West Bengal Power Development Corporation (WBPDCL) has invited bids to select a consultant to conduct pre-feasibility studies to finalize the capacity and prepare a detailed project report (DPR) for a floating solar project at Bakreswar reservoir in the Birbhum district of West Bengal.

The last date to submit the bids is November 2, 2022. Bids will be opened on November 4.

Bidders must submit ₹306,000 (~$3,748) as an earnest money deposit. Within 15 days of the award letter from WBPDCL, the successful bidder must furnish a contract performance guarantee in the form of an unconditional and irrevocable bank guarantee equal to 3% of the contract price.

The selected consultant is expected to submit the detailed report within six months of receiving the notice to proceed.

The firm should have a permanent office in India. If it does not, the company must indicate its willingness to establish an office in India during the consultancy service period of the project.

To be eligible, bidders must have experience in consultancy services for technical assessment or pre-feasibility or DPR studies for two or more ground-mounted solar projects of capacity not less than 100 MW at a single location or one floating solar project of capacity not less than 50 MW in a single location in the last seven years within or outside India.

Bidders’ average annual financial turnover during the last three financial years should be at least ₹4.6 million (~$56,343). Their net worth of bidders should be positive for each of the last three financial years.

The consultant should not subcontract the whole of the services. For study purposes, the consultant may engage a sub-contractor with prior approval from WBPDCL.

If there is a delay in submitting the DPR, WBPDCL reserves the right to recover from the consultant as liquidated damages a sum equivalent to 0.5% of the value of delayed work for each week of delay and part thereof subject to a maximum of 10% of the project cost.

Last December, WBPDCL invited bids to set up 22.5 MW of grid-connected floating solar projects in the thermal power stations at Bakreshwar, Santhaldih, and Sagardidhi.

According to Mercom’s India Solar Tender Tracker, WBPDCL has issued tenders for 105 MW of solar projects to date.