The Rajasthan State Agricultural Marketing Board (RSAMB) has floated a tender for about 1.6 MW of grid-tied rooftop solar systems to be set up at various locations in the state.

The project is estimated to cost ₹103.3 million (~$1.37 million) and is expected to be completed in a year. The last date for the submission of bids is July 16, 2020. Interested bidders must submit an earnest money deposit of ₹2.06 million (~$27,338).

The tender calls for the use of solar modules that meet domestic content requirements (DCR) and are certified by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). It added that the total solar array must not be less than the allocated capacity and must comprise crystalline modules of at least 300W.

The scope of work includes supplying, installing, testing, commissioning, and maintaining the 1,658 kW of solar systems across 30 Mandi yards and 15 sub yards in the state. The tender also sought the supply of 27,967 meters of low-tension or high-tension cables of any size. The document added that a three-phase inverter should be used with each system of 10 kW and above. For systems below 10 kW, a single-phase inverter can also be used.

To be eligible to take part in the competitive bidding process, applicants must have executed similar projects meeting at least 50% of the requirements specified in the tender in any one of the last five financial years. They must also have completed a single engineering job in the last five years, with a maximum value of ₹51.65 million (~$685,461). They must also have a minimum financial turnover of ₹61.98 million (~$822,550) in the last five years.  They are also expected to produce a credit facility or cash flow letter from a reputed bank for not less than 20% of the value of the work – ₹20.66 million (~$273,388).

Recently, Rajasthan Electronics and Instruments Limited (REIL) released a list of the lowest bidders for its tender to develop 50 MW of rooftop solar projects across the country. REIL received bids from five bidders for the entire tendered capacity of rooftop solar projects. Ashlyn (Parent company: Green Affiliates) Solar Infra Private Limited, Broil Solar Energy Limited, DD Project Services Private Limited, Suryam International Private Limited, and Synergy Engineers Group Private Limited placed bids ranging from ₹3.64 (~$0.04)/kWh to ₹5.08 (~$0.06)/kWh.

In October 2019, REIL had invited bids to develop 50 MW of grid-connected and small-scale solar projects in various states and union territories under the Renewable Energy Service Company (RESCO) model.

Image credit: Sunsenz Solar Kerala