Rewa Ultra Mega Solar (RUMSL) has issued a request for proposal (RfP) to select consultants for transaction advisory services for a 950 MW ground-mounted solar photovoltaic (PV) park with battery energy storage solution (BESS) at Chhatarpur district, Madhya Pradesh.

RUMSL is a joint venture of the Solar Energy Corporation of India Limited (SECI) and Madhya Pradesh Urja Vikas Nigam (MPUVNL). It intends to appoint a firm or a consortium of firms to support the first-ever energy storage-based solar park development.

The last date to submit bids is October 28, 2021. The bidder must pay ₹500,000 (~$6,663) towards bid security. The duration of the consultancy contract is 12 months.

The scope of work includes technical design related to the park infrastructure and design commercial and regulatory aspects, project documents like power purchase agreement (PPA), and implementation of agreements.

The consultant can be a single bidding company, partnership firm, or limited liability partnership (LLP) firm, an association of up to three companies, or partnership firms or LLP firms in any combination. The association may be in the form of a consortium or a sub-consultancy arrangement.

The bidding entity or each member of the bidding association should be a registered company. The association of entities must nominate a lead entity solely responsible for submitting the proposal.

The minimum average annual turnover should not be less than ₹1 billion (~$13.32 million) in consultancy businesses from its Indian operation in the last three consecutive financial years. The lead consultant must meet the eligibility criteria in case of a consortium.

The bidder must have a positive net worth in the last three financial years.

The bidder must have more than ten years of experience in energy or power advisory consultation. The bidder must also have experience in transaction and bid process management support for large power sector projects, including large solar projects, solar rooftop projects, floating solar projects executed by central or state utility or the energy department, or state or central nodal agency. In the case of a consortium, any one member must meet this criterion.

The bidder must have at least two completed or ongoing assignments related to BESS or pumped energy storage globally in the last five years.

The bidder should have assisted on bid process management for two completed projects in the power sector with a cumulative approved or sanctioned project cost of a minimum of ₹5 billion (~$66.61 million) in the last five years with state or central utilities.

The bidder will also be eligible if it has assisted two private developer projects of a minimum of ₹5 billion (~$66.61 million), developed through bidding of renewable energy projects or parks by SECI or NTPC or a similar entity.

These projects must have been executed with support from development agencies and bilateral or multilateral funding agencies such as World Bank, GIZ, USAID, KfW in India.

The bidder must have completed at least one transaction advisory service to develop a ground-mounted solar PV park or floating solar PV park of at least 500 MW capacity with state or central Govt utilities in India. The transaction advisory should include technical due diligence, bid process management, and regulatory support in the last five years.

The bidder must have also completed two consultancy projects in regulatory assistance for central or state nodal agencies.

The winning consultant will prepare a monthly progress report covering progress against the work plan agreed in the inception report.

Earlier this month, RUMSL announced the winners for 1,500 MW solar projects in Madhya Pradesh.

Subscribe to Mercom’s India Solar Tender Tracker for timely updates on all solar tenders issued by various agencies in India.

Rahul is a staff reporter at Mercom India. Before entering the world of renewables, Rahul was head of the Gujarat bureau for The Quint. He has also worked for DNA Ahmedabad and Ahmedabad Mirror. Hailing from a banking and finance background, Rahul has also worked for JP Morgan Chase and State Bank of India. More articles from Rahul Nair.