The Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) has issued a notice inviting tender (NIT) for the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) of 44 megawatts of solar projects at Singareni Collieries Company's various locations in Telangana.
The successful bidders would have to provide comprehensive operation and maintenance (O&M) service for ten years. The overall project capacity of 44 MW is split into three different sites. The projects should be commissioned within twelve months from the work order issuance. May 17 is the last date to submit the bid, and it will open on the same day. Bidders have to pay a tender processing fee of Rs 25,000 and must provide an earnest money deposit of Rs 751.2 million. The EMD for the entire 44 MW project capacity can be submitted jointly by the bidders. Particular contract performance securities and advance bank guarantees for individual locations would be required from the winning bidder. Based on the site capacity, individual contract agreements would be made with the winning bidder. In the previous seven financial years (FYs), bidders must have completed EPC of grid-connected ground-mounted solar projects with a total capacity of not less than 22 MW on a turnkey basis. The project should have been operational for at least six months before the deadline for proposal submission. In the three fiscal years ending March 31, 2021, the bidders' average yearly turnover must be at least $1.02 billion ($13.43 million). According to the most recent audited financial statement, bidders must have a minimum working capital of Rs 2,640 million. If the bidders' working capital is insufficient, they must augment it with a letter from their bank, with a net worth of at least $25 billion, certifying the availability of a $640 million line of credit to meet the project's working capital requirements. Bidders must bid for the whole 44 MW cumulative capacity. After an e-reverse auction, a single winning bidder would be given the complete capacity of 44 MW. Although, each location would have its contract arrangement. After the e-reverse auction, the overall price of EPC and O&M would be converted to a per MW pricing. The per-site project EPC and O&M pricing would be determined by multiplying the per-MW price by the capacity of each site. The three different EPC and O&M contract agreements would be released for the respective sites to the successful bidder. The modules and cells utilised in the project should be sourced from manufacturers recorded in the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy's list of models and module manufacturers under the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) regulation. Image Source
