Solar tenders in India: who issues them, the main types, ALMM rules and where to find them

Solar tenders range from gigawatt-scale power auctions to a 10 kW plant on a school roof. This guide explains who issues solar tenders in India, the main types (SECI tenders, EPC, rooftop solar tenders and PM-KUSUM), the ALMM and domestic content rules, typical eligibility, and where the tenders are published.

What are solar tenders?

A solar tender is a government invitation to do one of these:

• sell power: build your own plant and sell its electricity at a tariff you quote;
• build a plant for the buyer (EPC: engineering, procurement and construction);
• supply equipment such as modules, inverters, solar pumps or street lights;
• run and maintain a plant (O&M: operation and maintenance).

Solar power auctions often call the tender document an RfS (request for selection). Works and supply tenders use the usual notice inviting tender (NIT) and bid documents.

Who issues solar tenders in India

SECI, NTPC, NHPC and SJVN

These four central public sector companies are the renewable energy implementing agencies (REIAs). MNRE has set them a bidding trajectory of 50 GW of renewable power bids a year for 2023-24 to 2027-28, so they issue most large solar power tenders.

SECI (Solar Energy Corporation of India) is a Navratna company under MNRE, set up in 2011 for the National Solar Mission. It runs tariff-based reverse auctions for solar, wind, hybrid and round-the-clock projects. SECI signs a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) with the winning developer and a matching power sale agreement with the discom that finally buys the power. It also issues EPC tenders, rooftop solar tenders and vendor empanelment notices.

NTPC, NHPC and SJVN run similar power auctions, and also tender EPC and supply work for solar plants they own. NTPC's own tenders are on GovtTenderHub's NTPC tenders page.

State nodal agencies, discoms and other buyers

Each state has a renewable energy nodal agency, such as UPNEDA in Uttar Pradesh or MEDA in Maharashtra, that runs state programmes: rooftop solar on government buildings, solar pumps, street lights and PM-KUSUM. State discoms (electricity distribution companies) buy solar power and run PM-KUSUM and rooftop schemes. Railways, airports, universities, hospitals and PWDs tender plants for their own buildings and land.

Types of solar tenders

Developer tenders (tariff-based bidding)

These are the SECI tenders most people hear about. You bid the tariff (₹ per kWh) at which you will sell power, under the central government's standard bidding guidelines. The 2017 solar guidelines set the PPA at a minimum of 25 years from the scheduled commissioning date and pushed for e-bidding.

How it usually works, as SECI's RfS documents describe it:

1. Two envelopes. You submit a technical bid and a first-round tariff.
2. Technical check. Only qualified bidders have their tariff opened.
3. E-reverse auction. Shortlisted bidders cut their tariff online. It can only go down, and you can't change the capacity you offered.
4. Award. The lowest tariffs win, up to the capacity on offer.

The winner usually forms a project company to sign the PPA. Our PPP model guide explains how such project companies (SPVs) work.

EPC tenders

The buyer owns the plant and pays you to design, supply, build and commission it, often with some years of O&M. These are ordinary works contracts with a BOQ, an EMD and a performance security. Many smaller contractors start here, or as sub-contractors to the main EPC firm.

Rooftop solar tenders

Government buildings get rooftop solar in two ways:

• CAPEX model: the department pays for the plant and owns it.
• RESCO model: you, the renewable energy service company, pay for and own the plant, and the building pays you a tariff for the power.

Rooftop tenders are measured in kilowatts, not megawatts, so they suit local installers.

PM Surya Ghar rooftop for homes

PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, approved by the Cabinet on 29 February 2024, aims to put rooftop solar on one crore homes. It is not a tender for each house:

• Vendors register on the national rooftop solar portal and choose the states and districts they work in.
• Homeowners apply on the portal and pick a registered vendor.
• The subsidy is 60% of the cost up to 2 kW and 40% of the extra cost from 2 to 3 kW, capped at 3 kW. At benchmark prices that is ₹30,000 for 1 kW, ₹60,000 for 2 kW and ₹78,000 for 3 kW or more.

So for a home installer, the "PM Surya Ghar tender" is really vendor registration. Discoms and state agencies do tender some work under the scheme, and those tenders appear on their portals.

PM-KUSUM tenders

PM-KUSUM (Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan) has three parts:

• Component A: grid-connected plants of 500 kW to 2 MW, set up by farmers, cooperatives, panchayats, FPOs or water user associations, who sell the power to the discom under a 25-year PPA. EPC firms often build them for the landowner.
• Component B: standalone solar pumps of up to 7.5 HP where there is no grid. The Centre pays 30% of the benchmark or tender cost, whichever is lower (50% in the North East, hill states and islands).
• Component C: solarising existing grid-connected farm pumps, including whole agricultural feeders.

State agencies select pump suppliers and installers through tenders and empanelment. The first phase was extended to 31 March 2026, so check MNRE's PM-KUSUM page for the terms now in force before you price a bid.

ALMM and domestic content rules

ALMM is the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers, kept by MNRE under its ALMM Order of 2019. List-I covers solar PV modules; List-II covers solar PV cells.

• Modules must be on List-I in the projects the order covers, which include government projects and schemes.
• Cells must be on List-II from 1 June 2026. MNRE's December 2024 amendment made this compulsory for projects including government schemes, net-metering and open access projects. Projects whose last date of bid submission came before the amendment were exempted.
• No blanket extension. On 25 May 2026 MNRE refused to push the date back across the board. Net-metering and open access projects commissioned before 1 June 2026 are exempt, and a later notice gave some of them a limited window up to 31 December 2026.
• The lists change often. List-II reached its 11th revision on 5 October 2026, so check the current list on mnre.gov.in when you place a supply order, not only when you bid.

Domestic content requirement (DCR) is a separate condition in some subsidy schemes. Under PM-KUSUM, Components B and C must use solar cells and modules made in India. Ordinary purchase tenders also follow the Make in India order on local content; see our Make in India guide.

Eligibility for solar tenders

Each tender sets its own numbers, so treat this as a checklist.

Developer tenders usually ask for net worth of a stated amount per MW, an EMD or bid guarantee per MW, a larger performance guarantee once you win, and dates for financial closure and commissioning with penalties for delay.

EPC and rooftop tenders usually ask for:

• similar work: solar plants of a stated size completed in recent years. Central works often follow the 40-50-80 rule in our eligibility criteria guide;
• average annual turnover over the last three years;
• GST, PAN, an electrical contractor's licence, and sometimes empanelment with the state nodal agency;
• an EMD and a performance security;
• O&M for some years after commissioning, often with a generation guarantee.

Supply tenders for modules, inverters or pumps ask for test certificates, ALMM listing where it applies, past supply and OEM authorisation.

Where to find solar tenders

• SECI: its website, seci.co.in, where each RfS and amendment is posted.
• NTPC, NHPC, SJVN and other PSUs: their e-procurement systems and CPPP. GovtTenderHub reads NTPC tenders directly.
• State nodal agencies, discoms and departments: the state e-procurement portal.
• Solar products: GeM, for panels, lights, inverters and pumps.

Because solar work is spread across so many portals, GovtTenderHub's solar tenders page collects live tenders that mention solar, and electrical and power tenders covers the wider power sector. You can also set a daily tender alert for "solar" in your state.

Common questions

What is SECI and what tenders does it issue?

SECI is the Solar Energy Corporation of India, a Navratna company under MNRE set up in 2011. It runs reverse auctions for solar, wind, hybrid and round-the-clock power projects, and also issues EPC, rooftop and empanelment tenders on its website.

How can I get rooftop solar tenders?

For government buildings, watch the tenders of your state nodal agency, discoms, PWDs and central offices on the e-procurement portals. For homes under PM Surya Ghar, register as a vendor on the national rooftop solar portal; homeowners then choose you.

What is ALMM in solar?

The Approved List of Models and Manufacturers kept by MNRE. List-I covers modules and List-II covers cells. Covered projects must use List-I modules and, from 1 June 2026, List-II cells.

Can a small company bid for solar tenders?

Yes. Rooftop, street light, solar pump and small EPC tenders suit local firms that meet the turnover and similar-work conditions. Large SECI auctions need high net worth, so small firms usually join them as EPC sub-contractors or suppliers.

What is the difference between CAPEX and RESCO rooftop solar?

In CAPEX, the building owner pays for the plant and owns it. In RESCO, the developer pays for and owns it, and the building owner pays a tariff for the power it uses.