ITI Limited, a government of India undertaking, has invited bids to select business associates to install 191,000 off-grid solar pumping systems under Component B of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM) program across India.

The scope of work includes the design, manufacturing, supply, transport, installation, testing, and commissioning of solar pumping systems with five years of comprehensive maintenance across India.

Under Component B of the program, the government now aims to install 2 million standalone solarized agricultural pumps from its previous target of 1.75 million.

Bidders will have to submit an amount of ₹100,000 (~$1,375) as the earnest money deposit (EMD). Micro and small enterprises (MSEs) registered with the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Government of India are exempted from submission of EMD.

The last date to submit the bids is February 19, 2021. Bids will be opened the same day.

In January last year, ITI had issued an expression of interest to empanel business associates for installing off-grid solar pumps under the KUSUM program.

Bidders should be original equipment manufacturers of indigenous solar PV modules and solar water pumps and have experience in supply, installation, testing, and commissioning off-grid solar water pumping systems. They should be experienced in manufacturing and supplying a minimum of 10 MW of solar modules with indigenous solar cells in the last three years. They should also have supplied, installed, and commissioned a minimum of 5 MW of solar modules to government organizations, SECI, or public sector undertakings.

Alternatively, the bidders should have supplied a minimum of 2000 solar water pumps in the last three years. They should have supplied, installed, and commissioned a minimum of 1000 solar water pumping systems to government organizations, SECI, or public sector undertakings.

Bidders should have a cumulative annual turnover of ₹300 million (~$4.12 million)  in the last three financial years. Their net worth should be positive in the last financial year.

In December last year, the Ministry for New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) had called for stakeholder comments on a draft tender to implement Component-B of the PM KUSUM program. It involved the design, manufacture, installation, testing, and commissioning of off-grid solar water pumps of 1-10 HP in selected states across India.

MNRE has also ramped up the solar capacity target for the KUSUM program from 25.75 GW to 30.8 GW by 2022. It also reduced central financial assistance under the program to ₹340.35 billion (~$4.61 billion) from ₹344.22 billion (~$4.66 billion).