Multiple Rs.0.00 bids from Grand Prix Engineering raise questions about incomplete… – Downstream contracting briefs, 3 Jun 2025

DAHEJ PDH-PP TENDER LAYS DOWN ONE OF THE HEAVIEST COLUMN SPECS IN RECENT YEARS: IMPOSSIBLE TO QUALIFY

PLL’s latest tender for CS & SS columns includes a 70-meter Deethanizer column weighing 330 MT, setting structural and transportability challenges not typically seen in domestic EPC scopes.

The stainless steel deethanizer at 70.1 meters TL-to-TL and 330 MT weight poses a major fabrication and site-handling challenge. Few Indian vendors can qualify.

In a rare clause, the qualification mandates past fabrication of ≥4620 mm dia and ≥34200 mm long CS/AS/SS pressure vessels — cutting out firms lacking oversized bay capacity and heavy lifting gear.

Vendors face aggressive timelines—15 months to Dahej FOT delivery and 3 months to erect and install internals on site, pushing project logistics and post-delivery readiness planning to the edge.

FROM TRACKING PANELS TO WIND TREES: ALL OPTIONS ON TABLE FOR RE STUDY BY THIS REFINER FOR ITS COMPLEX

The tender encourages creative engineering—from bifacial panels to wind microgeneration—making it a tech-neutral feasibility exploration.

The bid emphasizes intelligent design, cost simulation, and optimal land use.

The demand is for software-driven predictions using environmental and load parameters to model real-world energy behavior accurately

IOCL’S SHIFT TO FULLY DIGITIZED PIPELINE PLANNING: AN UPDATE

GPR, topo and soil data must be geo-referenced

And contractors must stitch all survey deliverables into ESRI’s ArcGIS

Despite part-surveys being done, IOCL requires new GPR scans, hinting at concerns over subsurface utility mapping.

BPCL’S PETCHEM-CUM REFINERY’S COOLING TOWER PACKAGE: MANY UNRESOLVED ISSUES

The technical amendment assigns full execution of buried cooling lines to the CT package vendor, shifting cost and delay risk downstream.

No detailed layout or tie-in logic shared, even though contractors must draw from multiple nearby headers without fixed specs.

Vendors flagged contradictory riser layouts and P&ID mismatches — but amendment offers no harmonization.

While CT-1 is said to host the H?SO? tank, flowline path to CT-2 remains undefined, inviting site execution disputes.

Despite assumptions of manual operation, the amendment mandates unified PLC-based control, adding automation cost.

EIL insists on high ppm for scale inhibitors, ignoring bidder inputs on corrosion risk — possibly inflating OPEX.

One bidder proposed safer anodic inhibitors — but EIL declines with a boilerplate “follow bid” stance.

While commissioning chemicals are excluded, the vendor’s long-term dosing accountability remains under-defined.

CENTRIFUGAL PUMP FOR MRPL’S BIO-ATF PLANT: INTERPRETATION RISKS?

Vendors flagged contradictory suction pressure and NPSHA values across datasheets — leading EIL to amend mechanical specs to reflect process values.

Multiple bidders sought higher downstream pressure margins; EIL declined, reinforcing strict adherence to MR values.

S6 and A8 material classes now permitted, easing procurement hurdles for vendors with pre-approved inventories.

Utility parameters and a new electrical TA were appended without fanfare, hinting at late-stage integration changes.

Critical design inputs like deck opening and boot length marked as HOLD, leaving bidders exposed to interpretation risks.

Suction/discharge ratings proposed as 300# RF across tags — EIL notes but insists process data ratings prevail.

A rare show of flexibility from EIL allows alternate casing/impeller materials, aiding vendor design optimization

CLAD VESSEL SHOWDOWN: FIVE ENGINEERING MAJORS ENTER THE FRAY FOR BPREP

A high-stakes battle unfolds as Godrej, ISGEC, Anup, and others compete for the thick-clad pressure vessel package, signalling intense interest in the high-end metallurgy space.

The tender mandates a 135+3 mm LAS+SS overlay—among the heaviest in the segment—positioning it as a premium fabrication job requiring niche forging, cladding, and U2 stamping capabilities.

Material specs for shell and heads push design margins with demanding metallurgy, targeting long-life under 175.8 kg/cm²g at 343°C for critical petrochemical duty

PRICE GAP SIGNALS VOLATILITY IN STRAINER PROCUREMENT

With consistent low quotes, Triveni is forcing rivals to reconsider pricing models on small-to-mid volume strainers. Instead of a broad sweep, Bombay Chemical wins select items with tactically sharp pricing.

Multiple Rs.0.00 bids from Grand Prix Engineering raise questions about incomplete submissions or strategic withdrawal.

Despite being a known vendor, Gujarat Otofilt’s bids trailed L1s significantly—over 90% in some cases.

Some items show a near 100% difference between L1 and L2 bids, pointing to wide cost estimation disparities.

The tender shows a classic case of undercutting, hinting at shrinking margins across the piping component supply chain.

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