LPG bidders question gate notice
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, May 27 2018:
A forum called LPG New Bidders has questioned a gate notice issued by the IOC for hiring 53 tankers temporarily for transporting LPG to the State while tender process for inducting 230 more bullet tankers into the existing fleet engaged in transporting LPG to the State is already underway.
Speaking to media persons today, LPG New Bidders convenor Th Jiten said that a notice inviting tender bids for inducting 230 bullet tankers was issued by the IOC on January 23 this year.
As per the notice, submission of tender bids and necessary documents must be submitted on or before April 20.Altogether 100 bidders participated in the tender process and their list was published on April 20.Subsequent upon another notice which asked the bidders to bring their tanker trucks to Sekmai LPG bottling plant for physical check, tanker trucks were checked on May 19 Necessary documents were submitted the next day.
At the instruction of IOC officials, some documents were kept at Sekmai bottling plant while some others were taken to Indian Oil Bhavan, Noonmati, Guwahati on May 21 and 22, Jiten said.
After completion of physical test of the tanker trucks and verification of documents, price bids should be opened and selected bidders should be issued Letters of Indent.
The whole tender process should be completed within August and the newly inducted tanker trucks should start shipping LPG from September 1 for a period of five years, he said.
However, the new bidders are apprehensive that the tender process is unlikely to be completed within the month of August, Jiten said.
He went on to question the motive behind issuing a gate notice on April 25 for requisitioning 53 tanker trucks while a list of bidders was published on April 24 .
He appealed to the IOC authority to select the 53 tanker trucks from among the 230 tanker trucks for which due tender process is already underway even if the gate notice for requisitioning the 53 tanker trucks is a temporary arrangement.