'108' ambulance services tender process nixed again

Given the ongoing departmental inquiry and a Lokayukta case against the tender process for '108' ambulance services, the health department cancelled the process on Thursday.

This is the sixth year that '108' services are operating without a formal contract, after the department cancelled its MoU with GVK in 2017 due to poor service quality.

Based on an anonymous complaint, the department had found that the previous deputy director in charge of the tender process had inserted a clause into the tender document without prior approval of the procurement or technical committees.

The clause would have prevented the department from suing any foreign company that’s part of the consortium selected to run the services.

“Other than this clause, we will also relook at certain clauses about which companies had raised questions in the pre-bid meeting. I will approach the government about the scope of the tender again, and by next week, the procurement and technical committees should be relooking at the tender document,” said D Randeep, commissioner of the Health and Family Welfare department.

The department has formed a debarment committee to conduct a separate inquiry against GVK for submitting false information when bidding.

GVK (now Green Health Services) was one of the three bidders shortlisted in the tender process.

GVK's violations were identified when the department rechecked all bid documents in light of the corruption allegations.

It was found that GVK didn’t disclose a case pending in Lokayukta against their state head on misappropriation of '108' funds, though disclosure is mandatory.

GVK also gave false details about the work experience of key personnel. Though the chief operating officer (COO) had been serving since 2020 only, his CV said he'd been in charge since 2010. Similarly, the fleet coordinator had not managed 500 ambulances as required.

“The debarment committee met on June 6, and has given 10 days' time for GVK to respond. We will submit our findings to the procurement committee, who will decide whether GVK can be allowed to participate in the tender process again,” said Dr Naveen Bhat, who heads the debarment committee.