Rs10 bn bid rejected, Rs15 bn accepted.http://liveup2dates.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, February 06, 2013
From Print Edition

Workers Welfare Fund’s lawyer says rejected company was not sound; Transparency’s Adil Gilani says PPRA rules violated



ISLAMABAD: The government’s Workers Welfare Fund is all set to award a contract of Rs15 billion to a contractor, considered to be close to the government, for the construction of a 500-bed hospital in Islamabad by deliberately ousting other potential and sound bidders who are even ready to do the work for Rs10 billion. The fund is a subsidiary of the Ministry of Human Resource.



The department is in such a haste to award this contract that the fund is proceeding with the tender process despite the fact that the Islamabad High Court has taken cognisance of the matter and has sought a reply from the department over a petition filed by one of the contractors, who despite fulfilling all the requirements was allegedly and deliberately ousted in the pre-qualification process.



Details reveal that the fund intends to construct a 500-bed Teaching Hospital, Medical and Dental College at Rawat, Islamabad, and has allegedly pooled with the contractors. Those who were not bowing to the commands of the high-ups of the department have been ousted from the tendering process.



M/s Techno Xinjiang Beixin, a joint venture of companies, has been ousted from the tendering process without givingtendering process without giving any reason. M/s Techno knocked at the doors of the Islamabad High Court which has sought replies from the fund but in the meanwhile the tendering process has continued and a contactor has been declared as the lowest bidder at Rs15 billion.



M/s Techno has written to the Chief Justice of Pakistan about this tender being awarded at exorbitant rates to a contractor stating that the firm was ready to do the work for Rs10 billion because the rates of the tender have been jacked up after pooling with the contractors.



Raja Aamir Abbas, senior lawyer and representative of M/s Techno, while talking to The News said that the Islamabad High Court has been approached because people have eyes on the Workers Welfare Fund and a work that can be done for Rs10 billion is being awarded for Rs15 billion.



He said that the Public Procurement Rules 2004 also state that if a contractor is disqualified at any stage then there should be some written reasons given to him but in this case, no reasons were handed over to one of the most sound parties because it had refused to pool with the high-ups.



Adil Gilani, procurement specialist and advisor to Transparency International Pakistan, while commenting on the issue said that according to PPRA Rules, no contractor can be disqualified without assigning reason and if the work can be done in Rs10 billion as claimed by one of the bidders then there must be some pooling in the process. He said that this tender would be declared illegal in any court of law because PPRA Rules have been violated.



Secretary of the fund, Iftikhar Rahim, did not respond to the questions sent by this correspondent but the fund’s lawyer, Syed Nayab Gerdaizi said that the firm M/s Techno could not qualify therefore it has no right to raise objections over a project.



He maintained that the tender was not being awarded at exorbitant rates but the firm, which has complained, was not a sound party. He said that no one was deliberately ousted from the process but a firm that has no work at its back cannot be pre-qualified.