- A PM-KUSUM bid is two parts: a technical bid and a financial bid.
- The technical bid holds eligibility, experience, EMD and equipment compliance.
- The financial bid holds only prices, in the exact tender format.
- No EMD means instant rejection — the amount is set per tender (verify).
- Most rejections are document errors, not price. Use a checklist.
In PM-KUSUM you do not walk in and claim a subsidy — you win tenders. The bid is mostly paperwork, and a single missing paper can sink an otherwise winning price. This checklist walks an EPC through every document a PM-KUSUM solar-pump or Component-C tender asks for, in the order a bid is built and opened.
What this PM-KUSUM tender checklist covers
This checklist covers the documents an EPC submits to bid for PM-KUSUM work — Component-B standalone pumps, Component-C pump solarisation, or Component-A plants. The exact paper list lives in each live tender, but the structure is the same across most state nodal agencies (SNAs) and SECI model documents.
Treat this as a master list to build your own bid file. Then read the live tender line by line, because every SNA tweaks the wording, the thresholds and the formats. When a number here looks firm, it is an estimate — verify it against the live tender and the latest MNRE order.
Technical bid vs financial bid — keep them apart
A PM-KUSUM tender is almost always a two-part bid: a technical (or "technical-cum-eligibility") bid and a separate financial (price) bid. The technical bid is opened first; only bidders who pass it have their financial bid opened.
The one rule that sinks bids
Never put a price, a rate, or even a hint of cost inside the technical bid. If the evaluators see your price before the technical stage closes, your bid can be rejected for breaking the two-part rule. Keep all numbers in the financial bid, in the format the tender gives you.
Firm and eligibility documents
The firm documents prove you are a legal, eligible bidder. Gather these once, keep a clean folder, and reuse them across tenders — refreshing anything that has expired.
What goes in the firm pack
- PAN and GST of the firm, with an active GSTIN certificate.
- Incorporation proof — CIN, partnership deed, or Udyam/MSME registration.
- Empanelment proof with the SNA, where the tender restricts bidding to empanelled vendors.
- Audited accounts, usually for the last three years, plus a net-worth certificate.
- Experience certificates — past work-completion proofs and PO copies showing capacity executed.
The financial and experience thresholds are set per tender. A small EPC can fail a bid simply because its turnover or executed capacity is below the clause, so read the eligibility section before you spend time on the rest.
Technical bid documents
The technical bid is where most rejections happen, because it carries the compliance proof. The core of it is the filled compliance sheet plus the datasheets that back it up.
The compliance sheet
Most tenders give a clause-by-clause compliance sheet. You confirm each line against the MNRE specification and attach the proof. Leaving a line blank, or writing "complied" without a datasheet, is a common reason a technical bid is marked non-responsive.
Make and model lock-in
You declare the exact make and model of each item — module, motor, pump, and the universal solar pump controller (USPC). This locks what you must supply if you win, so quote what you can actually source at the price you bid.
Financial bid and EMD
The financial bid is short but exact: the priced schedule or bill of quantities in the tender's own format, signed and sealed. The EMD travels with the bid as your earnest money.
EMD — the deal-breaker
EMD (earnest money deposit) is a refundable security that shows you are serious. It is paid online or as a bank guarantee for the amount the tender sets. A bid without valid EMD is rejected at opening, before anyone reads your price. The amount and the validity are tender-specific — verify both in the live document. Our EMD and PBG guide covers the working capital this ties up.
Datasheets and MNRE specifications
Datasheets are the evidence behind every "complied" tick. PM-KUSUM equipment must meet the MNRE technical specification, with BIS or IEC test reports for the major items.
Line up the make/model datasheets and their test reports early, and check the ratings match the tender's annexure exactly. A module wattage, a motor rating, or a controller spec that is one step off the requirement can fail the bid. The spec version changes over time, so confirm against the latest MNRE order and the MNRE technical specification guide.
Why PM-KUSUM bids get rejected
Most PM-KUSUM bids fail on documents, not price. Avoid these and a fair price has a fair chance.
The repeat offenders
- No or invalid EMD — the bid never gets read.
- Price in the technical bid — breaks the two-part rule.
- Expired or mismatched documents — licence dates, firm-name spelling across PAN, GST and bank.
- Datasheets off-spec — ratings that do not match the MNRE annexure.
- Unsigned or wrong-format financial bid — not in the tender's own schedule.
Submission on the e-tender portal
Most PM-KUSUM tenders are submitted online on the SNA's e-procurement portal, signed with a digital signature certificate (DSC). You upload the technical and financial parts separately and pay or attach the EMD as the portal asks.
Submit early, not at the deadline
Portals slow down near the close time, and a failed upload at the last minute loses the whole bid. Upload a full day early, keep the submission receipt, and confirm every file opens. Lining up your DSC, the bank guarantee and the signed PDFs in advance removes the deadline panic.
How SuryaHub helps you bid clean
A bid is a checklist with a deadline. SuryaHub keeps every PM-KUSUM tender, its documents, datasheets, EMD and dates in one place, and runs each bid through government-workflow tracking and project management so the technical and financial files are complete before you submit. SuryaHub is pre-revenue; its only real pilots are Suryantra Energy and RGESPL, and the figures here are scheme estimates, not guarantees.
Never miss a bid document again
See how SuryaHub turns every PM-KUSUM tender into a tracked checklist.
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
What documents are needed for a PM-KUSUM tender?+
A PM-KUSUM tender needs your firm documents (PAN, GST, incorporation proof), financial proof (audited accounts and net worth), experience certificates, the EMD, a filled technical-compliance sheet with MNRE-spec datasheets, the make and model of every item, and the priced financial bid in the tender format. Always check the exact list in the live tender.
What is the difference between the technical bid and the financial bid in PM-KUSUM?+
In a PM-KUSUM tender the technical bid holds your eligibility, experience, EMD and equipment compliance, and is opened first. The financial bid holds only your prices in the tender format and is opened later, but only for bidders who pass the technical stage. Keeping price out of the technical bid is essential.
What is EMD in a PM-KUSUM tender?+
EMD, or earnest money deposit, is a refundable security an EPC submits with a PM-KUSUM bid to show it is serious. It is paid online or as a bank guarantee for the amount set in the tender. A bid without valid EMD is rejected at opening. The exact EMD amount is set per tender, so verify it in the live document.
Why do PM-KUSUM bids get rejected?+
PM-KUSUM bids most often get rejected for a missing or invalid EMD, price details placed inside the technical bid, expired or mismatched documents, datasheets that do not meet the MNRE spec, and an unsigned or wrongly formatted financial bid. Most rejections are document errors, not price, so a careful checklist protects your bid.
Do PM-KUSUM tender documents follow the MNRE technical specification?+
Yes. PM-KUSUM tender documents require equipment that meets the MNRE technical specification, with BIS or IEC test reports for modules, motors, pumps and the universal solar pump controller. Your datasheets must match the specified ratings. The exact spec version changes, so confirm against the latest MNRE order and the tender annexure.
How does SuryaHub help with PM-KUSUM tenders?+
SuryaHub keeps every PM-KUSUM tender document, datasheet, EMD and deadline in one place, and runs each bid as a checklist so nothing is missed before submission. SuryaHub is pre-revenue, with Suryantra Energy and RGESPL as its only real pilots, and all bid figures here are estimates to verify with the live tender.
Sources & references
Bid structure, EMD and document rules come from SECI model documents and MNRE guidelines. The exact list, thresholds and formats live in each live tender — always read it before you bid.
- SECI ↗
Model PM-KUSUM tender documents and standard bid formats.
- PM-KUSUM National Portal ↗
Scheme dashboard and state implementation links.
- Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) ↗
Scheme guidelines and technical specifications.
Written by the SuryaHub team · reviewed against MNRE, PM-KUSUM portal & SECI sources · updated 19 June 2026.
Method: The checklist is built from SECI model tenders and MNRE guidelines and re-checked every 30 days. EMD amounts, thresholds and formats are tender-specific estimates to verify with the live tender. SuryaHub is pre-revenue; only Suryantra Energy and RGESPL are real pilots.
Change log: 19 Jun 2026 — first published.