The Ministry of Avenue Transport and Bridges plans to introduce a pre-justify contractor screening course of to be sure handiest qualified firms rob a part of their initiating tenders.
Officers said this new course of objectives to lower the quantity of unreliable contractors, end justify-rigging, and streamline the total tendering course of.
The proposed “pre-qualification verification machine” beneath the Originate Tendering Manner will classify possible bidders into loads of classes basically based completely completely on their deserves, in step with a newest meeting, chaired by Avenue Transport Adviser Fouzul Kabir Khan.
Then yet again, this course of will handiest be utilized to constructing initiatives valued over Tk35 crore and maintenance initiatives exceeding Tk3.5 crore, meeting minutes demonstrate.
A ministry legitimate, speaking anonymously, told TBS that the Roads and Highways Department (RHD) has already created a structure of screening and shared it with mission managers and supervising engineers across all avenue zones for input.
A file incorporating their solutions will seemingly be submitted to the ministry by next Monday, after which a closing decision will seemingly be made, he added.
Concerning the transfer, Syed Moinul Hasan, chief engineer at RHD, told TBS on 2 October, “The Public Procurement Options (PPR) enables pre-qualification verification. This initiative has been taken however now not yet finalised.”
He said that the new course of offers several advantages, alongside with the classification of contracting firms which prevents the same organisation from continuously successful contracts and enables extra firms to private the assorted to actual work.
Within the period in-between, initiating tenders consist of data sheets detailing the talents required for firms to actual contracts, corresponding to old expertise with similar initiatives, credit rating dedication certificates from banks, and company turnover.
Then yet again, the department at show makes use of the Previous Efficiency Overview Matrix to make a various contractors, a machine with several loopholes that lead to the same firms continuously securing contracts.
To take care of these disorders, a meeting used to be held on 27 August at Rail Bhawan, chaired by Fouzul Kabir Khan.
In line with the meeting minutes, the RHD will prepare pre-qualification and gentle paperwork for contractors, which will seemingly be submitted to the Bangladesh Public Procurement Authority (BPPA) for approval.
The BPPA will then rob further action in consultation with relevant agencies, and the e-GP (electronic executive procurement) machine will seemingly be up as much as now to incorporate the pre-qualification vetting course of.
The meeting additionally discussed reforms to the latest matrix machine and the utility of price adjustments in future tenders beneath the operating funds.
Then yet again, even sooner than a decision used to be made on the new screening mechanism, the RHD engineers private raised objections, claiming it will complicate the tendering course of.
Why is pre-justify screening primary?
A ministry legitimate told TBS that this initiative objectives to curb irregularities in the initiating tendering course of by combating the same contractor from continuously successful contracts, deterring mammoth contractors from getting low-price initiatives, and stopping price-basically based completely completely joint ventures between mammoth and minute contractors.
The legitimate said that since there are extra minute initiatives on hand, the same contractors often actual multiple contracts, leaving many others with out work. This save can affect the quality of the output.
Citing an RHD statistic, he said the department invited around 40,000 tenders at some point soon of the last 13 years, with about 34,000 valued beneath Tk1 crore, predominantly awarded to a pick out team of contractors.
He explained that the Public Procurement Act of 2006 mandates that bids must be 10% elevated or lower than the legitimate estimate at some point soon of the initiating refined course of. Every at times, contractors who’re the lowest bidders offer prices beneath the executive’s estimated costs.
This voice enables contracting firms to with out complications resolve the executive’s estimated prices, as the RHD’s agenda of charges is publicly on hand. Consequently, many bidders submit offers which shall be 10% lower than the estimated costs, said the legitimate.
He additionally said that the latest Previous Efficiency Overview Matrix machine to make a various contractors has loopholes, ensuing in rigging and irregularities.
Why draw contractors and RHD engineers oppose the transfer
Ultimately of a meeting chaired by RHD Chief Engineer Syed Moinul Hasan on 30 September, extra chief engineers and superintending engineers from varied zones expressed objections to the pre-qualification course of.
They said this come might per chance per chance introduce new complications. Additionally, there might per chance be save that a political executive might per chance per chance now not endorse this come after the latest intervening time executive’s duration of time ends, doubtlessly main to adjustments.
They truly helpful that any coverage desires to be deliberate with a prolonged-duration of time perspective and suggest reverting to a lottery machine for ravishing distribution of work.
Contractors additionally spoke in opposition to the transfer.
Ezarder Mukitur Rahman, proprietor of M/s DA Enterprise, which contracts with varied executive institutions, told TBS that classifying contractors thru pre-qualification might per chance per chance draw a monopoly lift out for engineers.
He explained that if there are 50 firms listed in a category within a zone, an engineer might per chance per chance favour sure contractors by promising them work.
He advocated for the usage of a lottery machine to allocate contracts among organisations that meet all refined data sheet requirements.
To end the same organisation from successful contracts continuously, he truly helpful creating a job limit for contractors.
For FY25, Tk32,042 crore has been distributed for RHD. This funding will toughen new and ongoing initiatives, moreover conservation and trend efforts. Additionally, Tk3,000 crore has been distributed beneath the operational funds for avenue upkeep work.
