pNet - pManifold Network Blog: Franchisee updates from Jharkhand & PESU, Expert Interviews & more

Monday, August 5, 2013

This is a newsletter sent to mailing list of pManifold sharing Power Distribution Franchisee industry opportunities and updates.

Some of the recent updates about the industry are mentioned below:

New Opportunities

Jharkhand State Electricity Board (JSEB) has floated new RFP documents for appointment of 'Rural Distribution Franchisee' on the basis of 'Collection Based Model' in its 15 sub-divisions comprising of following Area Board: Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Hazaribag. 4 sub-divisions out of 15 are same as per the earlier released tender document in Feb, 2013. The key activities for the participating bidder includes meter reading, billing, collection, minor operation and maintenance of the LT/HT network, attending fuse calls, etc. Last date of bid submission is 27th August, 2013. (Request For Proposal, Distribution Franchisee Agreement and Notice Inviting Tender can be read here in details)

South Bihar Power Distribution Company Ltd (SBPDCL) has re-initiated tenders through e-procurement mode only for selection of bidders for PESU area. Last date for request of bid document has been extended till 10th Aug, 2013 and for bid submission is 12th Aug, 2013. ('Pre-bid conference replies, RFP and Corrigendum'can be downloaded here)

Existing Opportunities

Assam Power Distribution Company Ltd (APDCL) released tender documents for preparation of Feasibility Report saw participation in pre-bid conference from companies like E&Y, IL&FS, Power Grid, pManifold, Mercados EMI, URS Consulting, Mecon, and few others. Last date of bid submission is 7th Aug, 2013. (Visit this page for latest updates)

Expert Opinions

Mr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia, in his piece of advice, prescribed for private participation in power distribution sector either directly or through the franchisee route by the State. Further, he supports 50% power distribution to be privatized from current 5%. (Read here for his detailed views)

Mr. Ajoy Mehta, MD, MSEDCL, shared his vision on Power Distribution Franchisee models in India in a recent Business Technology Conclave, under the banner of IUKAN. (Read our blog for more details)

'Mission Mode' for PPP in electricity distribution - At least 100 towns should be brought into the PPP model every year, says Mr. Vinayak Chatterjee, CMD, Feedback Infrastructure, in a recent interview with Business Standard. (Read here for full article)

Interesting Developments

Newly formed Bihar State Power Holding Co Ltd (BSPHCL) has recently conducted a conference in different parts of the country for potential private sector investments and attractions in the Transmission & Distribution (T&D) sector, in order to expedite the reforms process in the state. The conference organized by Feedback Infra saw more than 130 delegates from over 80 companies. The conference presentation can be viewed here.

India Utility Voice of Consumer Survey 2013

pManifold, in an another initiative, has launched an online survey (i.e. Voice of the customer) to measure Customer Satisfaction for power and water utilities pan India level. We would like you to encourage to participate and promote the survey link. (Survey Link - Answer 21 questions to improve local electricity and water utility services)
55% respondents expect their electric company to improve on "Correct billing". Other among the top 5 areas of improvement expected by customers include Safety & Maintenance (51.4%), Voltage Stability (46.7%), Direct Communication (45.7%) and Control of theft cases (43.8%). More intermediate results can be viewed at myUtility.in or My Utility India.