet tendered.
- Developer
- Regional renewables developer, also the owner. Development lead and project manager are named on its site.
- Owner's engineer
- Appointed for technical review; named in the permit documents.
- EPC
- Not yet named. Expect selection in the next two to three quarters.
- Source
- Building permit record and a developer press statement, observed within the last 30 days.
- Who to call first
- The developer's project manager. The EPC does not exist yet, so a procurement contact would have nothing to decide.
- Not yet known
- Tender date (inferred from the permit, not announced), approved-vendor rules, and local-content requirements.
Your offer may fit one stage better than others. A cable or switchgear supplier belongs in design; a field-service firm belongs in construction. Be explicit about which stage you serve and ignore the rest.
Use the same words for pipeline status
- Identified: a project found in a published source, with owner, location, technology, and capacity recorded. No contact yet.
- Shortlisted: technical fit and procurement route confirmed with a named stakeholder.
- Signed: a contract or purchase order is signed. Verbal interest stays shortlisted.
Stop auto-archiving after 60 days
Stage-specific review
| Stage | Review | Archive only when |
|---|---|---|
| Feasibility | Every 90 days | The project is cancelled or withdrawn. |
| Permitting and grid connection | Every 60 days, checking permit and queue status | Permit refused or the project is withdrawn. |
| Design and EPC selection | Every 30 days | A competitor is confirmed as the specified supplier. |
| Equipment procurement | Every 2 weeks, weekly in the final month | The package is awarded elsewhere. |
| Construction | Monthly, for spares and service | The project is commissioned and no service scope remains. |
Every project carries a next-review date. A project with no date is the one to fix first on Friday.
A 45-minute Friday review
In infrastructure, patience without a process becomes drift. Patience with stage-specific reviews becomes pipeline you can trust.
Useful next steps
