HYC alleges lack of transparency in procurement of roofing sheets

SHILLONG, Oct 1: The HYC on Tuesday accused the Directorate of Housing of issuing a Notice Inviting Quotation (NIQ) recently to benefit a few firms producing aluminium roofing sheets in Meghalaya.
The accusation was made after the Directorate of Housing issued the NIQ on September 10, seeking the supply of aluminium roofing sheets worth Rs 69.65 crore.
HYC president Roy Kupar Synrem claimed that the terms and conditions in the NIQ were deliberately framed to give undue advantage to firms close to government officials.
According to him, the NIQ limits participation to firms with manufacturing units in Meghalaya, even if they lack the expertise to supply or manufacture such materials.
Synrem further alleged that the financial stability criteria in the technical bid had been tweaked to benefit a specific bidder. He pointed out that one condition required the bidder or its local representative to have an annual turnover of not less than Rs 1 crore.
Additionally, the HYC president highlighted that in an NIQ issued in February 2022, the required annual turnover for participation was set at no less than Rs 10 crore for a contract worth Rs 200 crore.