Procurement policies and procedures must be competitive, non-discriminatory and maintain high standards of transparency and technical quality. To this end, in general, companies tend to always choose the same providers, as this results in traditional economies of scale. However, it is important to have a mechanism that encourages the search for new suppliers, albeit on a smaller scale and with less capacity to meet the needs of the company, as a way of seeking solutions in the market. Some practices can help optimize operating and maintenance costs:

a. History: for new procurement, the qualification and choice of the vendor must be based on the past history of the supply of material and services.

b. Evaluation: Tender evaluation using Weighted Average Criteria, the evaluation should be done based on both technical and commercial terms.

c. Inspection: (i) after purchase, trial order is given to the new vendors; third party inspection of factory may be arranged by the utility; (ii) the regular supplier may also be inspected during the manufacturing process by the third party; and (iii) each equipment from the factory should be inspected at the store for physical damage.