NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam (NVVN), a wholly-owned subsidiary of NTPC, has invited bids to set up 6 MW of grid-connected solar power projects at the Cement Corporation of India’s (CCI) Tandur plant in Telangana.

The successful bidder will also have to take care of the project’s operation and maintenance (O&M) for three years and the annual maintenance of critical equipment for ten years from the successful completion of the trial run.

The scope of work includes feasibility assessment, design, engineering, supply, construction, erection, testing, and commissioning of a grid-connected solar power project along with the power evacuation system up to the CCI substation for the allocated capacity.

The last date to submit the bids online is July 10, 2023. Bids will be opened the following day.

Bidders must submit ₹5 million (~$61,016) as an earnest money deposit. The successful bidder must furnish an amount equivalent to 10% of the contract price as a performance bank guarantee within 28 days of receiving the award notification.

The project must be completed within six months from the date of the issuance of the notification of award.

To be eligible, the annual turnover of bidders should not be less than ₹374 million (~$4.56 million) during the last three financial years.

If the bidder does not satisfy the average annual turnover criteria stipulated above on its own, its holding company would be required to meet the stipulated turnover requirements, provided that the net worth of such holding company as on the last day of the preceding financial year is at least equal to or more than the paid-up share capital of the holding company.

The net worth of bidders should not be less than 100% of the bidder’s paid-up share capital as of the last day of the preceding financial year.

Any bidder from a country that shares a land border with India will be eligible to bid in this tender if the bidder is registered with the competent authority.

NVVN has specified that preference will be given to Class-I local suppliers over Class-II local suppliers and non-local suppliers. The local content requirement to categorize a supplier as Class-I local supplier is a minimum of 50%. For Class-II local suppliers, the minimum local content requirement is 20%.

If the contractor fails to complete the project within six months, they will be liable to pay liquidated damages equivalent to 0.5% of the contract value per week of delay, subject to a maximum of 5% of the total contract price.

NVVN has mandated that the solar modules used for the project should be from the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) issued by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.

Last December, NVVN invited bids to select engineering, procurement, and construction contractors to develop rooftop solar projects below 10 MW capacity.

Earlier, NVVN had invited bids to develop two solar projects of 10.5 MW each on land provided by the Bhopal Municipal Corporation in the Neemuch district of Madhya Pradesh.

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