The Department of Permanent Campus at Nalanda University has invited bids for engaging contractors for setting up of 5 MW (AC) of grid-connected ground-mounted solar PV projects at the permanent campus of the university at Rajgir in Bihar.

The scope of work will include engaging the contractor for setting up 5 MW of solar PV projects, including the design, procurement, installation, testing, and commissioning at the permanent campus. The estimated cost of the project is ₹242.5 million (~$3.27 million), and the interested bidders will have to submit an amount of ₹3.425 million (~$46,189) as the earnest money deposit (EMD). The period for the completion of the project is 12 months. The last date for the submission of online bids is April 14, 2020.

As per the tender document, the modules to be used in the project should be domestically manufactured by Waaree, Vikram, PV-Powertech, REC, LG, and VS.

The bidder should have an experience of completing three similar works, each costing not less than ₹97 million (~$1.31 million) or two works costing at least ₹145.5 million (~$1.96 million) or one similar work costing at least ₹194 million (~$2.62 million) during the last seven years.

The bidder should be a panel manufacturer or an authorized agency of panel manufacturer who has done similar work of designing, engineering, procurement, testing, commissioning, and operation and maintenance of solar farms with all the necessary components for the generation and evacuation of electricity for a minimum project size of 4 MW.

Regarding the financial criteria, the bidder should have an average annual financial turnover of ₹121.2 million (~$1.62 million) during the last five financial years. The bidder should not have incurred any loss in more than two years during the last five financial years and should furnish a solvency certificate of ₹97 million (~$1.31 million) certified by bankers.

Previously, Mercom reported how solar – not black coal – is beginning to power classrooms, dormitories, and canteens of multitudes of educational institutions across the country.

For instance, the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) recently signed a memorandum of understanding with HMF Solar Power Limited for the installation of a 500 kW grid-connected rooftop solar power project at its campus in Delhi. The project will be developed under the RESCO model, and the power generated from the project at the campus will be supplied at the cost of ₹3.13 (~$0.043)/kWh for 25 years.

Earlier, the Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU), a university located in Karnataka, had issued a tender to set up 360 kW of rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) energy installation at the university campus in Belagavi.

Image credit: Arijit Dasgupta from India / CC BY