Rajasthan Electronics and Instruments Limited (REIL), a joint venture between the Union government and the Rajasthan government, has floated a tender for 200,000 mono or multicrystalline silicon solar cells of 4.57W.

The last date to submit bids is September 27, 2021. Bids will be opened the next day.

Bidders are not required to make any earnest money deposit for this tender.

The tender is to supply five busbar mono/multicrystalline solar cells that are 156*156 ± 1.0mm or 156.75*156.75 ± 1.0 mm in dimension. The thickness of solar cells should be 200 +/- 20 μm.

Solar cells must be free of cracks, cuts, holes, edge chipping, missing gridlines, smudges, patches, marks, spots, mechanical damage, or color and pattern mismatches.

The cells should be vacuum packed in lots of 100 in an export-worthy manner to avoid damage during transit. The cells must also be secured tightly in shock-proof thermocol boxes. The successful bidder must supply cells in a power band of 0.05W.

Suppliers also have to provide information about the cell type, crystalline structure, resistivity, orientation, thickness, and wattage of cells packed in each box.

The tender mentions that REIL prefers to deal directly with manufacturers. It sought a contract period until October 10, 2021. The vendor must supply the cells within two weeks from REIL’s delivery clearance.

REIL has earmarked 25% of the tendered quantity for midsize enterprise (MSE) suppliers. Of this reserved quantity, 20% is set aside for MSEs owned by Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe entrepreneurs.

Vendors who have not previously supplied cells to REIL must submit a sample lot of 140 cells of each wattage free of cost for evaluation before the tender’s due date. REIL would consider a new vendor for trial order subject to the sample’s approval and suitability of terms and conditions.

If vendors fail to supply the cells on time, liquidated damages will be applicable at 1% of the shipment’s overall value per week, limited to a maximum of 10%. REIL can extend the delivery period if required.

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

In May 2021, REIL invited bids to procure 40,000 mono PERC solar cells of 5.64 W capacity. Earlier, it floated a tender for 200,000 multicrystalline silicon solar cells of 4.67W.