Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has floated a tender worth Rs 650 billion tender for implementation of the third phase of the BharatNet project. The tender is part of the Rs 1.4-trillion revamped BharatNet project for the design, supply, construction, and installation of optical fibre cables, switches, routers and other telecom equipment to connect and upgrade existing 164,000 gram panchayats, as well as connect around 47,000 gram panchayats under the new model.
According to industry sources, companies are evaluating the tender document and will likely submit bids in individual capacity or consortium. The selected companies will also have to operate and maintain the network in gram panchayats for a period of 10 years.
BSNL has invited bids across 16 states and union territories, including Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Puducherry, Bihar, West Bengal, Punjab, Haryana, and Kerala, among others. These states have been divided into packages and two categories.
Under the qualification criteria, bidders can be a single entity or a group of entities coming together to implement the project. As per the tender document, the minimum net worth required for those submitting the bid for only one package is Rs 0.5-3.75 billion, depending on the state it is bidding for. Similarly, the minimum average annual turnover of the last three financial years should be at least Rs 3.25 billion for only one package.
With regard to the technical capability, the bidder should have executed optical fibre cable network construction projects and supplied at least 800 units of equipment such as routers and switches in the last 10 years, if bidding for one package under category-2 states. The sole bidder or members of the consortium should meet the technical capability requirements either on their own or jointly.
As per the tender document, the bids can be submitted by the companies till April 2, 2024, and the last date to seek any clarification is March 4, 2024. The tender bids will be opened on April 3, 2024.
