The West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (WBSEDCL) has invited an Expression of Interest (EoI) for consultancy services for 200 MW of solar projects in the state to be selected through local competitive bidding.

The supervisory work for the consultant is for 200 MW (125 MW in the first phase and 75 MW in the second) of solar power projects to be developed in the Medinipur district of West Bengal. WBSEDCL has planned to develop the civil infrastructure of the solar project within three months from the date of issuance of the work order.

The scope of work includes the preparation of working drawings, specifications, bill of quantity (BOQ) for the entire civil infrastructural work based on the concept provided by WBSEDCL. It also includes the preparation of tender documents for the selection of the executing agency and the civil infrastructural development in a phased manner. Besides these, the consultant would also be required to prepare a code of practice that would include areas like quality control, payment processes, among others.

The last date for the submission of EoI is January 20, 2019, and a pre-bid meeting will take place on January 14, 2019. The consultant will be selected through a quality and cost-based selection (QCBS) process.

As for the eligibility criteria, the consultant should have completed similar types of projects related to civil infrastructural development during the last ten years. An interested bidder should have an average annual turnover of not less than ₹1 million (~$13,978) in the last three financial years.

Joint ventures or consortiums cannot participate in this tender.

Previously, the West Bengal Electricity Regulatory Commission (WBERC) had given its approval for the investment proposal for 70 MW of solar projects in four districts of the state, including Paschim Bardhaman, Purulia, Bankura, and Paschim Medinipur.

The state has also recently approved the development of 20 MW of solar projects in the Birbhum district.

According to Mercom’s India Solar Project Tracker, West Bengal has an installed solar capacity of 94 MW as of September 2019, while 64 MW of solar projects are currently under development.