The guide covers everything from defining owner requirements to contract negotiation and includes advice on how to analyze bid comparisons. In this first phase of a project, it is essential to prepare a document that includes the owner's requirements. This checklist provides federal agencies with a standard set of tasks, questions, and reference points to assist in the early stages of battery energy storage systems (BESS) project development. Analyzing and comparing bids is also included. It also includes contracting strategies for OBO projects. Anyone developing a battery energy storage project should be prepared to address two main issues. Developers havemany obstacles to face. As we explained in a previous article, developers of BESS projects are increasingly using a multi-contractor, split-scope contracting structure instead of the more traditional single EPC contractor approach.