EESL Tenders for Off-Grid Solar Pumps Under Component B of KUSUM Scheme

EESL has issued a tender for the installation off-grid solar water pumps in selected states of India under component B of the PM KUSUM scheme.

Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), a JV of PSUs of the Ministry of Power, has issued a tender for the supply and commissioning of off-grid solar PV water pumping systems of 1-10 hp in selected states on a pan India basis under the component B of the PM KUSUM scheme.

The scope of work for the selected bidders will include the design, manufacture, supply, transport, installation, testing and commissioning of the off-grid solar pumping systems in the selected states. The developers will also be required to provide comprehensive operation and maintenance services for the complete systems for a period of 5 years from the date of successful commissioning.

The tender consists of a total of 16 clusters across India in which the solar pumps are to be installed. And 12 specific combinations of solar pumps with different controllers have been specified for each project in each cluster. The bidders will have the choice to select which out of the 16 clusters they want to submit their proposal bids for.

The last date for bid submission is February 2, 2021, and the techno-commercial bids will be opened on the same date. A pre-bid meeting has been scheduled for January 21, 2021, to address the concerns raised by the prospective bidders.

EESL has stated that only indigenously manufactured PV modules and pumps should be used in the programme, with ‘Made in India’ specifically required to be mentioned on both items.

It has been clarified that subject to meeting terms and conditions stated in the tender document (including the pre-qualification criteria), 25 percent of the total quantity of the tender has been earmarked for registered and eligible MSEs.

In December 2020, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) had issued the draft of the current tender, inviting comments/ suggestions from stakeholders before it was released for bids.

In November 2020, the Ministry had announced that in continuation of its order from March 2019, regarding the approval of the KUSUM scheme, it has received sanction from the president for scale-up and expansion of the scheme to achieve an enhanced solar capacity of 30.8 GW by 2022 with revised Central Financial Assistance (CFA). The CFA for achieving the new targets had been revised to Rs 34,035 crore.