Rajasthan Electronics and Instruments (REIL) announced that bids are being sought for the supply of 200,000 Mono PERC solar cells with a power output of 5.50Wp. It was mentioned that the last date for submitting bids is May 1, 2024, and bids will be opened on the same day. The estimated bid value of the project was stated to be Rs 9.5 million (~$113,950). It was further mentioned that bidders have been exempted from an earnest money deposit and performance bank guarantees in the tender. The order, it was explained, will be split among two bidders in a ratio of 70:30.
It was specified that preference will be given to "Make in India" products for bids below Rs 2 billion, favouring Class 1 local suppliers as defined in the Public Procurement (Preference to Make in India) Order 2017. It was added that to qualify as a Class 1 local supplier, a minimum of 50% local content is required, while for Class 2, a minimum of 20% local content is necessary. Furthermore, it was noted that Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) will be given purchase preference under the Public Procurement Policy for Micro and Small Enterprises Order, 2012.
The announcement further stated that bidders or their original equipment manufacturers, either directly or through resellers, must have supplied the same or similar category products for at least 10% of the bid quantity to any central/state government organization, PSU, or publicly listed company in at least one of the last three financial years before the bid opening date. It was specified that relevant contracts demonstrating the supply of cumulative order quantity in any one financial year must be submitted with the bid to support the quantity supplied in the relevant financial year. Moreover, in the case of multiple bids, it was explained that the category related to the primary product with the highest bid value should meet this criterion.
The announcement mentioned that a reverse auction will be conducted among all technically qualified bidders, excluding the highest quoting bidder. Additionally, it was mentioned that in 2022, REIL had issued terms of reference for appointing a consulting firm for the Bureau of Indian Standards certification of solar photovoltaic modules.
