Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL) has invited expressions of interest to empanel vendors/contractors for solar power projects at its locations and retail outlets.

The last date for submission of applications is May 8, 2024.

The scope of the work includes design, engineering, testing, supply, packing, forwarding, transportation, unloading, storage, installation, and commissioning of a solar project/system in lump sum turnkey (LSTK) mode. This offers a complete solution for the solar project and comprehensive operation and maintenance (O&M) services.

The O&M of the project will be for an initial two-year period, with the possibility of extending it for an additional three years contingent upon satisfactory performance.

IOCL’s objective is to harness rooftops and available land across diverse locations in India to install solar photovoltaic projects, maximizing the generation and utilization of renewable energy.

Selecting vendors will occur in two categories: one encompassing both “critical and non-critical jobs” and the other exclusively for “non-critical jobs.”

Applicants must submit ₹10,000 (~$119.69) for Category I and ₹20,000 (~$239.39) for Category II as processing fee.

Vendors who do not meet the standard eligibility criteria for annual turnover and prior experience will be placed in the “critical and non-critical jobs” category, which will further be divided into two sub-categories: Category-I, organized by geographical regions (North/South/East/West), for capacities ranging from 1-50 kWp, and Category-II, spanning capacities above 50-500 kWp nationwide.

The applicant should have installed and commissioned a specific cumulative capacity of solar projects in India over the past three years, ending on the last day of the month immediately preceding the month in which the bid submission deadline falls.

The minimum cumulative capacity requirements for the respective categories, “Critical & Non-Critical Jobs Both I” and “II,” are 150 kW and 1,500 kW, respectively.

Vendors and LSTK contractors enlisted under Category I will also be able to engage in the solarization of retail outlets, including petrol pumps and Kisan Seva Kendras, within their respective regions.

Start-ups and micro and small enterprises benefiting from relaxation in annual turnover and prior experience criteria, provided they meet the stipulated quality and technical standards, will be empanelled solely under the non-critical jobs only category.

This category will also have two sub-categories, mirroring the capacity ranges and regional divisions mentioned earlier.

Various locations will then initiate the bidding process, inviting participation from the empanelled vendors/LSTK contractors to install solar projects.

Vendors/LSTK contractors will be empanelled for 24 months from the empanelment date.

Existing empanelled parties who do not participate in the new empanelment process will maintain their current validity until expiration, after which they will be removed from the list of empanelled parties.

Vendors/LSTK contractors currently empanelled with IOCL for solar projects at Indian Oil locations and retail outlets, seeking extension beyond their existing validity, must follow the procedures outlined in the EoI document.

Empanelled vendors who do not participate in limited tenders issued by Indian Oil may be removed from the empanelled list.

Recently, IOCL invited bids for an EPC contract for a 1 MW solar power project at Southern Region Pipelines in Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh.

It invited bids for O&M of an existing 1.1 MW solar power project at Indane Bottling Plant, Devanagonthi village in Bengaluru Rural district in Karnataka.

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