MARGAO
Margao Municipal Council’s (MMC) controversial door-to-door waste collection tender saga continues as the civic body has floated yet another tender inviting bids for the prized Rs 5.24 crore project after the government turned down its proposal to consider the bids received from the existing contractors, Bapu agency and Green Globe.
The government’s decision to turn down the municipality's plea to accept the bids of the two contractors seemed to have left the civic body with no option but to float a fresh tender. This assumes significance given that the BJP-ruled council had given yet another month’s extension for the two contractors on the plea that the party-ruled government will accept the bids from the two agencies.
As per the e-tender floated by MMC, prospective bidders have been asked to submit bids by February 24. The bids are scheduled to be opened on February 27. Two separate tenders have been floated for the door-to-door waste collection for the Fatorda and Margao areas at Rs 5.24 crore.
A glance at the municipal record books, however, shows that the two agencies, including the agency which was roped in for waste collection without complying with the codal formalities, have received umpteen extensions during the last two years.
When the present council took over the office in early 2021, the councillors at the first meeting chaired by newly-elected chairperson Lyndon Pereira on July 9, decided to continue with the existing contractors on a condition that the new contractor is roped in within three months. The extension lapsed in October 2021, but there was no sign of MMC floating a fresh tender. Resultantly, the two contractors - Babu Environmental and Green Globe - enjoyed patronage as they continued the work beyond the three-month extension.
Sources in the know pointed out that the two contractors continued the job on extensions, with MMC in no hurry to call for tenders, though the municipality has been paying lakhs of rupees every month in lieu of their job.
If sources are to be believed, the MMC finally floated a tender around May last year inviting bids from prospective parties. The existing contractors also participated in the tender, and almost qualified before the Director of Municipal Administration pointed out some discrepancies in the process, delaying handing over the contract to the two contractors.
There was even a move at one of the council meetings to hand over the contract to the two agencies on “nomination”. But, that did not stop MMC from giving extension after extension to the two agencies. The last one-month extension was granted recently to facilitate the council to obtain government approvals so that the two agencies qualify for the May 2022 tender but in vain.
With the Shadow Council for Margao raising serious questions over the fresh tender floated by the civic body on February 20, giving just four days for the bidders to submit their bids, it’s unclear whether the civic body will accede to the SCM request to extend the time and whether the two agencies will receive yet another extension.
Questions raised over short time for prospective bidders
MARGAO:
The door-to-door waste collection tender has kicked up another row with the city-based Shadow Council for Margao questioning the rationale behind the Margao Municipal Council’s (MMC) decision to give just four days for prospective bidders to bid for the Rs 5.24 crore project.
SCM convenor Savio Coutinho has charged MMC for deliberately floating a short tender to keep prospective bidders, who could not turn out better and more efficient than the existing two contractors.
Addressing the media, Coutinho demanded that the civic body issue a corrigendum and extend the time limit to facilitate prospective bidders, including Goans engaged in waste collection, to participate in the multi-crore contract.
“The MMC had issued the tender notice inviting bids for the door-to-door waste collection on February 16. The notice, however, was uploaded only on February 20. The last date to submit the bids for the e-tender is February 24,” Coutinho said while demanding to know whether it is legally correct to give just four days for the bidders to submit the bids.
He added: “This appeared a calculated move by the MMC to rule out more capable and efficient contractors, including Goans who have excelled in waste collection, from participating in the tender. In the fitness of things, the MMC should extend the time limit for submission of bids so that the civic body and the citizens benefit from the door-to-door waste collection.”
