The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has invited bids for the procurement and operation & maintenance (O&M) of nine-meter 90 electric buses on the gross cost contract (GCC) model.

The last date for the submission of bids is March 06, 2020, and a pre-bid meeting will take place on February 17, 2020. The last date for the online submission of bids is March 04, 2020.

Interested bidders will have to pay an amount of ₹9 million (~$126,214) as the earnest money deposit (EMD).

The delivery of 50% of tendered vehicles should take place within six months from the date of the issuance of the letter of award (LoA), and the delivery of all the 90 vehicles should take place within nine months from the date of issuance of the LoA.

Interested bidders should be registered electric bus manufacturers with facilities in India. The manufacturer should have delivered at least 15 electric or 50 HSD/CNG buses in the last three financial years. The bidder should have completed testing and certification requirements under the Central Motor Vehicles Rules 1989, of at least one mini or midi or standard electric bus from any designated testing center in India.

Regarding the financial eligibility, the bidder should have a minimum annual sales turnover of ₹400 million (~$5.61 million) for the last three financial years and should have been registered under the FAME program.

A joint venture or consortium should have a maximum of four members comprising one lead member, and it must have one original equipment manufacturer.

The successful bidder will be asked to incorporate a special purpose vehicle (SPV) for the implementation of the project. The bidder should have a registered office in Bengaluru or should have an undertaking to establish a registered office within 90 days of the receipt of the letter of acceptance (LoA). Bidders who pass the evaluation of qualification proposals will be invited to conduct proof of concept (POC). A technology partner can bid as a bidder in the capacity of an operator, and the technology partner should support the bidder for the period of the contract.

Over the past years, several states have initiated the procurement of electric buses in line with the central government’s plan to expand electric mobility in urban India.

Recently, the Department of Heavy Industries (DHI) approved 2,636 electric vehicle charging stations in 62 cities across 24 states and union territories under the second phase of the FAME program.

Earlier, the Brihan-Mumbai Electric Supply and Transport Undertaking (BEST) also issued a tender for the supply and operation of 140 standard AC electric buses and 200 midi AC electric buses.

Previously, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation had issued a tender to select a bus operator for the procurement, operation, and maintenance of 40 midi electric buses on gross cost contract services.

Image Credit: DKMcLaren [CC BY-SA 4.0]