Ahmedabad Smart City Tender Re-awarded to Disqualified Company, Raising Questions Over Manpower Claims

Ahmedabad Smart City Tender Re-awarded to Disqualified Company, Raising Questions Over Manpower Claims

A company disqualified from an earlier Ahmedabad Smart City manpower tender has secured the contract after retendering, raising questions over the selection process and the verification of staffing claims.

Disqualification Followed by Retendering

The tender was issued to arrange manpower for Ahmedabad Smart City operations. The company was initially disqualified during the first round of bidding but was subsequently awarded the contract after the tender was reissued.

According to the report, the company had been disqualified from the earlier tender, while the retendering process resulted in it securing the contract. The development has raised questions about the circumstances under which the company became eligible in the second round.

Allegations Over Manpower Attendance

The report raises concerns about possible irregularities in the company's manpower arrangements, including allegations that attendance records may have been manipulated to secure financial benefits.

Officials are being urged to examine whether the manpower deployed under the contract matched the numbers claimed by the company and whether the required verification procedures were followed.

The allegations centre on the possibility that inflated or inaccurate attendance records could have enabled the company to claim payments for manpower that was not actually present.

Eligibility Conditions and Certification Requirements

The tender process involved eligibility conditions relating to the participating companies and their documentation. The report refers to requirements concerning relevant experience and certification, including documents associated with the 2022–23, 2023–24 and 2024–25 financial years.

The report also refers to a contract valued at around Rs 50 lakh and raises questions about whether the prescribed conditions were adequately enforced during the retendering process.

Questions Over Tender Transparency

The case has brought the tender evaluation process under scrutiny, particularly the reasons behind the company's initial disqualification and its subsequent selection.

The allegations require verification through tender documents, manpower attendance registers, payment records and the relevant authorities' responses. No conclusion about wrongdoing can be drawn without examining these records and establishing whether the tender conditions were breached.