Rajasthan Electronics and Instruments (REIL), a joint venture between the central and the Rajasthan governments, has invited bids to procure 180,000 monocrystalline or multicrystalline solar cells of 5.64 W capacity.

The last date to submit the bids is May 31, 2022. Bids will be opened on the same day.

The cells should be 158.75*158.75 ± 1 mm in dimension. The 5.64 W cells must be five busbars long, and the desired thickness of the cells has been outlined as 200+/- 20 µm.

The estimated bid value is ₹9 million (~$116,028). Bidders will not be required to pay any earnest money deposit to participate in the tender.

REIL has specified that the cells should be free from any cracks or pinholes, edge chipping, and smudges of paste on the front side of the cell. The cells should be devoid of any visible mismatch in their color or pattern. REIL has specified that deep blue silicon nitride anti-reflection coating on both sides of the cells will be preferred.

The packing of solar cells should be export worthy to avoid micro-cracks during transit. The solar cells should be packed in lots of 100, and one box should contain solar cells in the power band of 0.05 W.

The solar modules to be used should be manufactured in India and purchased from a ‘Class I local supplier.’

The local content requirement to categorize a bidder as a ‘Class-I local supplier’ is a minimum of 50%.

If an MSE bidder quotes within the price band of L1+15%, they will be allowed to supply 25% of the total quantity subject to the acceptance of the L1 price by the MSE bidder.

In the case of imported products, the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) or its authorized seller should have a registered office in India to provide after-sales service support in India.

The bidder should have supplied similar category products for 10% of bid quantity in at least one of the last three financial years before the bid opening date to any central, state government organization, public sector undertaking, or a public listed company.

Last October, REIL invited bids to procure 7,000 solar modules with a minimum output of 380 W made from 72 monocrystalline solar cells.

Earlier, REIL had invited bids to supply 3,000 mono or polycrystalline solar modules of 320 W under the domestic content requirement category.

According to Mercom’s India Solar Tender Tracker, REIL has so far floated tenders for 8.24 million solar cells.