BICS Applications: The evidence manufacturers should start preparing now

August 25, 2026

The latest BICS guidance has given manufacturers a much clearer view of what they will need to provide when applications open on 1 October 2026.

For many businesses, the key challenge will not be filling in the application form itself. It will be gathering the right information from across finance, operations, energy and production teams — and making sure that information clearly supports the position being claimed.

The guidance sets out a number of evidence areas manufacturers should start preparing for now, including:

  • Business and site information
  • Electricity bills and MPAN details
  • Evidence of eligible manufacturing
  • Mixed-site electricity calculations
  • Shared meter and landlord arrangements
  • Private electricity supply networks
  • Existing British Industry Supercharger support

Electricity evidence must generally cover the most recent six consecutive months available within the 12 months before applying, and some of the more complex requirements may depend on information held by landlords, suppliers or other third parties. With the application window closing on 30 November 2026, there is a strong case for starting that preparation now rather than trying to bring everything together once the portal opens.

Business and Site Information

The application starts with the basics, but even here there are a few things businesses should check in advance.

Applicants will need their Companies House registration details, information about the individual submitting the application and details of every manufacturing site included in the application.

For each site, the Government will also want to understand what activities take place there, including whether both eligible and ineligible manufacturing is carried out.

This is worth reviewing early, particularly for businesses with multiple locations. A single BICS application can cover more than one manufacturing site, so the relevant information needs to be gathered and organised consistently across each one.

Electricity Bills and MPAN Information

Electricity evidence is one of the clearest requirements in the new guidance.

For each manufacturing site, applicants will generally need electricity bills covering the most recent six consecutive months available within the previous 12 months. Those bills should identify details such as the supply address, MPAN, electricity supplier, billing period and bill payer.

The same six-month period is also used to demonstrate that the site meets the BICS minimum consumption threshold. Each manufacturing site must consume at least 33 MWh of grid-supplied electricity per year, with more than 16.5 MWh required across the six-month evidence period used for the application.

For businesses with several sites or electricity contracts, identifying the correct bills and matching them to the right MPANs now could save considerable time later.

Evidence of Eligible Manufacturing

Applicants also need to show that eligible manufacturing is genuinely taking place at the site.

This involves more than stating the products the business makes. The guidance asks manufacturers to explain how their products align with the relevant six-digit HS codes and provide evidence showing that eligible production took place during the relevant six-month period.

Examples given by the Government include:

  • ERP records showing production orders
  • production logs showing products, dates and quantities
  • quality-control records linked to production batches.

Importantly, the guidance says sales and purchase records alone will not be accepted as evidence of production, because they do not demonstrate that manufacturing actually took place at the site.

Businesses will also need to summarise their production process and confirm whether any ineligible production takes place alongside eligible activity.

This is one of the areas where preparing early matters most. The relevant production information may sit across different systems or teams and may not already exist in the format needed for a BICS application.

Mixed Manufacturing Sites

Where a site carries out both eligible and ineligible manufacturing, the evidence requirement becomes more involved.

Applicants will need to explain how they have calculated the proportion of grid electricity attributable to eligible manufacturing and supporting activities.

Where sub-metering or other electricity monitoring is available, the guidance says this data should be used. This can include traditional sub-meters as well as energy-management platforms, monitoring dashboards or machine-mounted sensors.

Where that information is not available, businesses can use another reasonable methodology — for example, estimating average electricity consumption by machine or using production data as a proxy — but they will need to explain the approach taken.

For mixed sites, the quality of that methodology matters because it helps determine the level of exemption the business receives.

This is where Bonham & Brook can take on much of the technical work: understanding how the site operates, identifying the most appropriate data available and building a clear methodology around it.

Shared Meters and Landlord Arrangements

Not every manufacturer pays its electricity supplier directly.

Where electricity is supplied through a landlord or another third party, or where an MPAN is shared between several users, additional evidence will be needed to explain the arrangement.

Depending on the circumstances, this could include:

  • tenancy or lease agreements
  • energy-supply agreements
  • invoices from the landlord or third party
  • documents showing how electricity is allocated between users
  • correspondence explaining the supply arrangement.

Businesses using a shared meter may also need evidence of the total grid electricity consumed by the meter, as well as the proportion attributable to their own manufacturing site.

These arrangements can take longer to evidence because they often depend on information held by another organisation. Manufacturers in this position should consider engaging landlords, managing agents or other relevant parties well before the application window opens.

Private Electricity Supply Networks

Businesses using a private electricity network have an additional requirement.

The latest guidance says applicants will need confirmation from their electricity supplier that the arrangement falls within the scope of BICS. This can include an electricity bill showing that the relevant policy levies are being paid, or formal confirmation from the supplier.

This is another area where waiting until the application opens could create unnecessary delays if third-party confirmation is required.

Existing British Industry Supercharger Support

Manufacturers already receiving support through the British Industry Supercharger will also need to account for this in their BICS application.

The evidence requirements include a copy of the relevant EII certificate, information identifying the production covered by the existing exemption and confirmation that the electricity being claimed under BICS is separate from electricity already receiving Supercharger support.

This is particularly important for businesses with partially exempt sites or mixed manufacturing activity, where the interaction between the two schemes needs to be clearly understood.

Conclusion

The Government itself recommends reviewing the guidance and evidence requirements in advance so that the relevant records are ready before businesses begin the online application. Once submitted, a BICS application cannot be amended.

For manufacturers, the preparation stage is a lot more involved than simply collecting documents in a single folder. It involves checking that:

  • the right information is available for each manufacturing site
  • electricity data covers the required six-month period
  • production records demonstrate eligible manufacturing
  • any shared-meter or landlord arrangements can be evidenced
  • electricity allocation methodologies can be clearly explained
  • existing Supercharger support has been properly accounted for.

Bringing those pieces together can involve several teams and, in more complex businesses, several external parties.

How Bonham & Brook supports manufacturers

Bonham & Brook’s Energy team works with manufacturers to gather and analyse the types of energy and production information required under the BICS guidance.

Our role is to take on the heavier work behind the application; identifying what information is needed, coordinating the evidence, working through more complex electricity arrangements and helping ensure the final submission presents a clear and supportable position.

That allows internal teams to provide the information only they hold, without having to interpret the full BICS guidance or manage the application process themselves.

With applications opening on 1 October and closing on 30 November 2026, now is the time to identify any gaps before they become a problem.

We offer a free initial BICS eligibility consultation to help you understand whether your business could qualify and what information you would need to prepare.

Speak to our Energy team about getting ready for BICS.

Contact Us

 

Shannon Shaw

Senior Commercial Manager – Energy

 

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