<p>Five months on, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai’s plan to have high-value government tenders vetted by a committee is yet to take off.</p>.<p>It was in November last year that the Cabinet decided to have all large tenders - Rs 50 crore and above - approved by this committee before they are floated.</p>.<p>The three-member committee was to be headed by a retired high court judge, a financial and a technical expert.</p>.<p>The committee, while reviewing large tenders, was expected to prevent exaggeration of funds required and check escalation of costs of a particular tender.</p>.<p class="CrossHead"><strong>The background</strong></p>.<p>In fact, the decision to constitute the committee came close on the heels of kickback allegations levelled by the contractors against the state government. While announcing the committee, the state government had said that it was necessitated as there were several complaints of huge variations in estimates proposed while tenders were floated.</p>.<p>The committee, upon its formation, was expected to clear tender proposals within 15 days to avoid unnecessary delays in projects undertaken by the government.</p>.<p class="CrossHead"><strong>GO awaited</strong></p>.<p>Though Bommai said recently that the committee would be constituted shortly under the provisions of Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurements (KTPP) Act, a senior official in Finance Department said that the committee was yet to be formed. “It is not operationalised yet,” the senior official said.</p>.<p>A government order on the formation of the committee was still awaited.</p>.<p>When contacted, Higher Education Minister C N Ashwath Narayan said that the committee will ensure that all tenders are double checked.</p>.<p class="CrossHead"><strong>'Departments can't wait</strong></p>.<p>To a question, he said that tenders above Rs 50 crore were floated since the Cabinet decision as various departments had to take up works.</p>.<p>“The departments cannot wait till the formation of this committee to float tenders,” he said, adding that all tenders will undergo scrutiny once the committee is formed.</p>.<p>Between November 2021 and March 2022 this year, the government has floated over two dozen high-value tenders, according to the e-procurement portal.</p>.<p><strong>Check out latest DH videos here</strong></p>
<p>Five months on, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai’s plan to have high-value government tenders vetted by a committee is yet to take off.</p>.<p>It was in November last year that the Cabinet decided to have all large tenders - Rs 50 crore and above - approved by this committee before they are floated.</p>.<p>The three-member committee was to be headed by a retired high court judge, a financial and a technical expert.</p>.<p>The committee, while reviewing large tenders, was expected to prevent exaggeration of funds required and check escalation of costs of a particular tender.</p>.<p class="CrossHead"><strong>The background</strong></p>.<p>In fact, the decision to constitute the committee came close on the heels of kickback allegations levelled by the contractors against the state government. While announcing the committee, the state government had said that it was necessitated as there were several complaints of huge variations in estimates proposed while tenders were floated.</p>.<p>The committee, upon its formation, was expected to clear tender proposals within 15 days to avoid unnecessary delays in projects undertaken by the government.</p>.<p class="CrossHead"><strong>GO awaited</strong></p>.<p>Though Bommai said recently that the committee would be constituted shortly under the provisions of Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurements (KTPP) Act, a senior official in Finance Department said that the committee was yet to be formed. “It is not operationalised yet,” the senior official said.</p>.<p>A government order on the formation of the committee was still awaited.</p>.<p>When contacted, Higher Education Minister C N Ashwath Narayan said that the committee will ensure that all tenders are double checked.</p>.<p class="CrossHead"><strong>'Departments can't wait</strong></p>.<p>To a question, he said that tenders above Rs 50 crore were floated since the Cabinet decision as various departments had to take up works.</p>.<p>“The departments cannot wait till the formation of this committee to float tenders,” he said, adding that all tenders will undergo scrutiny once the committee is formed.</p>.<p>Between November 2021 and March 2022 this year, the government has floated over two dozen high-value tenders, according to the e-procurement portal.</p>.<p><strong>Check out latest DH videos here</strong></p>
