Serbia’s state-owned power utility EPS has canceled a tender for supervision and consulting services tied to its large-scale self-balancing solar energy project after both submitted bids failed to meet required procurement conditions. The utility said the procedure could not move forward to evaluation or contract award. This is the second cancellation of the same tender, which had previously been suspended in mid-2025 under similar circumstances.
Scope and value of EPS supervision contract
The contract is valued at approximately €5.5 million and covers oversight services for the construction of solar power plants and battery storage systems. The planned assets are set to be implemented across multiple municipalities in Serbia. The tender drew two consortium bids, one led by New Energy Solutions and another headed by Energoprojekt Entel.
New Energy Solutions bid rejected over technical documentation experience
EPS rejected the lower offer submitted by the New Energy Solutions consortium, priced at €5.1 million excluding VAT. The utility said the consortium did not sufficiently demonstrate required experience in preparing technical documentation for energy projects above 100 MW. EPS focused on references related to the Cibuk 2 wind farm.
According to EPS, it questioned whether the consortium had directly produced the technical documentation referenced in its submission. The project owner confirmed that a contract existed linked to those references, but EPS still determined that the bid did not satisfy procurement conditions.
Energoprojekt Entel offer dismissed due to bid guarantee validity
The second consortium, led by Energoprojekt Entel, submitted an offer of around €5.5 million excluding VAT. EPS acknowledged that this group met professional qualification criteria. However, it rejected the bid because the bid guarantee did not comply with tender rules, citing an insufficient validity period.
Solar and storage project details linked to Hyundai Engineering and UGT Renewables
The supervision tender is part of a broader renewable energy initiative developed with a consortium including Hyundai Engineering and UGT Renewables. The project plans call for 1 GW of solar capacity alongside battery storage systems totaling 200 MW / 400 MWh. Solar plants are planned across Negotin, Zaječar, Lebane, Leskovac, Bujanovac, and Odžaci.
Completion is targeted for 2028 under a turnkey delivery model that also includes supporting infrastructure.
