The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has issued an advisory directing all government agencies in the renewable energy sector to strictly adhere to established procurement norms, after observing instances of tenders being floated with unusually short bid submission windows — in some cases as low as seven days.
According to the ministry, such tenders appear to have been designed to circumvent the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) mandate for solar cells, which applies to all government-backed renewable projects.
In the advisory dated October 3, 2025, MNRE emphasized that all Renewable Energy Implementing Agencies (REIAs), PSUs, and other government entities must comply with the General Financial Rules (GFR) and Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) guidelines while issuing tenders to ensure transparency and financial propriety.
The ministry has instructed that any existing bids with shortened timelines issued in violation of these rules should be scrapped and reissued in full compliance with prevailing regulations. Agencies have been asked to report back on the action taken within 15 days.
The advisory, signed by Dr. Aravindh M. A., Scientist ‘D’, was issued with the approval of the competent authority and circulated to all Central and State government agencies involved in renewable energy procurement.
