The Tender

This year we are tendering for Over-Frequency Reserve (OFR) and Black Start (South Island only). The tender is now open and will close at 5pm on Tuesday 3 November 2026.

Invitation to Tender 2026

The tender is now open. Tender documents can be found below:

We have updated our approach to the tender this year. Instead of providing a tender response by email, we are using a digital form.

Before completing the online form, you will need:

Tender Response Form A – Deviations
Tender Response Form D – OFR
Tender Response Form E – BS
Company number and legal name of company
Details of the primary contact at your organisation

An authorised person at your organisation will need to digitally sign the form. They should refer to the Tender Terms & Conditions and Invitation to Tender .

Click here to submit your tender response

Contract Templates

Find below the contract document templates, including ‘redline’ versions that can be used to see changes with the previous OFR and Black Start schedules:

Standard Terms Part A - Foundation 2026 CLEAN.pdf (PDF 121.76 KB)	Standard Terms Part A - Foundation 2026 REDLINE.pdf (PDF 122.19 KB)
Standard Terms Part A1 - Glossary and Interpretation 2025.pdf (PDF 131.2 KB)
Standard Terms Part A2 - General Terms 2025.pdf (PDF 316.89 KB)
Standard Terms Part B - Trading Agent 2025.pdf (PDF 127.96 KB)
Standard Terms Schedule - Black Start - 2026 CLEAN.pdf (PDF 254.55 KB)	Standard Terms Schedule - Black Start - 2026 REDLINE.pdf (PDF 292.51 KB)
Standard Terms Schedule - OFR - 2026 CLEAN.pdf (PDF 270.52 KB)	Standard Terms Schedule - OFR - 2026 REDLINE.pdf (PDF 436.22 KB)

Tender briefing

We held a tender briefing session for potential tenderers at 10:30 am on Thursday 22 October 2026 via Teams. The video of the session is available to watch below.

We covered the tender process, documentation, and discussed the changes in the service requirements and contract terms since we last tendered for OFR and South Island Black Start services in 2024.

System Operator Ancillary Services Tender Briefing 22 October 2026

slide pack

If you have any questions about the tender, or have any issues filling out the form, you can reach out to the team via [email protected].

Q&A

Question: The email requirement for black start testing seems to significantly lower the bar compared with what is required in the current process. What is the requirement for the six weekly email?

Answer: The six weekly email for confirmation of a passed test only applies to black start auxiliary equipment that is tested on a six week cycle. This test is a simple confirmation that the diesel generator or auxiliary hydro plant starts without power from the grid or other network. There are no changes to the requirements for black start testing which involves a much more rigorous test of the black start service and is conducted every two years on average.