KSRTC to issue re-tender for project

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KRTC) will re-issue tenders for intelligent transport system project, in a move to improve revenue by improving its operations.
The previous tender invited by the transport corporation was cancelled following allegations of discrepancies in the previous tender process. KSRTC had invited expression of interest (EoIs) from total service providers (TSPs) in June, for computerisation of transport schedules and GPSenabled automatic ticket vending machines (ATVM). Three entities Keltron, C-DIT and Uralungal Labour Contract Society Ltd (ULCC) had responded to the project proposed as per BOO (build, own, operate) model.
But none of the machines presented by the TSPs passed the first technical evaluation conducted for the project, and a second trial run was held. Keltron and ULCC were invited for opening of the financial bid, af ter their ATVMs qualified in the second evaluation. But before the financial bid was opened, the KSRTC officials incharge of the project disqualified Keltron stating that it brought a different ATVM for the test and submitted documents for another machine for the tender.
“ULCC had submitted the project for 25 paise per ticket, while Keltron had proposed less than 20 paise per ticket. It was after a complaint was filed with the transport minister alleging an attempt to sabotage the tender procedure that the tender was cancelled,“ said an official from KSRTC.
A complaint was filed by Kelton citing that the amount proposed by Keltron was much lower than the amount proposed by ULCC, yet the former was not considered.
According to chairman and managing director of KSRTC A Hemachandran, retender will be issued for the project as there was only one company that had qualified in the trial run.
“We are preparing the tender documents. After the technical evaluation only one company had qualified, so we are inviting another tender for the project,“ said Hemachandran.