Manipulation in tender process to favour Delhi firm
By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Nothing seems to be going right for the Assam Rifles. A day after one of its personnel was caught with heroin, a Shillong-based contractor on Thursday slapped a legal notice to the Force alleging manipulation in the tender process favouring a Delhi-based firm Pragati Infotech.
The contractor E Mawrie served the notice through his counsel Pyllang Nongbri.
“In the notice, I have given 15 days time to the Assam Rifles to take necessary action to disqualify the Delhi-based firm from participating in the tender process for supplying and laying of outdoor plant at Srikona, Silchar,” Mawrie said.
“If the Assam Rifles fails to respond to my notice,” Marwie, while talking to reporters on Thursaday, said that he would be left with no other option but to initiate legal action.
The Delhi-based firm has emerged as the lowest bidder from among the four contractors who took part in the tender process.
As per the tender notice, he said that it was mandatory for the all the bidders to attend the pre-bid consultative meeting held on February 4.
“Only 3 vendors (Ms Arbind Enterprise, Ms TFS Trade and Agencies and myself) attended the pre-bid meet with their survey reports. None from the Delhi-based firm attended the meet nor it had submitted the survey report signed by the Chief Signal Officer (CSO), which was a mandatory component of the tender process,” Mawrie said.
“To the surprise of all the contractors, Pragati Infotech was allowed to participate in the technical bid (a part of tender process) despite failing to attend the pre-bid meet,” Mawrie said.
He alleged that the Delhi firm in collusion with some officials of Assam Rifles managed to place its survey report that too signed by the CSO.
“Pragati Infotech does not have the experience of working in the region which was a mandatory clause in the tender notice,” Mawrie said.
“Not only this, the cost bid was called on June 7 after the validity of the tender is over. It is illegal to call for the cost bid since the validity of the tender was only 90 days. The period of the tender has to be extended before calling for the cost bid. But in this case, they have open the cost bid without extension of the tender,” the local contractor said.
Mawrie said that his representatives had raised objections with the concerned presiding officer not to open the cost bid since the period of the tender has lapsed.
“The Presiding Officer asserted that he cannot stop the cost bidding process since he got instruction from the CIO to go ahead with the process,” the local contractor said.