Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) has floated three tenders for constructing 77.6 MW (DC) of grid-connected solar projects across the country on a turnkey basis.

The last date to submit the bids is April 2, 2023. Bids will be opened on the same day.

Tender for 50 MW (DC) Solar Project

The first tender is for constructing a 50 MW (DC) grid-connected solar power project at Rangunia in the Chattogram district of Bangladesh on a turnkey basis.

Bidders will have to submit an amount equivalent to $1 million as a bid security deposit in the form of a bank guarantee issued by a scheduled bank in Bangladesh.

Bidders should have at least three years of overall experience as a contractor, subcontractor, or management contractor.

The average annual turnover of bidders should be at least $50 million during the last five years (the best three of the previous five years would be considered).

The minimum liquid assets or working capital of bidders should be $10 million.

Tender for 20 MW (DC) Solar Project

Under the second tender, bids have been invited to construct a 20 MW (DC) solar power project at Barapukuria in the Dinajpur district of Bangladesh.

Bidders must submit $400,000 as a bid security deposit in the form of a bank guarantee issued by a scheduled bank in Bangladesh.

The technical criteria remain the same for this tender.

The minimum average annual turnover of the bidder should be at least $23 million in the last five years (the best three of the previous five years will be considered).

The minimum liquid assets or working capital of bidders should be $4 million.

Tender for 7.6 MW (DC) Solar Project

The third tender is for constructing a 7.6 MW (DC) solar power project at Kaptai in the Rangamati district.

Bidders must submit $150,000 as a bid security deposit as a bank guarantee issued by a scheduled bank in Bangladesh.

The bidders’ required average annual turnover during the last five financial years should be at least $8 million (the best three of the last five years will be considered).

The minimum liquid assets or working capital of bidders should be $2 million.

For all three tenders, BPDB has stated that if the project is not completed within the stipulated time, the contractor will have to pay 0.1% of the contract value for each day of delay as liquidated damages, subject to a maximum of 10% of the total contract value.

The minimum stipulated life of the solar modules should be 25 years. Each solar module should be warranted by the manufacturer for output wattage, which should not be less than 90% at the end of ten years and 80% at the end of 25 years.

The modules should perform satisfactorily in relative humidity up to 100% with temperatures between -10 degrees Celsius and +85 degrees Celsius and should have the lowest temperature loss coefficient. The supporting structure should withstand winds up to 200 Km/hour on the panel’s surface.

In June last year, the Export-Import Bank of India (EXIM Bank) invited bids from Indian engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractors for a 100 MW solar project at Madarganj in the Jamalpur district of Bangladesh.

Earlier, the Bangladesh-China Renewable Energy Company had invited bids for the EPC of a 60 MW solar project on a turnkey basis at Pabna, Bangladesh.