Tagged

procurement strategy

8 articles

April 7, 2026 6 min read

One Big Beautiful Bill: Utility Equipment Demand Shifts

The OBBBA rolls back $500B in clean energy credits and imposes FEOC sourcing rules. Here is the two-phase impact on utility equipment procurement.

OBBBAFEOCutility equipment

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April 5, 2026 3 min read

Steel or Composite? The Transmission Conductor Debate Is Missing the Right Cost Metric

A T&D World analysis argues utilities overpay for composite conductors. The per-foot numbers back that up. The per-amp numbers tell the opposite story. Here is what procurement teams should actually be measuring.

transmission conductorsreconductoringgrid modernization

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April 5, 2026 10 min read

10 Questions Every Utility Should Ask Suppliers About the New Section 232 Tariff Rules

The April 2026 Section 232 tariff restructuring changed how duties are calculated on grid equipment, but the 15% rate covers far fewer products than trade press reported. Most distribution transformers and switchgear actually face 25%. Here are ten questions your procurement team should bring to every supplier meeting.

tariffsprocurement strategySection 232

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April 4, 2026 9 min read

Section 232 Tariff Overhaul: What the New 15% Grid Equipment Rate Means for Transformer and Switchgear Procurement

The April 6, 2026 Section 232 restructuring creates a four-tier tariff system with a temporary 15% rate for grid equipment. Here is what procurement teams need to know about the 21-month window, the full customs value shift, and the real cost math.

tariffsprocurement strategytransformer supply

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March 31, 2026 5 min read

The Affordability Crisis Is a Distribution Equipment Story

Utilities face rising rates and stranded capacity simultaneously. Jigar Shah's argument reframes distribution upgrades as ROI recovery, not compliance cost. Here is what that means for procurement.

distribution transformersswitchgeargrid modernization

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March 31, 2026 5 min read

What IEEE PES T&D 2026 Reveals About Grid Procurement

The largest T&D conference in history organized its entire program around data center load and grid resilience. Here is what that signals for equipment procurement in 2026-2027.

grid modernizationtransformersswitchgear

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March 27, 2026 4 min read

The $1.9 Billion SPARK Deadline Is April 2: What Utility Procurement Teams Need to Know

DOE just released $1.9 billion in SPARK grid funding. Concept papers are due April 2, 2026. Here is what municipal utilities and co-ops need to know about equipment procurement.

SPARK programDOE fundinggrid modernization

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March 24, 2026 13 min read

How to Evaluate Transformer Bids When Lead Times Exceed Two Years

A practical scoring framework for comparing transformer bids in a 128-week lead time market. Stop choosing on price alone.

transformer bidsprocurement strategysupplier evaluation

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