Decision to cancel tender to be probed

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The Advisory Committee on Public Purchase yesterday ordered the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) to thoroughly investigate a decision of the communications ministry on cancellation of a Tk 1800 crore tender for upgrading the Dhaka-Chittagong highway.

The Roads and Highways Department (RHD) had invited the tender to upgrade the Daudkandi-Chittagong portion of the highway to four lanes.

But after completion of the tender evaluation committee’s work, the communications ministry recently cancelled the tender proposal, which the cabinet body termed as “beyond the jurisdiction” of the ministry.

As per government procurement procedure, when a government agency invites any tender involving more than Tk 50 crore, either only the tender inviting agency can cancel the tender or the Advisory Committee on Public Purchase, known as Cabinet Purchase Committee, can approve or reject it.

Beyond the two bodies, no other committee has such authority.

After the cancellation of the tender by the communications ministry, the aggrieved bidder filed a writ petition with the High Court challenging the decision. The court suspended the ministry’s decision and issued a show cause notice.

Against this backdrop, the communications ministry placed the tender proposal before the Cabinet Purchase Committee seeking endorsement to its cancellation decision.

But finding the communications ministry’s action as extraordinary and beyond its jurisdiction, the purchase committee members expressed serious resentment, sources close to the committee told the news agency.

Explaining the matter, Finance Adviser Mirza Azizul Islam, who presided over the Purchase Committee meeting, told newsmen that the committee asked the IMED of the planning ministry to make a comprehensive investigation as to why and under what basis the communications ministry cancelled the tender.

“This is absolutely beyond their (vommunications ministry) jurisdiction. The cabinet purchase committee is the only authority to make the final decision,” he said.

Adopting other decisions the committee approved a proposal of the industries ministry to import 10,000 tonnes of phosphoric acid for a DAP fertiliser factory of the BCIC.

The committee also approved a proposal of the National Board of Revenue to procure and install a scanner machine at the Chittagong port. The scanner machine will cost Tk 43.40 crore.

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