HSVP's Rs 378-crore convention centre tender fails to get bidders, process to begin afresh

Bijendra Ahlawat

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Faridabad, August 30

The tender released by the Haryana Shehri Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) for the mega project of International Convention Centre, worth Rs 378 crore, here has failed to get any response.

The HSVP has now invited suggestions from the prospective bidders for the resolution of the issues claimed to be blocking the process. The tender was released in June this year.

“As the tender inviting date for the project came to an end last month, no application was found to be submitted,” according to sources, who added that some bidders interested in the project told the HSVP officials that certain lacunae and conditions in the tender process needed to be removed or amended. The eligibility criteria announced in the tender was reported to be the main issue of confrontation, said sources.

“The bidders want certain amendments, which include the replacement of the single bidder condition with the clause of joint venture as it is claimed that the project involved huge investment and a single company may not take that risk,” said an official. The demands of a provision of escalation in cost and shortening of the maintenance period of the project to three years, instead of 10, have also been sought by the companies interested in the bidding process, it was revealed.

Rajiv Sharma, Superintending Engineer, HSVP, said the bidders had been asked to submit their suggestions in writing so that these could be submitted for the consideration by the higher authorities. A meeting to discuss the issue was also held today, he said, adding that the final decision regarding the amendments was to be taken at the HSVP headquarters. This might take another two weeks before the tender was released again, it was claimed.

The foundation stone of the project was laid in August 2019. It took around 22 months to release the tender in June this year.

To be biggest in North India

Projected as the largest convention centre of North India, International Convention Centre is proposed to be built in Sector 78 in Faridabad. With a total of five auditoriums and plenary halls to accommodate over 4,500 persons, it is proposed to be the leading spot for hosting large conferences, meetings and events of national and international level.