THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Daltonganj, November 22: Bidding lower than the schedule rate of the tender notice, as lower as upto 48 per cent!
No one should be any surprised by this new trend gripping the tender notices. From officers concerned to the contractors (bidders), all are aware of the tender game going on in Jharkhand, where tender notice is grabbed by foul means, which is invariably by bidding far lower than the schedule rate of the actual tender notice.
Finance Minister Flags Bid Manipulation as Serious Irregularity
It was the Finance Minister Radha Krishna Kishore who exposed this tender game in the inaugural ceremony of the weeklong Right to Service programme in Nilamber Pitamberpur on Friday, when he said, “A multi lakh tender notice was floated in Palamu. Here bidding price as low as 48 per cent than the schedule rate of the tender notice has been submitted. How is this possible? It’s all foul.”
“It’s high time to check this malaise. Previously bidders used to submit bidding prices just 10 per cent below the schedule rate of the tender notice but now it is hiked by 48 per cent. This is absolutely a big crime,” opined the Finance Minister Kishore.
The Central Vigilance Commission has set norms of filing bidding which emphasises transparency and fair competition.
However, such a low bidding as low as 48 per cent of the tender notice is malafide and creates space for corruption in the quality of work as assigned to the tender notice.
Contractor Raises Concerns Over Compromised Standards
A well-known contractor, Mumtaz Ahmad Khan, told the Jharkhand Story Network correspondent on Saturday, “Bidding lower than the schedule rate of the tender notice is indicative of poor quality of work where standard specifications are bound to be compromised with.”
Khan further said, “It has been found that contractors in such low bidding either abandon the contract midway or delay the work most inordinately, further spiralling the cost of the construction.”
Khan, referring to a multi-crore road project near the DPS school in the outskirts of Daltonganj, said “It’s months and months now, and no contractor is coming up for it.”
Policy Change Blamed for Worsening Tender Practices
Schedule rate if it is beyond crore and crore doesn’t have this problem of submitting terribly low rate bidding as seen in multi lakh worth tender notice, where the schedule rate is compromised with, said sources.
The state government has waived the 10 per cent below the schedule rate of the bidding, thereby opening a door to lowering the bidding as low as one can imagine.
Finance Minister Kishore said the concerned officials must revert to the same old 10 per cent below the schedule rate of the bidding, for which the state government should bring in amendments or rectifications to restore and revalidate the old practice of 10 per cent below the schedule rate of the bidding.