The Rural and Panchayat Raj Department in the state of Tamil Nadu has issued tenders for the procurement of 328 battery operated carts for solid waste management in the village panchayats of the Vellore district.

The area-wise break up is: 102 carts for the blocks of Madhanur, Gudiyatham, Natrampalli, and Pernampattu; 107 carts for the blocks of Anaicut, Arcot, KV Kuppam, Kaniyambadi, Katpadi, Timiri, and Vellore; and 119 carts for the blocks of Arakonam, Kaveripakkam, Nemili, Sholingur, and Walajapet.

The last date for the submission of bids is November 14, 2019.

The interested bidders need to submit an amount ₹255,000 (~$3,601) as the earnest money deposit (EMD) for the supply of 102 carts, ₹268,000 (~$3,785) as the EMD for the supply of 107 carts, and ₹298,000 (~$4,208) as the EMD for the supply of 119 carts.

The purview of work includes the supply and delivery of battery-operated e-carts for solid waste management activities. The three-wheeled vehicles will be used for door to door collection and transportation to the segregation shed. The vehicle should have a roof cover for the driver, and it must have been certified by authorized motor vehicle certification agencies, like the International Center for Automotive Technology (ICAT), Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), or other certifying agency approved by the government of India.

The battery-operated e-carts should be warranted for the satisfactory operation against any defect in supplied materials and quality for two years from the date of supply.

The successful bidder should supply 25% of the total number within two months, 60% of the within four months, and the entire quantity within six months from the date of the issue of the work order.

As far as the eligibility criteria are concerned, the interested party should be a manufacturer, assembler, or authorized dealer of e-carts for the past three years.

If the bidder is a manufacturer, the manufacturing facility should be ISO 9001 certified for design, development, testing, manufacturing, supply, and after-sales support. If the bidder is an assembler, he should have a well-established facility and required equipment for assembling the battery-operated vehicles. And if the bidder is an authorized dealer, then he should submit the documentary evidence issued by the manufacturer.

The document also notes that the bidder should have an annual turnover of at least ₹100 million (~$1.4 million) in any one of the past three years and he should have supplied a cumulative number of 25 battery-operated  vehicles during the past three years to any of the government departments, corporations, local bodies, residential or industrial premises, or townships maintained by private organisations.

The bidder will be solely responsible for the maintenance and repair of the battery-operated vehicle during the warranty period. The bidder should extend an on-site service facility for carrying out the maintenance and repair of the battery-operated vehicles.

The tender also adds that the department officials will evaluate the battery-operated e-cart. The financial bid will be opened only if the prototype qualifies the examinations.

Similarly, Tamil Nadu has also issued a tender for the procurement of 117 battery-operated e-carts for solid waste management in the district of Vellore. These carts are meant for the blocks of Jolarpet, Kandili, Alangayam, and Tirupathur in the Vellore district.

Earlier this year, in September, the government of Tamil Nadu launched the state’s Electric Vehicle Policy 2019. The policy aims to mobilize ₹500 billion ($7 billion) investment in EV manufacturing in the state. The policy aims to create a complete EV ecosystem and charging infrastructure. The state will allow the exemption of road tax on the purchase of electric two-wheelers, autorickshaws, light goods carriers, and passenger vehicles.

A couple of months ago, Mercom analyzed the two and three-wheeled EV segment of the country and the players driving this segment forward. Read the full report here.

Image credit: Terence Ong [CC BY-SA 3.0]