NTPC Invites Bids For O&M Of 20 MW Floating Solar And Ground Solar PV Plant At Auraiya In Uttar Pradesh

NTPC Limited has invited bids through the GeM portal for the bi-annual operation and maintenance contract of its 20 MW floating solar PV plant and additional manpower support for its 20 MW ground-mounted solar PV plant at Auraiya, Uttar Pradesh. The closing date for submission is September 26, 2025, at 4:00 PM, with the bid opening scheduled on the same day at 4:30 PM. The contract period has been specified as two years.

The estimated bid value has been shared for guidance, though it will not directly influence the quoted price evaluation. The bid security amount (EMD) has been set at ₹2,00,000, with ICICI Bank as the advisory bank. An electronic performance bank guarantee (ePBG) of 5% of the contract value, valid for 27 months, is also mandatory. While exemptions for EMD and turnover are generally available for Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs), in this case, such exemptions are limited only to manufacturers and service providers. Traders are excluded from these benefits.

The project is being managed through NTPC’s Unified Shared Service Centre, Central Procurement Group-I, Raipur. The consignment location and reporting officer for this work is Rama Kanta Dash at the Auraiya Gas Power Station. The procurement will follow a two-packet bid system with both technical and financial evaluations. A minimum of three bidders is required to avoid automatic bid extensions, and in case of limited participation, the timeline may be extended by seven days.

NTPC has clarified that purchase preference will be given to MSEs under the Public Procurement Policy, 2012, and the Make in India Order, 2017. MSE service providers quoting within 15% of the lowest bid price will be eligible for full order allocation, subject to acceptance of L1 prices. Compliance with statutory requirements, labour laws, and service-level agreements is mandatory, and bidders failing in these areas risk disqualification or termination of the contract.

The scope of work includes regular operation and maintenance of the 20 MW floating solar PV plant, along with deploying additional manpower for the ground-mounted solar PV plant. The bid documents emphasize regulatory compliance, technical qualifications, deployment of machinery, GST and tax registrations, and adherence to NTPC’s contractual procedures. Specific clauses related to anti-bribery, integrity pacts, insolvency declarations, and conflict of interest have been included to ensure transparency.

A key feature introduced in this bid is IP address monitoring of bidders during submission to detect possible collusion. NTPC has also highlighted that prices should be quoted only through the designated GeM portal section; any other submission format will not be considered.

The bid makes it clear that sellers from countries sharing land borders with India must be registered with the competent authority to participate. Any false declaration regarding this will lead to immediate cancellation of the contract and possible legal action.

This tender reflects NTPC’s growing focus on renewable energy projects, particularly solar, and its commitment to ensuring efficient and transparent procurement processes through digital platforms like GeM. It is also part of India’s broader renewable energy expansion strategy, where operation and maintenance of large-scale solar projects play a crucial role in sustaining performance and reliability.