ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) has sought an explanation from the Karachi Port Trust (KPT) for “non-implementation of rules and regulations” on a complaint over tender for dredging (cleaning) work at Karachi Port.
International marine contractor Van Ord had filed a complaint that KPT had not issued a technical assessment report on the issue of awarding tenders for dredging of the port’s coastal area. It said that KPT awarded the tender without giving an air gap of seven days. The PPRA directed the KPT chairman to implement the rules and regulations and submit a report by today (November 29). The Karachi Port Trust had issued a tender for dredging to a depth of 16 km in the sea in Tipu Sultan Channel and South Wharf Basin on the Karachi coast and dumping waste in an area of 8 km from the fairway.
Four international companies qualified technically. They included Dutch company Van Oord Marine & Contractor BV, Belgium’s John De Noel, UAE’s NDMC and China’s China Harbor Engineering Company.
KPT qualified the tender of China’s China Harbor Company without giving a seven-day air gap to the other three companies after technical evaluation. However, the six-member sub-committee and departmental tender committee did not agree. The committee recommended Van Oord as the qualified company, but KPT declared China Harbor Engineering Company technically qualified.
The complainant company said that KPT announced the result of the technical evaluation on the same day as the date of opening of financial proposals on October 14. This is a violation of the rules as it did not give the complainant an opportunity to lodge a complaint with the bidding company earlier. Grievance Committee (GRC), the complainant argued. The PPRA directed that the results of the bids should be declared clearly indicating whether the bids have been accepted or rejected.
The Karachi Port Trust had issued a tender for dredging Tipu Sultan Channel and South Channel Wharf Basin at Karachi Port to a depth of 16 km on July 14 and 15. The project is to be completed in 120 days. Initially, 13 local and international companies submitted bid proposals.