NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Limited (NVVN), a subsidiary of NTPC, has issued an invitation to bid for selecting channel partners to install grid-connected rooftop solar power systems under the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana in Chhattisgarh. The deadline for bid submission is July 1, 2024, with bid openings scheduled for the following day. NVVN aims to engage partners who will collaborate with engineering, procurement, and construction vendors as well as distribution companies to finalise the installation of rooftop solar systems. For Chhattisgarh, NVVN plans to select two channel partners: the lowest bidder (L1) and the next eleven highest-ranked bidders matching the L1 price. Other bidders, excluding the highest-priced (H1), will be placed on a reserve list. Each bidder is required to provide Rs 2 million as bid security for each tender. Channel partners must adhere to all guidelines specified in the MNRE draft guidelines. Bidders can qualify through two routes: - Route-1: Channel partners must meet one of the following criteria: - Acted as an EPC contractor involved in constructing or supervising a grid-connected solar project totalling at least 1 MW in the previous financial year. - Engaged in manufacturing solar PV modules listed in the latest Approved List of Models and Manufacturers. - Operated as a distributor or dealer of solar PV modules, having supplied modules totalling at least 2 MW in the previous financial year. - Engaged as a distributor or supplier of module mounting structures for solar systems, having supplied such structures for systems totalling at least 2 MW in the previous financial year. - Route-2: The channel partner should be a distributor or dealer of consumer durables or a combination of switchgear and/or control gear components with offices or warehouse facilities in more than one district. The channel partner should have agreements with at least five vendors, each of whom has installed at least five rooftop solar systems since April 1, 2023. Additionally, bidders must demonstrate an average annual turnover of at least Rs 30 million during the preceding three financial years, and their net worth as of the last day of the preceding financial year should be at least equal to 100% of their paid-up share capital. Recently, NVVN also invited bids from channel partners to install grid-connected solar power systems under PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana in the districts of Andhra Pradesh covered under Central Power Distribution Company and Eastern Power Distribution Company. (Source: Mercom)