NEVI EV Charger Procurement: 10 Questions to Ask Before Award

# NEVI EV Charger Procurement: 10 Pre-Award Questions

Key Takeaways

• A NEVI-focused RFQ should ask vendors to prove compliance, not just quote price.
• The 10 most important questions cover power, connectors, uptime, payment, data, Buy America, service, warranty, references, and documentation.
• Price alone is a misleading metric; the cost of non-compliance can exceed the hardware premium.
• Domestic content documentation is the leading cause of NEVI application rejection and should be requested before shortlisting.
• Vendor answers should be attached to the grant application, not filed away after procurement.

Buying EV chargers for a privately funded site is a straightforward procurement exercise. Buying for a NEVI-funded site is a compliance exercise that happens to involve hardware. The wrong vendor can derail the grant, trigger clawback, or leave the site with chargers that cannot meet federal uptime requirements.

This article provides ten questions procurement teams should ask every EV charger vendor before award. The answers should become part of the NEVI application package and the project audit trail. For a step-by-step walkthrough of the grant submission itself, see our NEVI funding application guide.

1. What Is the Simultaneous Per-Port Output?

NEVI requires each DC fast charging port to deliver at least 150 kW simultaneously. The key word is simultaneously. A cabinet rated at 400 kW total with four ports may deliver 150 kW to one port but only 100 kW when all four are occupied.

Ask for:

• A written guarantee of 150 kW per port under concurrent load
• A power distribution diagram
• The minimum output per port across all load-sharing scenarios

If the vendor cannot provide this in writing, the charger does not meet the NEVI minimum.

2. Which Connectors Are Supported?

The answer must include both CCS and NACS on every port. CHAdeMO is optional but not a substitute. Ask how the vendor provides NACS support: dual-cable dispenser, adapter, or modular connector configuration.

Also confirm that the connector cables and inlets are certified to UL 2251.

3. How Do You Document Buy America Compliance?

This is the most consequential question. The vendor should provide a model-specific domestic content certificate, a detailed bill of materials with component origins and costs, and evidence of U.S. final assembly.

Follow-up questions:

• What is the domestic content percentage for this exact model?
• Where is final assembly performed?
• Are power modules, control boards, and enclosures manufactured or assembled in the U.S.?
• Does the product rely on any FHWA waiver?
• Has this exact model been deployed in a NEVI-funded project?

If the vendor answers with a generic statement, ask again for model-specific documentation.

4. What Is Your Historical Uptime Record?

NEVI requires 97% annual uptime per port. A vendor's marketing claims about reliability matter less than actual field data.

Request:

• Uptime statistics from comparable deployments
• Mean time between failures and mean time to repair
• A clear explanation of how modular design limits downtime scope
• Response time commitments for critical failures

A vendor with no U.S. field history is a higher risk for NEVI sites.

5. How Does the Payment System Support Open Access?

NEVI chargers must accept multiple payment methods without requiring a membership. The payment terminal should support credit card, mobile payment, and RFID. The system must also provide real-time availability data through an open API.

Ask:

• Does the charger support contactless credit card payment?
• Is network membership required for any payment method?
• How is real-time availability data exposed?
• Which roaming or interoperability networks are supported?

Proprietary networks that require a single app or subscription create NEVI compliance risk.

6. What Data Reporting Is Included?

Operators must submit quarterly reports to the state. The charger and backend should make this easy, not painful.

Ask whether the vendor provides a NEVI-ready reporting template or whether the operator must build the reports.

7. Where Is Your U.S. Service and Parts Network?

Fast repair is essential to maintaining 97% uptime. A vendor with no U.S. inventory or technicians cannot meet the operational demands of highway corridor charging.

Request:

• Service footprint map
• Spare parts stocking location
• Average response time for critical failures
• Warranty and extended service options
• Training and certification program for local technicians

Imported parts with long lead times increase downtime risk.

8. What Does the Warranty Cover and Exclude?

Warranty terms vary widely. Some cover only the cabinet; others cover power modules, cables, and software. The warranty should match the expected project life.

Ask for:

• Warranty duration by component
• Coverage for power modules, cabinets, cables, and payment terminals
• Whether on-site labor is included
• Exclusions for environmental damage, vandalism, or misuse
• Process for warranty claims and typical resolution time

A short or narrowly scoped warranty is a signal that the vendor is not confident in long-term reliability.

9. Can You Provide NEVI Reference Deployments?

References are the best proof that a vendor understands the compliance environment. Ask for:

• Sites where the same model was deployed with NEVI funding
• Contact information for the site operator or project developer
• Any available performance data from those sites
• Lessons learned from the permitting and commissioning process

Vendors that have successfully delivered NEVI projects will have these references ready. Vendors without them may still be learning the requirements.

10. Will You Provide Compliance Documentation for the Grant Application?

The vendor's answers are only useful if they can be attached to the state submission. Confirm that the vendor will provide:

• UL or ETL listing documents
• FCC authorization
• Buy America domestic content certificate
• Bill of materials with component origins
• Final assembly verification
• OCPP compliance statement
• Network interoperability documentation
• Warranty and service level terms

Request these documents during procurement, not after award. Late documentation is one of the most common causes of NEVI application delay.

How to Score Vendor Responses

Use a simple scoring matrix to compare vendors objectively.

Vendors with fewer than eight "Yes" answers should be disqualified from NEVI-funded projects. Price should only be compared among vendors that pass the compliance screen.

The Hidden Cost of Non-Compliance

A lower-priced charger that fails Buy America or power requirements can cost far more than a compliant alternative. The direct costs include:

• Delayed or rejected grant applications
• Clawback of federal funds
• Replacement hardware if the original cannot be certified
• Extended downtime and lost revenue
• Legal and audit fees

The cost difference between a compliant and non-compliant charger is usually a small fraction of the total NEVI funding at risk. Procurement teams should frame the decision as risk management, not cost minimization.

FBK POWER's RFQ Support

FBK POWER can provide detailed responses to all ten questions for our Split-Type DC Charging Cabinet and AC charging products. Our team supports NEVI application documentation with UL/ETL listing details, technical specifications, and product configuration guidance. For projects requiring U.S. assembly and domestic content documentation, we work with buyers to confirm the compliance pathway for their specific state solicitation.

Conclusion

NEVI procurement is about asking the right questions before award. The ten questions in this article separate vendors who have done the compliance work from those who are hoping to figure it out later. Buyers who demand written, model-specific answers position themselves for faster approvals, stronger audits, and more reliable charging sites.