Mini diesel generator tender tainted with malpractice allegations
A multi-million rupee tender to procure 50 mini diesel generators and associated gear has now come under the scrutiny of the Procurement Appeal Board following allegations leveled against the awarding of the tender to an undeserving bidder with questionable credentials, disgruntled bidders revealed.
According to the documents seen by the Business Times, 18 bidders submitted their bids for the tender which closed on February 8, 2016.
The tender called by the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) for the supply , installation and commissioning of 50 1MW/1.25 MVA containerised package diesel generators, 25 step-up containerised transformer units and 25 containerised diesel fuel tanks was then awarded to Sterling & Wilson of India which was earlier rejected by the Technical Evaluation Committee (TEC), the CEB Engineers union confirmed.
The TEC has recommended Senok Trade Combine Pvt Ltd as the most responsive and lowest bidder with no deviations from the procurement criteria, a senior member of the union said noting that none of the engineers’ input was taken into consideration.
He added that the Standing Cabinet Appointed Procurement Committee (SCAPC) has overruled this decision and arbitrarily requested the TEC to re-evaluate two bidders (Sterling & Wilson of India and Hyosung Corporation of India) who have been rejected for non-compliance and for making incomplete bids.
The union said a plan was allegedly hatched to award the tender to this Indian company without a clear reason being given to justify it.
Even after the conclusion of the reevaluation process, TEC has recommended Senok Trade Combine Pvt Ltd as the suitable bidder without giving any reasons.
The ‘Perkins’ generator brand offered by Sterling & Wilson of India had been rejected by the CEB engineers and TEC on previous occasions as it is not compatible with the national grid.
The Cummins brand generator put forward by Senok Trade Combine is a reliable US product with over 25 years experience in the local market and the CEB is still operating a similar US brand of 10MW diesel generator for over 10 years since 2006 without any breakdown.
The government has decided to add 100 MW of capacity to the national grid to provide an uninterrupted supply of electricity to the people.
The emergency power will be connected to the national grid when a challenging time is encountered, Ministry of Power and Renewable Energy officials said.