Metrowater tender process goes online
Komal Gautham@timesgroup.com
13.01.2022
Chennai: Taking a cue from the city corporation, Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) or Metrowater, has made its tender process completely online. The change has beenimplemented in Metrowater’s four recent tenders, with it asking all competitors to bid as well
l as make the earnest money deposit, which is 1% of the project cost, online.
The tenders are for laying of pipeline at Chembarambakkam lake, purchase of iron pipes, maintenance of treatment plant and pumping stations at Veeranam lake, and buying of machineries for the maintenance of sewage pipelines.
“Earlier, we called tenders online,but bidders would take print-outs of documents and put them inside boxes outside offices of executive engineers and superintending engineers. The tenderswould then be scrutinised and names announced. Now, the entire system has been made online,” said a CMWSSB superintending engineer.
Apart from ensuring more transparency, officials opined, this would help the board save money as it would enable better competition, which wasn’t possible in the earlier system. TOI hadreported how goondas were placed outside offices and contractors were locked up in hotels to ensure only specific contractors won the bids.
In some cases, bid amounts had been changed after tenders were opened.
CMWSSB awards contracts worth more than ₹2,500 crore every year. Of this, about₹ 250 crore isfor maintenance alone. Though there are nearly 600 contractors in the city, only a few bid for such projects. Some of these contractors fall under class I and can bid for projects above ₹75 lakh. While a group of activists welcome the metro water’s move, some demand that the state government amend the Transparency in Tenders Act, making online tender process mandatory in all departments.
“We have petitioned the chief minister and the finance minister and are hopeful that it would be implemented this year. The Chennai corporation took 15 years to completely implement the online system, but they are already reaping the benefits,” said Jayaram Venkatesan, convenor of NGO Arappor Iyakkam. Officials, however, should look outfor tender conditions thatallow onlycertain contractors to participate and ensure such conditions areremoved, he added.
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