The Gujarat Energy Development Agency (GEDA) has invited bids from manufacturers to market and distribute 11,000 battery-operated two-wheelers and 5,417 e-rickshaws with lithium-ion batteries under the GEDA subsidy program 2021-22.

The last date to submit the bids is June 21, 2021, and the bids will be opened on the same day.

Interested bidders will have to submit ₹750,000 (~$10,274) as earnest money deposit (EMD) to participate in the tender for the two-wheeler category, while the EMD for the e-rickshaws tender is ₹1.5 million (~$20,548).

The work should be completed by March 31, 2022, and no work assigned to the manufacturer should be carried forward to the next financial year.

The battery-operated two-wheelers should have a comprehensive warranty from the manufacturer for a minimum period of three years, including the lithium-ion battery. The battery-operated three-wheelers (e-rickshaws) should be covered under the comprehensive warranty, against any manufacturing defect, for a minimum period of one year from the date of sale and a two-year warranty for lithium-ion batteries.

To participate in the bidding process, the manufacturer should have been manufacturing battery-operated vehicles for at least three years and have a good reputation in the market. The bidder should have a technically qualified and well-experienced workforce for manufacturing, marketing, and after-sales services of the battery-operated vehicles. Manufacturers ready to provide after-sales services with dealership networks will be preferred.

The authorized dealers must have a 3S facility, i.e., sales, services, and spares, in a permanent establishment equipped with a dedicated telephone facility and a display board.

The manufacturer should ensure that necessary spares are always available with their dealers to provide after-sales service to the customers during the guarantee period and even afterward.

To participate in the bidding process for e-rickshaws, the bidder’s annual turnover should be at least ₹30 million (~$410,963) in the last three financial years.

The battery-operated three-wheelers in Gujarat will be marketed through authorized dealers by the manufacturers certified by GEDA as per the maximum ex-showroom price determined by GEDA during 2021-22.

The subsidy amount for battery-operated two-wheelers will be ₹12,000 (~$164) on the maximum ex-showroom price determined by GEDA, and the subsidy amount for battery-operated three-wheelers will be ₹48,000 (~$657).

The bidding document further cautions the manufacturer not to transfer, assign, or sublet the contracted work to any other party without seeking written consent from GEDA.

In November last year, GEDA invited bids from manufacturers to market and distribute 5,000 battery-operated three-wheelers and 10,000 electric two-wheelers with lithium-ion batteries in the state.

Earlier, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani had announced that the state government would offer subsidies to encourage battery-operated two-wheelers and three-wheelers. Students in Class IX and up to colleges will receive a ₹12,000 (~$163.60) subsidy covering 10,000 electric two-wheelers. Meanwhile, individual and institutional beneficiaries will receive a ₹48,000 (~$654.21) subsidy for 5,000 e-rickshaws.

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