The BICS guidance is fairly clear about the pieces required for a complete application, and none of them are things you can gather in an afternoon, so it’s worth listing out plainly rather than leaving it as a vague sense that “there’s paperwork involved.”

First, access. You’ll need a GOV.UK One Login business account set up for the applying entity, and Companies House officer authorisation confirming that whoever’s submitting the application is entitled to act on the company’s behalf. If those aren’t already in place, getting them sorted is a good first task, because account setup issues are the kind of thing that eat time you don’t have once the window’s actually open.

Second, electricity billing history — specifically six months of recent bills. If your business runs on a supplier portal that makes historical statements easy to download, this is straightforward. If it doesn’t, or if billing is split across multiple accounts for different parts of a site, it’s worth starting this now rather than assuming it’ll be quick to pull together in November.

Third, site-level documentation. Every manufacturing site being included in the application needs to be identified by its Meter Point Administration Number, which is the unique reference tied to that site’s electricity supply. For a single-site business this is simple. For a business running several sites, or where electricity is metered in a way that doesn’t cleanly separate manufacturing from other activity on the same supply, this is where it’s worth getting the metering arrangement properly understood before you start filling anything in.

Fourth, and often the part people underestimate, evidence that what you manufacture actually matches an eligible HS code. This isn’t just a case of stating a product name — it’s about being able to demonstrate, in a way that would satisfy someone reviewing the application, that your production genuinely falls under the code you’re claiming.

And finally, the electricity-mix evidence — whatever documentation supports the percentage of grid electricity you’re claiming goes toward eligible manufacturing at each site, since that figure is what determines whether you receive no exemption, half, or the full amount.

None of these five things are hard on their own. Together, gathered properly, checked for accuracy, and ready before the window even opens, they’re the difference between a submission you can be confident in and one you’re hoping gets through.