The Defence Estates Office (DEO), Mhow Circle, Mhow Cantt, has invited bids for the development of an approximately 55 MW solar power plant at Barodapanth Grass Bir in Tehsil Depalpur, Indore district, Madhya Pradesh. The project will utilize around 275.13 acres of vacant land and will be developed under a Design, Build, Finance, Operate, Maintain and Transfer (DBFOMT) model.

The tender has been structured as a single-stage, two-sub-stage e-procurement process. Participation is restricted to Central Public Sector Undertakings (CPSUs) and Central Government Statutory Bodies. Bidders can participate individually or as the lead member of a consortium comprising a maximum of two members. The RFP does not permit private sector entities to participate in the bidding consortium.

The selected developer will receive a concession for the operation and maintenance of the solar project for 25 years. The developer will have a mandatory commissioning period of 24 months from the appointed date to achieve the Commercial Operation Date (COD). After achieving COD, the developer will be required to pay an Annual Gross Revenue share to the Authority, with the applicable share determined through the financial bidding process.

The RFP was issued on September 23, 2026. A project site visit is scheduled for October 1, while bidders can submit queries until October 5. The pre-bid meeting will be held on October 6 at 12:00 PM at the DEO Office, Mhow Circle. Clarifications or addenda are scheduled to be issued on October 8.

The deadline for submission of bids is October 23, 2026, by 5:00 PM IST. Qualification proposals will be opened on October 26, followed by notification of shortlisted bidders on November 2. Financial proposals are scheduled to be opened on November 3. The concession agreement is required to be executed within 60 days from the issuance of the Letter of Award.

Bidders must pay a non-refundable bid document fee of ₹10,000 through RTGS or NEFT to the Defence Estates Officer, Mhow. The tender requires an Earnest Money Deposit of ₹2.3375 crore, equivalent to 1% of the total project cost. The EMD must be submitted as an unconditional and irrevocable bank guarantee from a Scheduled Bank and remain valid for at least 210 days from the Bid Due Date.

The successful bidder will also be required to furnish a Performance Bank Guarantee equivalent to 10% of the total project cost before execution of the Concession Agreement. The RFP requires electronic bid submission through the Central Public Procurement Portal, while physical copies of specified documents, including the EMD bank guarantee and powers of attorney, must be submitted to the Defence Estates Office, Mhow, before the bid deadline.