Hyderabad, January 21: The Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad, has allegedly framed pre-qualification conditions that leave out all major construction firms that are in contention for the Rs 750-crore permanent campus project, except one.
The Rs 750-crore permanent campus project involves the construction of several buildings and other infrastructure at Medak.
According to the terms and conditions of the pre-qualification application, the bidder must have completed, on its own and without forming any joint venture, at least three construction works worth Rs 300 crore each. Of these three, one must be executed for the government or autonomous body or state-owned company.
“The execution of a Rs 300-crore building project in government space without a joint venture partnership is a difficult proposition. No company in India, except one, can bid for the project,” said the senior official of a Mumbai-based construction company, requesting anonymity.
The pre-qualification conditions were announ-ced on December 30, 2011. The deadline for applications is January 23, 2012.
If only one company qualifies, IIT-Hyderabad has to award the contract to it without competitive bidding. The institute could stand to lose money this way. IITs have access to public money in the form of grants from the Union human resource ministry.
When contacted, IIT-Hyderabad executive engineer Ravindraba refused to comment, saying that only the director of the institute is authorised to talk to the media. Attempts to contact the director proved futile.
A top official of a construction major, however, alleged, “The tender is manipulated to favour one company. The pre-qualification terms disqualify all others in the country.”
“I don’t see any rationale in awarding all buildings to one construction company. If IIT divides the Rs 750-crore project into seven pieces and invites tenders, it will bring in healthy competition and help it to save money,” an official from another company pointed out.
–_DC