Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Standing Committee chairman Sandeep Naik okays e-tendering.

The pending part of e-tendering was passed by the standing committee of Navi Mumbai Muncipal Corporation (NMMC) on Wednesday. NMMC has decided to e-tendering process for various development works to be taken by the civic body from now onwards. Earlier, some of the corporators had opined that most local residents wishing to apply for small contracts will not be able to do so if the civic body decides to go ahead with this scheme.

“In this meeting we have decided to implement e-tendering for all projects, which are estimated to cost more than Rs.25 lakh. Under the Jawaharlal Nehru National urban renewal mission (JNNURM), it is mandatory to call the tenders through e-tendering so that all contractors get equal chance. Once the contractors become familiar with the process, e-tendering will be implemented in all tenders,” Said standing committee chairman, Sandeep Naik.

Corporators opined that the phase-by-phase implementation of e-tendering would help those contractors who are not tech-savy or computer literate.

“Normal tender process will not be stopped completely. Mostly, tenders called by NMMC are of small amounts below Rs.10 Lakh. Tenders passed below Rs.10-15 Lakh are attended by local contractors. Some of them are not tech-savy also. So this phase-by-phase change will help all of them to understand the process,” said Avinash lad, Corporator. Almost 1,600 tenders are passed every year for different projects by the NMMC. Meanwhile, NMMC officials said they would set up a help desk at the NMMC headquarters to help the contractors apply online. The civic body would also conduct a 15 –day training workshop for the contractors.

“Though e-tendering, new contractors will get a chance to apply for various works,” opined municipal Commissioner Vijay Nahata.

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