The Central Electronics Limited (CEL) has extended the bid submission deadline for the expression of interest (EoI) for the empanelment of engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractors for its upcoming solar photovoltaic (PV) power projects.

The last date for the submission of bids has been extended to May 30, 2020, which was earlier set for April 30, 2020.

CEL has earlier issued EoI to empanel EPC contractors for installing Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) on a turnkey basis in India using various battery technologies and for empaneling manufacturers of solar water pumps in tenders under the KUSUM (Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthan Mahabhiyan) program.

To take part in the bidding process, the bidder should have commercial experience as a solar contractor for at least two years, and the bidder must be capable of taking up design, engineering, supply, installation, and commissioning of the project. The successful bidder will also take care of the operation and maintenance (O&M) of the project.

For the financial evaluation, the bidders will be classified under large, small, and medium business categories.

The average annual turnover of the bidder in the large business category should be at least ₹100 million (~$1.33 million) in the last two years. The average annual turnover of the bidder in the medium business category should be between ₹50 million (~$663,994) and ₹100 million (~$1.33 million) for the last two years. Similarly, for the bidder in the small business category, the average annual turnover should be anywhere between ₹5 million (~$66,399) and ₹50 million (~$663,994) for the last two years.

For the large business category, the bidder should have experience in the execution of solar PV power projects of more than 1 MW capacity. For the medium business, the bidder should have experience in the execution of solar PV projects in the range of 500 kW to 1 MW capacity. Similarly, for the small business category, the bidder should have experience in the execution of solar PV projects in the range of 300 kW to 500 kW.

Recently, CEL floated a tender for 1,000,000 multicrystalline solar cells. According to the tender document, the solar cells must have five bus bar cells with a minimum efficiency of 19.4%. The size should be 157x157mm +_0.25 mm. The thickness of each solar cell should be 200+_20 microns, and the front side must have uniform Silicon Nitride anti-reflecting coating.

Earlier, it issued a tender for 50 MW of grid-tied solar PV projects ranging from 500 kW to 10 MW at various locations in the state of Maharashtra.