The procurement, installation and commissioning of the mini-grid requires a lot of planning, good logistics, and technical supervision.

Procurement

Procurement is the act of finding, acquiring, and buying equipment and services from an external source, often via a tendering or competitive bidding process.

Developers may issue tenders for individual components of the mini-grid and then install and commission the system themselves. Alternatively they may tender for a turnkey solution where the contractor delivers a fully operational project. The latter tends to be more expensive.

Projects financed by government subsidies and international donors are generally required to follow transparent procurement rules such as the PRAG rules from the EU.

Import duties and Taxes

Developers need to check in advance whether import duties and taxes are applicable for specific mini-grid equipment or energy efficient appliances and consider their impact on the project economics and the content of the tender documents.

Mini-grids may also be able to take advantage of exemptions from import duties and taxes - this is quite common for donor-funded projects. However, these exemptions usually need to be obtained before the equipment goes through customs.

Customs

Developers often prefer to hire specialized logistics companies to organize international transport of equipment and clearing by customs.

Many organize logistics in country themselves, taking advantage of the knowledge of their local staff to arrange transport to the mini-grid sites.

Careful planning is required to ensure that suitable transportation is available and that the sites are reachable during the season in question (for example mud roads may not be usable during the rainy season).

Handover protocols are also important to confirm that the right equipment has been delivered at different stages of the transport chain (when the containers of equipment are opened). These protocols should contain both a list of equipment being delivered and photos. Suppliers will often require confirmation notices of delivery.

Equipment Storage

Another important area of logistics is the storage of equipment (post-delivery and pre-installation). It is good to maintain an inventory of the stored equipment.

Some developers protect against theft by hiring security guards. Some may store spare parts in secure centralised depots serving multiple mini-grid sites in order to keep costs down.

Installation

The installation of mini-grids should be conducted under the supervision of certified and experienced technicians.

Before installation starts, it is important that the developer has secured legal rights to the mini-grid site (through land lease agreements and way leaves). It is also important before work begins that they carry out quality controls on delivered equipment and locally produced products (such as foundations, channels and bricks), and provide safety training to all personnel including local support staff.

Specialized installation tools and local language instruction manuals for installation of the equipment must be available and used accordingly. Installation protocols and pictures should be taken for reporting purposes.

Many donors require a list of assets installed and where they have been installed. All packaging and other waste material must be disposed in an environmentally friendly way and meet the conditions specified in the environmental impact assessment.

Commissioning

The final stage is project commissioning, which is the process of assuring that all mini-grid systems and components are designed, installed, tested, operated, and maintained according to the operational requirements of the developer.

Technical tests need to be carried out on the mini-grid (eg voltage, frequency, emergency stop) by either an independent party or a combination of the installer and the client (ie the mini-grid developer) working together.

The commissioning protocol need to be signed by all parties involved.