On May 1, 2026, State Grid Corporation of China officially launched its first-batch tender for metering equipment — covering smart electricity meters, remote water and gas meters, and associated data acquisition terminals. This tender signals a critical reference point for international OEMs and distributors seeking supply chain access to China’s power metering market, particularly for export-oriented enterprises already holding IEC 62052/62053 certification and having completed GB standard adaptation.

Event Overview

The 2026 first-batch tender for State Grid’s metering equipment commenced on May 1, 2026. It includes smart electricity meters, remote water meters, remote gas meters, and supporting data collection terminals. Bidders are explicitly required to demonstrate compliance with the updated JJG 596–2025 Verification Regulation for Electronic Electricity Meters, and all submitted products must hold valid CMA or CNAS accreditation.

Industries Affected

Direct Exporters & OEM Manufacturers

These enterprises are directly impacted because the tender establishes concrete technical and certification benchmarks for market entry. Compliance with JJG 596–2025 and CMA/CNAS accreditation is now a non-negotiable condition — not merely a preference — for participation in State Grid’s procurement cycle. Impact manifests as increased pre-tender verification workload, potential product revalidation timelines, and heightened documentation requirements for international applicants.

Distribution & Channel Partners Serving International Markets

International distributors and channel partners representing foreign meter manufacturers face revised eligibility expectations when positioning products for Chinese utility procurement. The tender clarifies that representation alone does not suffice; traceable conformity evidence (e.g., test reports issued by CNAS-accredited labs) must accompany bids. This raises due diligence obligations on product origin, calibration history, and regulatory alignment — especially where OEMs lack direct CNAS-recognized testing capacity.

Supply Chain Support Providers (Certification, Testing, Localization Services)

Third-party service providers offering GB standard adaptation, metrological verification support, or CNAS-compliant testing face elevated demand — but only for those capable of delivering verifiable, audit-ready deliverables aligned with JJG 596–2025. Impact centers on tighter coordination windows, stricter scope definition per tender lot, and reduced tolerance for generic or legacy test reports.

What Relevant Enterprises Should Monitor and Act On

Track official tender documents and subsequent clarification notices

State Grid publishes tender announcements via its e-procurement platform and provincial subsidiaries’ channels. Subsequent addenda or Q&A releases may refine interpretation of JJG 596–2025 applicability (e.g., retroactive validation requirements for existing certifications), which directly affect bid eligibility timelines.

Verify alignment between current IEC certifications and JJG 596–2025 technical scope

While IEC 62052/62053 remain foundational, JJG 596–2025 introduces specific metrological accuracy classes, environmental stress test durations, and communication protocol conformance criteria for China’s grid environment. Enterprises should cross-map their certified test parameters against the new regulation’s Annexes — especially clauses on temperature coefficient, harmonic immunity, and RS-485 interface timing.

Confirm CNAS/CMA accreditation status of testing laboratories used

Not all labs issuing IEC reports hold CNAS accreditation recognized under China’s mandatory metrology framework. Enterprises must validate whether their current testing partner appears on the official CNAS laboratory register (www.cnas.org.cn) and whether the relevant test item (e.g., “AC active energy measurement error at 0.1I_b”) falls within the lab’s approved scope.

Prepare documentation packages early — including traceable calibration chains and firmware version logs

Tender evaluation increasingly emphasizes auditability. Supporting documents such as calibration certificate chains (linking field meter readings to national primary standards), firmware version control records, and production batch traceability logs are now routinely requested during qualification review — not just post-award audits.

Editorial Observation / Industry Perspective

Observably, this tender functions less as an isolated procurement event and more as a calibrated signal of tightening regulatory harmonization between international standards and China’s national metrological regime. Analysis shows the explicit linkage between IEC certification and JJG 596–2025 compliance reflects a maturing approach: rather than requiring full re-certification, State Grid acknowledges prior IEC work — provided gaps are systematically addressed and verified through CNAS-recognized channels. From an industry standpoint, this marks a shift from ‘certification acceptance’ toward ‘standard translation accountability’. It is not yet a de facto market barrier, but it is a clear procedural checkpoint — one that will likely be replicated across provincial grid tenders in H2 2026.

Conclusion

This tender does not represent an immediate expansion of market access, nor does it introduce unanticipated technical barriers. Instead, it formalizes a pathway — grounded in verifiable metrological compliance — for internationally certified meter manufacturers to engage with China’s largest utility buyer. Current understanding should treat it as a structured eligibility benchmark, not a policy pivot. Its significance lies in operational clarity: enterprises now have a defined, publicly referenced set of requirements against which to assess readiness — and prioritize remediation efforts accordingly.

Information Source

Main source: Official tender announcement published by State Grid Corporation of China on May 1, 2026, via its centralized e-procurement platform (sgcc-ecp.com.cn). Note: Further details on bid submission deadlines, evaluation weightings, and provincial allocation volumes remain pending official release and require ongoing monitoring.