Central Electronics Limited (CEL) has floated a tender for 1.8 million multicrystalline solar photovoltaic cells with wattage greater than 4.68W.

Bidders are not required to pay an earnest money deposit for this tender. The last date for the submission of bids is January 29, 2021.

The cells must be 156.75 x 156.75 mm ± 0.25mm or 157x 157 mm or ± 0.25 in dimensions. They must be five bus bars in length and 220 ± 20 microns in thickness. The cells must be delivered in staggered lots as per CEL’s requirements up to February 28, 2021.

The Union Government-owned solar cell manufacturer said only original manufacturers or their authorized representatives are allowed to place bids. Offers made directly by manufacturers would be preferred.

The cells must be free from chipping and micro cracks. There must be no discontinuity in the metal printing lines or any color variations between the cells. CEL expects the cells to be packed tightly in lots of 100 cells and sealed with heat shrinkable sleeves or polythene or polypropylene sachets. The sachets must be packed in foam boxes with padding to absorb shocks during transit and handling.

Vendors are expected to have a minimum in-house annual manufacturing capacity of 30 MW of monocrystalline or multicrystalline solar cells. Unapproved vendors are expected to supply a sample lot of at least 200 cells. These will be checked against CEL’s testing protocols, and upon clearance, vendors will be added to the approved vendors’ list.

There have been a number of tenders to procure solar cells by government entities, including BHEL, Rajasthan Electronics, and CEL, in the recent past.

In November 2020,  CEL had floated two tenders for 1,430,000 solar cells. The first tender was for the supply of 1.4 million multicrystalline or monocrystalline cells that meet domestic content requirements. The second tender was for 30,000 multicrystalline or monocrystalline cells.

According to Mercom’s India Solar Tender Tracker, CEL has floated tenders for about 5.13 million multicrystalline cells as of December 2020.