Cambodia, Lao PDR and Bhutan publish few World Bank energy notices, so one missed notice can mean missing the best fit of the year. Between 1 October 2025 and 14 October 2026 we tagged 40 energy and power notices in the three countries: Bhutan 19, Cambodia 15 and Lao PDR 6. Each market buys something different, and different firms win.
| Country | Energy notices | What is bought | Who won |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bhutan | 19 (11 awards, 5 requests for expression of interest, 3 invitations for bids) | Preparation of the Chamkharchhu II and IV and the 1,125 MW Dorjilung hydropower projects, for Druk Green Power Corporation: design, surveys, drilling, environmental and social studies | 9 of 12 awarded-firm entries were foreign: India 4, Portugal 2, Australia, Italy and Sweden 1 each |
| Cambodia | 15 (11 awards, 2 requests for expression of interest, 2 invitations for bids) | Solar lighting and solar pumping inside rural development packages, mostly under the Land Allocation for Social and Economic Development Project III (11 notices) | 11 of 12 awarded-firm entries were Cambodian; one Chinese firm won as a partner |
| Lao PDR | 6 (4 invitations for bids, 1 award, 1 request for expression of interest) | Mobile substations, transformers and substation equipment for Electricité du Laos under the Power Distribution Improvement Project | TBEA (China), the only award so far |
Bhutan: the rare market where foreign consultants win. Most of the work is hydropower preparation, and much of it is specialist. The Detailed Project Report for Chamkharchhu II and IV (QCBS, 18 months) went to Entura (Australia) for BTN 23.1 million plus AUD 1.99 million. Four other firms were evaluated (Lahmeyer International, Studio Pietrangeli, Gruner Stucky and Bernard Gruppe), and SMEC International, AFRY Austria and Mott MacDonald were rejected as non-responsive. Price still mattered: Entura's evaluated price of BTN 142.8 million was about a third below the next lowest (BTN 209.1 million). The design and engineering consultancy for Dorjilung (Quality-Based Selection, 72 months) went to SMEC India with Pietrangeli SAFE (Italy) for INR 97.8 million plus EUR 5.43 million. Seven of the 19 notices were Direct Selection, for example inflow and hydropower forecasting (The Energy and Resources Institute, USD 175,707), financial advisory services for Dorjilung (Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India, USD 351,850) and geotechnical investigations (IGS Geotechnical Services, INR 53.9 million). Local firms won the smaller survey and assessment jobs, such as lineament mapping (Tobgay Tobgay Consultancy, BTN 2.0 million).
Open now in Bhutan: an international open competitive Request for Bids for exploratory core drilling and associated tests for Chamkharchhu II and IV, in four lots. Bids are scored 40% technical and 60% financial, electronic bidding is permitted, and the deadline is 15:00 Bhutan time on 9 November 2026. Check the notice for the latest details.
Lao PDR: substation equipment, decided on price. Electricité du Laos runs the Power Distribution Improvement Project (P178477, about USD 51 million according to the project's own notice). Its four goods tenders covered two mobile substations and transformers and equipment for substations in the north (Phonsavanh and Nalae; Mouangkham) and the south (Sapaothong, BanNa and Pakbor). All used international competitive Request for Bids with two envelopes and rated criteria of 20% technical and 80% cost. The bidding document cost USD 100, bids had to be delivered on paper (no electronic bidding), and the mobile substation bid needed a USD 80,000 bid security. The mobile substation contract went to TBEA at an evaluated USD 2.64 million (signed USD 2.89 million, 270 days). The other four evaluated bidders, all Chinese, came in at USD 3.44 million to USD 5.04 million, so the winning bid was about 23% below the next one. If you are not a high-volume manufacturer, expect to compete on the technical score or on local service, not on price. The transformer and substation awards had not been published by 14 October 2026; when they are, they will be the best benchmarks for this buyer.
Cambodia: solar inside rural works, won by local contractors. The energy tags in Cambodia are mostly solar street lights, household solar kits and solar groundwater pumping, bundled into community infrastructure packages worth roughly USD 0.1 million to 1.2 million each. Taing Cheng Oing Construction won three of these packages (up to USD 1.17 million each), Samnang Borey Kamkor won two solar pumping and irrigation packages (USD 775,166 and USD 679,188), and Peng Sour Construction won groundwater wells with solar pumps (USD 998,733). The only foreign winner was Zhongshan Shouliang Technology (China), alongside Ayudhya Resources (Cambodia), on a USD 227,880 supply of household start-up packages and solar lights. The Ministry of Health also tendered solar panels for 206 health facilities in two lots (USD 1,332,000 and USD 1,140,000 in the notice) and encouraged both international and national bidders. Electricité du Cambodge is preparing the Cambodia Sustainable Energy Transition Project. Its notice describes work on transmission and distribution, rural electricity access and energy efficiency, and it is hiring for preparation work, such as a study of the impact of electric vehicles on the distribution network (expressions of interest close 19 October 2026).
Practical takeaways:
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Figures: AsiaTender Watch analysis of World Bank procurement notices (World Bank Procurement Notices dataset, financesone.worldbank.org/d/DS00979, CC BY 4.0) for Bhutan, Cambodia and Lao PDR, published 1 Oct 2025 to 14 Oct 2026 and tagged energy/power by keywords in the notice title (40 notices). Contract values and bidder details are as stated in the award notices. Keyword tagging is approximate.
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