The Agency for New & Renewable Energy Research and Technology (ANERT) has invited bids to procure 1,000 smart energy meters as part of the Solar City Project being implemented by it in Thiruvananthapuram.

The project will be funded by Smart City Thiruvananthapuram.

The last date to submit the bids is January 28, 2023. Bids will be opened on January 30.

Bidders will have to furnish ₹15,000 (~$184) as an earnest money deposit. The successful bidder must submit an amount equivalent to 3% of the total contract value in the form of a bank guarantee which will be returned after the supply of materials.

The meters should carry a warranty for seven years and six months from the date of despatch or seven years from the date of commissioning, whichever is earlier.

The supply should be completed within 30 days from the letter of award. Half of the smart meters must be supplied within 15 days.

The description of smart energy meters along with the quantity required is given below:

Bidders should be in the business of manufacturing and supplying smart or static meters or other electronic measurement equipment, smart meter components, and technology for at least three years on the bid opening date.

They should also have experience in manufacture and supply of 10,000 electricity energy meters as per the relevant International Electrotechnical Commission standards during the last three years.

The minimum average annual turnover of bidders should be at least ₹20 million (~$245,592) in any two of the last five financial years, subject to the condition that they should have completed at least two financial years.

Alternatively, the net worth of bidders should be at least ₹40 million (~$491,184) at the end of the last financial year.

Bidders must submit a sample of the meter they are intending to supply for evaluation.

ANERT has stated that the smart meters before delivery should be type tested as per IS: 16444 (Part 1 and Part 2) at a National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL)-accredited laboratory or any International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC)-accredited laboratory in the world.

In 2021, the Ministry of Power set timelines for distribution companies to replace conventional meters with smart meters for consumers across various categories.

As of October 2022, Energy Efficiency Services), as part of its Smart Meter National Program, had installed over three million smart meters in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, Bihar, and Andaman.