Gujarat State Electricity Corporation Limited (GSECL) has invited bids for the design, engineering, supply, procurement, construction, erection, testing, and commissioning of a 35 MW grid-connected solar project around the substation of the Gujarat Energy Transmission Corporation Limited (GETCO) at Lakadiya of Bhachau Taluk in the Kutchh district of Gujarat.

The successful bidder will have to take care of the operation and maintenance (O&M) activities of the project for five years.

The last date to submit the bids online is February 25, 2022. Bids will be opened on March 7.

The project’s estimated cost is ₹1.4 billion (~$18.63 million).

Interested bidders will have to submit ₹14 million (~$186,257) as an earnest money deposit. The successful bidder should furnish an amount of 0.5% of the EPC contract price within seven working days, along with the acceptance of the letter of intent.

The bidder should have designed, supplied, erected, and commissioned MW-scale grid-connected solar power projects of a cumulative installed capacity of 20% or higher of the total bid capacity, out of which one project should have been of 5% (in MW) or higher of the total bid capacity. The reference project should have been in successful operation for at least six months prior to the bid opening date.

The cumulative turnover of the bidder during the last three financial years should be at least ₹980 million (~$13.04 million). The bidder’s net worth during the last financial year should be positive. The experience list should include only projects executed by the bidder himself or as a joint venture partner, or as a turnkey contractor, including the entire engineering, procurement, supply, and installation, and not as a subcontractor.

GSECL has stated that the solar modules should be of a minimum 72-cell configuration with the rated power of each solar module greater than or equal to 300 Wp as certified by the latest edition of IEC 61215 and IEC 61730 and as tested by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)/MNRE recognized test laboratory. The solar modules should be registered with the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).

The minimum certified efficiency of the modules should be 15% for crystalline with a minimum fill factor of 0.75.

If the contractor fails to achieve the successful completion of the project by the due date, he will have to pay as liquidated damages 50% of the nameplate capacity, subject to confirmation from GUVNL for the purchase of power.

Recently, GSECL invited bids from contractors for an EPC package along with land for the development of 220 MW(AC) of grid-connected solar power projects in Gujarat.

Earlier, GSECL had invited bids for the design, engineering, supply, installation, and commissioning of 60 MW of grid-connected solar power projects at various substations of GETCO in the Kutchh district of the state.

According to Mercom’s India Solar Tender Tracker, GSECL has so far floated tenders for 1.7 GW of solar power projects.