ISLAMABAD - The National Highway Authority (NHA) on Friday postponed opening of the financial bids for the tranche-III of Central Asian Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Corridor Programme.
About two weeks ago, the road authority declared 17 companies technically qualified to do this multi-billion project after a long scrutiny and deliberations while it was scheduled that the financial proposals of technically qualified bidders would be opened on January 31 but all of sudden the process was stopped ‘mysteriously’ at the eleventh hour.
Sources informed that some of the key players wanted to exclude certain bidders by influencing NHA’s incumbent management to avoid healthy competition for this project.
However, when contacted, the Director Public Relations NHA Mazhar Hussain informed that the process is stopped on the advice of Grievance Redressal Committee and it will resume once it will take a final decision on an application filed by one of the bidders.
GRC is an internal forum of NHA to provide an opportunity to the bidders to file their grievances against any unfairness done in the process but most of the time the forum is used to drag the procurement process.
According to a letter issued by the Convener of GRC available with this scribe, a meeting of the committee is called on Monday to evaluate the complaint as it seems generic in nature and needs further elaboration from the complainant company.
The tranche-III comprised 4 lots for which technical and financial proposals were sought independently from reputable construction firms and a total of 20 firms submitted their bids against this project.
There were six companies in the run for 58km long lot-1 between Rajanpur – Jampur, seven for 64km long lot-2 between Jampur-DG Khan, five for 112km long lot-3 between DG Khan - Tibbi Qaisrani and two for 96km long lot-4 between Tibbi Qaisrani - Di Khan.
However, after technical evaluation, five firms were qualified for lot-1 and lot-2 each, four firms for lot-3 and two firms for lot-4. The total PC-I cost of these lots is Rs85.44 billion.
The firms declared technically qualified for lot-1 includes a joint venture of Ningxia Communications Construction and M/s Rustam Associates, M/s Zahir Khan and Brothers (ZKB), M/s China Construction Third Engineering Bureau Group, a joint venture of M/s Zhongmei Engineering Group Limited, M/s Al-Mehreen Enterprises and M/s Hasas Construction (Pvt) Ltd and a joint venture of M/s Jiangsu Haitong Construction Engineering and M/s Aitmaad Builders & Developers (ABD).
Meanwhile, for lot-2 the successful companies include a joint venture of M/s Ningxia Communications Construction and M/s Dynamic Constructors, M/s China Construction Third Engineering Bureau Group, and a joint venture of M/s Jiangsu Haitong Construction Engineering, M/s Aitmaad Builders & Developers (ABD) and a joint venture of M/s Zhong Gang Construction Group, M/s Matracon Pakistan (Pvt) Ltd and M/s Abdul Waheed Khan and M/s Shaanxi Construction Engineering Group.
On the other side, for lot-3 a joint venture of M/s Ningxia Communications Construction and M/s Dynamic Constructors, M/s China Construction Third Engineering Bureau Group, a joint venture of M/s Zhongmei Engineering Group Limited, M/s Al-Mehreen Enterprises and M/s Hasas Construction (Pvt) Ltd and a joint venture of M/s Zhong Gang Construction Group, M/s Matracon Pakistan and M/s Abdul Waheed Khan are declared technically successful.
However, only two companies including a joint venture of M/s Ningxia Communications Construction, M/s Rustam Associates and M/s Dynamic Constructors and a joint venture of M/s Zahir Khan and Brothers (ZKB) and Sultan Mehmood Khan and Company SMC are declared technically successful.
Under tranche-III, an additional carriageway would be built on N-55 between Rajanpur-DG Khan and DI Khan in which a two lane highway would be converted into a four lane highway.