The Durgapur Projects Limited (DPL) has issued a notice inviting tender (NIT) for the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC), including module manufacturing for 20 MW grid-connected solar projects on its thermal power station.

The entire project will be divided into three projects 7 MW, 8 MW, and 5 MW in capacity. The projects should be completed within 12 months from the letter of award. Successful bidders will also have to take care of the project’s operations and maintenance (O&M) activities for five years.

The last date to submit the bids is May 14, 2022. Bids will be opened on May 18.

The three projects are to be installed on the premises of Durgapur Projects in West Bengal. The land area allocated within the location is 50 acres, 28 acres, and 30 acres.

Bidders will have to submit ₹20 million (~$262,686) as an earnest money deposit. As a contract performance bank guarantee, the successful bidders will have to furnish 3% of the project cost. If the bid amount is less than ₹794.60 million (~$10.43 million), the winning bidder must furnish an additional 10% of the project cost towards the contract performance bank guarantee.

To be eligible, the bidders should have experience designing, supplying, testing, and commissioning rooftop or ground-mounted, or floating solar projects with at least one 7 MW project or two projects of 4 MW capacity each at a single location during the last seven years. These projects must have been in successful operation for at least six months before the bid submission date.

Bidders should have experience in O&M of one 7 MW project or two projects of 4 MW capacity each for the last six months as of the bid submission date.

Bidders should have a minimum average annual turnover of ₹300 million (~$3.94 million) in the last three financial years. Their net worth should be positive for the last three years ending March 31, 2021, and must not be less than 100% of the paid-up share capital.

If work is delayed beyond the schedule, the contractor will have to pay an amount equal to 0.5% of the contract value for each week of delay, subject to a maximum of 10% of the project cost.

The project should have a minimum solar energy generation of 1.54 MU annually/MW with degradation of 0.7% from the second year.

Recently, DPL floated a tender for 5 MW of grid-connected ground-mounted solar projects in Durgapur on a turnkey basis. DPL had also issued an engineering, procurement, and construction tender for a 7 MW solar project.

As per Mercom’s India Solar Tender Tracker, DPL has floated 41 MW of tenders for ground-mounted solar projects.