EPC (engineering, procurement and construction)
Solar finance glossary · South Africa
Quick definition
An EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) contractor is the company that takes single-point responsibility for designing a solar system, buying the equipment and building the plant, and hands over a commissioned, working installation to the owner or financier.
In the South African commercial solar market, "EPC" and "installer" are often used interchangeably, but a true EPC contract bundles the engineering (system design, yield modelling, grid-connection application), the procurement (panels, inverters, batteries, mounting, switchgear) and the construction (civils, installation, testing, commissioning) with defined performance guarantees and a fixed price. Financiers favour this model because it gives them one counterparty responsible for the asset performing as promised.
Larger projects add an operations and maintenance (O&M) contract after handover, and many EPCs offer this themselves. A credible EPC track record, certified equipment and a sound single-line diagram are standard items in any solar finance application.
ArkFlow is a software platform that facilitates EPCs and installers turning a system design and quote into a finance-ready proposal and application.
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What Is a Solar Finance Originator? →A solar finance originator turns a solar quote into a fundable deal and matches it to a lender. Here is what originators do and how EPCs become one.
ArkFlow is a software platform that facilitates solar finance origination. It is not a bank, lender, credit provider, tax adviser or financial adviser. This definition is general information, not a credit offer or advice. Funders make their own credit decisions and tax treatment should be confirmed with a registered practitioner.