West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company (WBSEDCL) has invited bids for the supply, installation, operation, and maintenance of the electric vehicle (EV) charging stations and battery swapping stations.

The stations will be developed on WBSEDCL-owned lands across 205 individual locations, including 40 on the national highway and 165 other than the national highway.

The last date to submit the bids is November 18, 2022. Bids will be opened on the same day.

The earnest money deposit (EMD) varies depending on the number of locations for which the bidders submit their bids.

For one location, bidders will have to submit an EMD of ₹36,500 (~$444). For up to five locations, they must submit ₹25,000 (~$304) per location, subject to a minimum of ₹36,500 (~$444).

Bidders submitting bids for more than five and up to 25 locations must submit ₹20,000 (~$243) per location as EMD, subject to a minimum of ₹125,000 (~$1,519). Similarly, bidders will have to submit ₹15,000 (~$182) per location as EMD, subject to a minimum of ₹500,000 (~$6,077) for more than 25 and up to 50 locations; and ₹15,000 (~$182) per location, subject to a minimum of ₹750,000 (~$9,116) and a maximum of ₹1 million (~$12,137) for more than 50 locations.

The successful bidder will have to submit ₹54,750 (~$665) per location as a contract performance guarantee. The performance guarantee must be submitted within 15 days or before the signing of the contract agreement, whichever is earlier from the date of issuance of the letter of award.

The project must be completed and commissioned within six months from the date of handing over of the site.

The applicant should be registered with the appropriate authority under the government of India before the bid submission date.

The bidder should preferably have experience in the automobile sector, e-mobility, business, and operation of EV charging infrastructure.

The minimum average annual turnover of bidders should be at least ₹10 million in any three of the last five financial years. Also, the bidders’ net worth should be positive as of the bid submission date.

Earlier this year, the Ministry of Power issued the revised ‘Charging Infrastructure for EVs Guidelines’ to accelerate the e-mobility transition in the country. The guidelines aim to enable faster EV adoption in India by ensuring safe, reliable, accessible, and affordable charging infrastructure and ecosystem.

The Power Department of West Bengal has recently announced the EV Policy 2021, aiming to position the state as a sustainable transportation infrastructure hub. As per the policy, the government plans to have one million EVs combined across all segments during the implementation period. The government is also planning to develop 100,000 charging stations within five years.