IISER Bhopal Invites Bids For 2 MW Solar Power Project With 10-Year O&M Contract

The Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Bhopal has initiated the process for setting up a large solar power plant on its campus with the release of a formal Notice Inviting Tender. The project involves the design, engineering, procurement, supply, construction, and commissioning of a 2.4 MW DC/2 MW AC grid-connected solar photovoltaic power plant. The selected contractor will also be responsible for operating and maintaining the plant for a period of ten years. The tender was issued by the Institute Works Department on December 9, 2025, under NIT No. IWD/SE/NIT/2025-26/49.

Bidders were instructed to submit their proposals online by December 29, 2025, before 3:00 PM. In addition to the online submission, a hard copy of the Technical Bid had to be delivered by 3:00 PM on December 30, 2025. The Tender Committee scheduled the opening of the Earnest Money Deposit and Technical Bids for the same day, December 30, at 3:30 PM. The date for opening the Price Bids will be announced later to those bidders who qualify technically.

The project will be carried out in two phases. The first phase involves completing the construction and commissioning of the plant within a short five-month period. After this, a one-year Defect Liability Period will begin, during which the contractor must address any deficiencies. Once the DLP is completed and performance testing is successful, the ten-year Operation and Maintenance period will start.

To ensure financial discipline, the tender mandates an Earnest Money Deposit of ₹24,00,000, which must be paid largely through a bank transfer. No exemption is allowed for MSME or NSIC-registered bidders, as the tender is classified as a work contract. Bidders were required to deposit at least the lower of 50 percent of the EMD or ₹20 lakh in the prescribed form, and the remaining amount could be submitted as a bank guarantee.

The successful bidder will have additional financial responsibilities in the form of guarantees. A Performance Guarantee equal to 5 percent of the agreement value must be submitted within seven days of receiving the contract award. A long-term Performance Bank Guarantee for solar modules is also required. This guarantee must remain valid for 25 years from the commissioning of the project and will be calculated as 5 percent of the cost of the solar modules, with the module cost fixed at 25 percent of the total contract value. Additionally, an O&M Bank Guarantee of 5 percent of the total O&M contract price must be furnished before the initial Performance Guarantee expires. The contractor must bear all applicable taxes, including GST and Labour Cess. The Institute has also stated that it reserves the right to reject any application without assigning any reason.