Engineering, Procurement & Construction Best Practice Guidelines (Version 2.0)

Having the right personnel with the right skills is crucial to the success of any project. This chapter touches briefly on the specific skills sets required by EPC service providers but for a more in-depth view of the skills required across a project’s lifecycle please refer to SolarPower Europe’s Lifecycle Quality Guidelines V 1.0.

The EPC service provider and its personnel should be able to prove that they have the necessary qualifications to do carry out the work required of them (refer to Chapter 5.2.2. References and expertise). Despite the EPC phase being one of the shortest in a project’s lifecycle, the range of work is large. It includes selecting modules; creating electrical wiring diagrams, which requires an awareness of local site regulations; civil engineering and construction work, which can include earth or mechanical work. Other examples involve supply chain management and logistics, including transportation; restrictions on work and access to sites; management of personnel, including handling local restrictions on travel and accommodation.

The personnel of the EPC service provider typically have the following skill profiles (for a useful skills matrix, see Annex B):

• Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) e.g., electrical, or geotechnical

• Managerial and administrative e.g., finance, project management, supply chain management

• Technical, e.g. doing groundwork, constructing frames, mounting panels