KOHIMA, OCTOBER 29 (MExN): The Kohima District Congress Committee (KDCC) today expressed shock to come across an e-Procurement Notice Invitation for Bids (IFB) issued by Urban Development Department, dated October 18, 2019.
A press release from the KDCC president, Kevi Vizo said that as per the IFB, the department has asked the bidders to quote the bid as per/above NPWD Schedule of Rate (SOR) 2016 and that bids quoted below NPWD SOR 2016 will not be accepted.
The KDCC said that in any open tender there should not be any fixed amount for bidding. It is up to the bidder to quote the rates, which may be above, at par or even less than the NPWD SOR 2016, it stated.
The committee pointed out that all such funds meant for creation of infrastructure is public fund, and the department “should be happy if the lowest bidder is given the contract because it will benefit the department and save funds.”
Stating that such open tender is to maintain transparency and accountability, KDCC however expressed apprehension that the department “must have already granted the contract works favouring particular contractor before even publishing the IFB in the newspapers.”
“Such practice by a responsible and major department would only create rooms for other departments to follow, which would hamper the prospects of smaller contractors,” it cautioned.
The KDCC sough the intervention of the Governor and Chief Minister of Nagaland to “check such manipulative precedence being set by the Urban Development Department.” It urged cancellation of the present process and demanded that a new one be started to provide fair and equal opportunity to other interested bidders.
It also appealed to the Nagaland Government Registered Class-I Contractors Union and Nagaland Contractors and Suppliers Union to take up the issue.
Meanwhile, the KDCC also expressed surprise that while the bids can be submitted online, the tender fee has to be submitted in cash (non-refundable) in the office of the Executive Engineer, Urban Development, Kohima.
It questioned the department’s intention as to what is the requirement for submitting tender fee in cash when the entire tender process is done online.
