Coal India tenders: how to find and bid for CIL, CCL and other subsidiary tenders

Coal India Limited (CIL) and its subsidiaries are among the biggest buyers of works, repairs and services in the coal belt of Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh. Every Coal India tender, whether from CIL's headquarters or a CCL colliery, runs on one e-procurement portal. This guide explains how to find them, register, bid and follow results.

Coal India tender portal: coalindiatenders.nic.in

The portal's title is "eProcurement System of Coal India Limited". The footer says its contents are "owned and maintained by Coal India Limited and its subsidiaries", and that it was "Designed, Developed and Hosted by National Informatics Centre". It runs on GePNIC, the same software as eprocure.gov.in and most state portals.

According to its welcome text, the portal lets tenderers download the tender schedule free of cost and submit bids online. Coal India's tender notices add two points:

• Tender documents are also put up on the company's website and on the Central Public Procurement Portal (CPPP).
• Offline bids are not accepted. You bid only through the portal.

The menus you will use:

The home page also links to a mobile app on the Play Store and App Store, and to the CPPP dashboard.

Coal India subsidiaries and where they work

Coal India's subsidiaries each have their own head office, mining areas and tender offices. All of them publish on the same portal.

Tenders of the holding company itself are on the Coal India Limited organisation page.

CCL tender: Central Coalfields Limited

Many contractors search for CCL tenders by name. CCL mines in Jharkhand, and its tenders are on coalindiatenders.nic.in like the rest. To see only CCL tenders:

1. Open Tenders by Organisation on the portal.
2. Click Central Coalfields Limited to see its live tenders.
3. Open a tender to see its documents, EMD and dates.

CCL tenders, like those of other subsidiaries, come from its headquarters and from its mining areas and projects, so read the reference number and the location to see where the work is. You can also see live CCL tenders on GovtTenderHub without logging in.

What Coal India companies tender for

The latest tenders on the portal show the everyday work of a mining company:

• Machine repairs: suspension repairs for dumpers and water tankers, pivot pin repairs for dumpers, radiator repairs for dozers, graders and cranes.
• Mine services: laying pipelines for mine dewatering, ventilation stoppings in an underground colliery.
• Civil works in colonies and offices: repairing pipelines, demolishing old quarters.
• Safety and upkeep: refilling fire extinguishers, fire extinguisher stands for heavy machines, AMC of air conditioning in operator cabins.

Larger tenders, such as supply of mining machines and engines, come too, often from the companies' materials management departments. Many of the smaller works tenders suit local contractors near the coalfields.

How to find Coal India tenders

• On the portal: use Active Tenders, Tenders by Organisation or Search (tender ID, title or reference number). Searches and document downloads ask for a CAPTCHA each time.
• By reference number: references usually start with the company's short name and the office, such as MCL/GM(LA)/..., ECL/SDPA/..., SECL/GM/RGH/... or WCL-HQ-....
• On CPPP and the company's website, where tender documents are also published.
• On GeM, where Coal India companies buy many goods and services. See how to bid on GeM.
• On GovtTenderHub: the Coal India tenders page lists every live tender from coalindiatenders.nic.in, for CIL and all its subsidiaries, free and without a login.

Coal India e-procurement registration

What you need

• A Class 3 DSC (digital signature certificate) with a signing certificate, on a USB token. See the DSC for e-tender guide.
• An email ID for your login and a mobile number.
• Firm details: PAN, registration number, address, legal status, year of establishment and GST details.
• Your Udyam certificate, if you will claim MSE benefits.

Steps

1. Click Online Bidder Enrollment on coalindiatenders.nic.in.
2. Set your login ID (your email) and a password, and add your correspondence email and mobile number.
3. Fill in company details, including the company category. NIC's manual says the company name can't be changed later.
4. Submit, then log in and map your DSC with your GST details.
5. Register as a preferential bidder if you will claim MSE or Make in India benefits. On NIC portals this is done under My Accounts → Privileges.

Coal India's tender notices say enrolment is free of cost and a one-time activity. They also say the DSC of the person who bids for the firm must be mapped in the bidding firm's name, and that it is the bidder's job to get registered "well in advance". A new DSC can take up to 24 hours to be recognised, so don't leave it to the closing day.

An account on eprocure.gov.in or a state portal does not work on the Coal India portal. Our NIC bidder registration guide shows every screen.

How to submit a bid

1. Log in, find the tender and click Set Open Tender as Favorite so it moves to My Tenders.
2. Read the tender page: covers, tender fee, EMD and whether exemption is allowed, and the critical dates.
3. Click Proceed for Bid Submission. To claim an exemption, select Yes and upload the signed certificate. It can't be changed after you click Confirm.
4. Pay the fee and EMD where they apply. The CPPP guidelines advise paying online at least one day before closing.
5. Encrypt and upload each cover with your DSC. If the price cover uses a BOQ sheet, fill in only your name and rates and don't rename it.
6. Click Freeze Bid Submission and print the acknowledgement. A bid that isn't frozen is not evaluated.

You can resubmit before closing. If you withdraw, you can't bid in that tender again.

EMD and MSE benefits in Coal India tenders

• EMD is set in each tender, along with how to pay it. See EMD in tender.
• MSE benefits apply because Coal India companies are central PSUs. Udyam-registered micro and small enterprises get free tender sets and EMD exemption, and an MSE within L1 + 15% can supply up to 25% of the order by matching L1.
• The limits: these benefits are for goods made and services provided by MSEs. They don't cover traders, and they don't cover works contracts, so most civil and repair works tenders won't give MSE preference.
• Performance security is still required from MSEs that win.

The MSME benefits guide explains the rules in full.

Coal India tender results

After closing, use Tenders Status to see the stage a tender has reached, and Results of Tenders for published outcomes. Cancelled/Retendered shows tenders issued again, which is a second chance if you missed one. The Debarment List names barred firms. The tender status guide explains each stage.

Common questions

What is the official website for Coal India tenders?

Coal India's e-procurement portal is coalindiatenders.nic.in. Coal India's notices say tender documents are also put up on the company's website and on CPPP, but you bid only on the e-procurement portal.

How do I find CCL tenders?

On coalindiatenders.nic.in, open Tenders by Organisation and click Central Coalfields Limited. GovtTenderHub's CCL page lists them too.

Is registration on the Coal India portal free?

Coal India's tender notices describe online bidder enrolment as free of cost and a one-time activity. Tender fees and EMD, where a tender has them, are separate.

Do ECL, BCCL, MCL and SECL have separate portals?

No. All Coal India subsidiaries publish on coalindiatenders.nic.in, so one enrolment lets you bid for any of them.

Can a small contractor get Coal India work?

Yes. Area offices tender many small repair, civil and service jobs. Check the eligibility conditions, such as similar work and turnover, and the licences the tender asks for.

Can I bid offline for a Coal India tender?

No. Coal India's notices say offline bids are not accepted.