Mumbai: Park care contracts to go to companies that bid 40% below estimates | Mumbai News – Times of India

0
181

[google-translator]

MUMBAI: The BMC has had to blink and finally clear tenders for the maintenance of parks and gardens to companies that have bid close to 40% below the BMC’s estimated costs.
The BMC took more than three months to decide on the low bids but finally gave in and has placed a proposal to award contracts worth Rs 69 crore to these companies.

1

Despite scrapping tenders and forfeiting deposits of contractors for making bids 40% below estimates, contractors once again bid around 40% below estimates in fresh tenders floated this month for the maintenance of more than 200 parks and gardens.

TimesView

The need for well-maintained open spaces is essential for a space-starved Mumbai. It was a good move by the BMC to penalise companies that had bid way below the estimates and would have ended up doing a shoddy job. But with agencies bidding below estimates again, it looks like it failed to break the contractors’ cartel. The BMC must put in place strict audits and quality checks to ensure open spaces are well maintained despite low bids.

“The previous average was -44% and the average now in the second tenders is around -38%. So there is not much difference. But we had no option since we needed agencies for maintaining open spaces. We will have strict audits and weekly reports,” said an official.
In August 2021, the BMC had scrapped tenders worth Rs 50 crore for the maintenance of more than 200 parks and gardens after contractors bid over 40% below estimated costs and allegedly attempted to create a cartel. Additional municipal commissioner Ashwini Bhide had directed to also forfeit the around Rs 50 lakh deposits of the contractors for bidding much below estimates.
The BMC had floated tenders for the maintenance of around 200 parks and gardens through a one-year contract.
The BJP alleged the BMC had failed to break the cartel of contractors. “This shows that the contractors are more powerful than the BMC. The BMC must conduct an enquiry against officials who prepare the estimates. How can contractors bid below 40% compared to the original estimates? It was good to forfeit the deposits but it seems that this failed to break the cartel of contractors. Those companies that have bid below 30% for the second time must be blacklisted. The BMC must put in place very strict quality checks and audits and appoint contractors at once. The contractors have had the last laugh and this is a slap on the BMC’s face,” said Vinod Mishra, BJP corporator.
In all, BMC has 1,052 open plots together measuring 1,200 acres, which include gardens, recreational grounds and playgrounds.

Source link

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here