To bring transparency in awarding contracts for parks space, catering and parcel-leasing at railway stations, the national transporter has decided to adopt the e-tendering system by doing away with paper-based tendering methods.

Contractors, who are bidding for ATMs and advertisements in the station premises also have to go for online system, said a senior official in the railways said.

At present, paper-based traditional tendering methods are being followed in most of the divisions. In in the current system, there was scope for cartel by a select group of people to bag parking, catering and other contracts, said the official.

Under the Digital India programme, the national transporter has decided to put every tendering process in the online system in all 17 zones and 70 divisions, he said.

Earlier the Railways has conducted a pilot project on e-tendering in Delhi Division of Northern Railways in allotting parking lots and food stalls and it was found successful, said the official. 

The Railways has entrusted its software arm Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS), to provide backup support for ensuring the e-tendering exercise should be hassle-free.

All e-tenders documents will be uploaded on the Indian Railways E-Procurement System (IREPS) and interested parties have to submit their offers through online on the portal.

Submission of manual offering totally discontinued once the online system came into existence, said the official. Those who wanted to participate in IERPS have to register themselves free of cost.

The Railway Board had written to all the zones and divisions to switch to the online system of tendering at the earliest. 

The railways earlier made it mandatory that all supplies to its workshop and manufacturing units to procure supplies from vendors through online bidding only.