Supplier Information

ESB’s standard procurement practice is competitive tendering or other forms of open competition. Our procurement procedures are in place to ensure openness to all compliant offers, non-discriminatory award procedures, transparency and fairness in dealing with suppliers. Where technical considerations allow, we favour the use of functional and performance-based specifications, supported by international/European standards. All ESB contracts adhere to applicable procurement law and the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies.

Become a member of our Supply Chain Sustainability School

To support our supply chain partners on our collective sustainability journey, we are one of the founding partners of the Supply Chain Sustainability School. The school when launched will be a free eLearning environment helping to upskill and provide practical guidance to those working within, or aspiring to work within, the built environment sector.

The school is a collaboration between clients, contractors and suppliers who have a mutual interest in building the skills of their supply chain and will focus on sustainability and environmental issues, including carbon and climate change, community and social impact, workforce issues, and sustainable procurement.

We are encouraging all our suppliers to register for this free resource. Further information is available at the Supply Chain Sustainability School.

ESB Supplier Charter and Requirements for Third Parties

We expect all suppliers/contractors providing goods, services or works to ESB and/or on behalf of ESB to conduct their business in an honest and ethical manner, in accordance with all applicable laws, and to respect internationally recognised human rights.

The Supplier Charter sets out the basic principles that we expect of suppliers/contractors. Suppliers/contractors doing or wishing to do business with an ESB company should familiarise themselves with the related terms of their contract(s) with ESB and the Requirements for Third Parties which impose specific obligations in relation to these matters.

Tendering for ESB Contracts: How does it work?

W use eTenders, the Irish Government’s procurement portal when issuing contract notices and requests for tenders. We would encourage potential suppliers to register their interest with eTenders so you will be alerted when contract notices are published.

The current limits (Jan 2024 to Dec 2026) for contracts above the monetary thresholds as specified by the Utilities Directive are:

Supply and Services Contracts: €443,000
Works and Concession Contracts: €5,538,000

The following approaches for Contracts above the EU Threshold are adopted:

Call for Competition

This is our general approach for ESB project-based procurement, such as the construction of a power station or major IT system. Projects are advertised through the Irish Government’s eTenders platform and also published on the Official Journal of the European Union. The Irish Government’s eTenders Portal and/or the Official Journal's public procurement website, Tenders Electronic Daily (TED), should be reviewed to keep abreast of all upcoming opportunities.

Supply Line

ESB’s qualification system is Supply-Line - a dedicated vendor registration system operated by Achilles Procurement Services for ESB. ESB Generation & Trading, ESB Networks, ESB Enterprise Services, Electric Ireland and other contracting entities use Supply-Line. We use ESB’s Supply-Line to:

Register suppliers
As a source for tender lists when awarding major procurement contracts above the EU thresholds

You can contact the relevant ESB procurement personnel to see if your product area requires registration with Supply-Line. Find out more about public procurement on the European Commission’s website here.

For contracts less than EU threshold, our standard procedure is competitive tending, unless otherwise covered by our procurement procedures.

Become a member of the Supply Chain Sustainability School

To support our supply chain partners on our collective sustainability journey, we are one of the founding partners of the Supply Chain Sustainability School. The school is a free eLearning environment helping to upskill and provide practical guidance to those working within, or aspiring to work within, the built environment sector.

The school is a collaboration between clients, contractors and suppliers who have a mutual interest in building the skills of their supply chain and focus on sustainability and environmental issues, including carbon and climate change, community and social impact, workforce issues, and sustainable procurement.

Further information is available at the Supply Chain Sustainability School.

Payment

ESB’s policy is to pay undisputed supplier invoices within the agreed terms of payment. ESB’s standard payment terms are Nett Monthly Account. We are committed to complying with the terms of applicable late payments legislation. ESB is a signatory to the Prompt Payment Code of Conduct.

ESB’s preferred method for receiving supplier invoices is via a pdf sent by email to supplier.pdfinvoices@esb.ie

This free of charge service offers many benefits to suppliers, including the elimination of paper invoices and ensures that invoices sent to supplier.pdfinvoices@esb.ie are processed immediately and are visible on ESB’s payment system.

Requirements for emailed invoices

Invoices can only be accepted in PDF format.
One invoice per PDF (May contain multiple pages if relating to a single invoice)
A maximum of 10 PDF’s per e-mail.
Only original invoices from suppliers can be emailed.
You must ensure you quote a valid purchase order number.

ESB Policy on Modern Slavery

As an organisation that operates in the United Kingdom, ESB fully supports the aims of the UK Modern Slavery Act 2015 and has a zero-tolerance approach to modern slavery. In order to prevent acts of slavery and human trafficking from occurring within its business and supply chains ESB has taken a number of steps, including the adoption of a Policy on Modern Slavery.