• Single bids for years due to low rates
• Ex-contractor alleges tender violations
• Time constraints led to approval: DCF

Mysuru: A controversy has erupted over the Forest Department’s decision to award a single-bid tender for supplying food and fodder to the Dasara elephant team during their stay on the Mysore Palace premises from Aug. 28 to Oct. 25. The estimated cost of the supplies for the period is around Rs. 60 lakh.

As part of preparations for the Dasara festival, the Department has floated a tender for supplying fodder and special food items to elephants. The tender schedule includes bulk quantities of fodder as well as traditional dietary supplements.

Bypassed processes

However, the decision to award the contract despite receiving only a single bid has raised questions. Under standard tender procedures, a tender receiving only one bid in the initial call is required to be cancelled and re-tendered.

However, Forest Department officials are said to have bypassed the re-tendering process and approved the single bid, citing the limited time available before Dasara.

The contract was reportedly awarded as ‘piece work’. However, High Court orders and departmental rules require contractors undertaking piece-work contracts to possess a valid work certificate. The current contractor allegedly does not have the required certificate.

The rates fixed by the Department have also come under scrutiny, with regular contractors reportedly staying away from the tender as the rates are much lower than the prevailing market rates.

For instance, the Department has fixed the rate for tree branch fodder at Rs. 6,000 per tonne, while the Zoo Authority pays Rs. 12,000 per tonne. Similarly, the rate fixed for dry grass is Rs. 7,000 per tonne, compared to Rs. 22,000 to Rs. 27,000 paid by the Zoo and elephant camps.

KTPP Act violation

A.S. Babu, former contractor, who supplied food and fodder for several years, has lodged a complaint with the Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF) and senior Forest Department officials in Bengaluru, alleging violations of Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurements (KTPP) Act and tender conditions.

Babu alleged that the tender conditions made it mandatory for bidders to furnish a supply confirmation certificate. However, the tender was awarded to a person who allegedly does not possess the required certificate.

He contended that the bid should have been rejected at technical stage itself and the financial bid should not have been opened. Instead, the Department proceeded to open financial bid and awarded the contract because the bidder had quoted lowest rate, he alleged.

Babu has urged the Department to cancel the tender and award the contract to an eligible bidder.

“There was only a single bid in the tender. Instead of re-tendering, the officials delayed the process and later cited lack of time as the reason for awarding the contract. This too amounts to a violation of KTPP rules,” he alleged. 

Sources, however, said Babu, a veteran contractor with 25 years of experience in supplying food and fodder for elephants, did not participate in the tender, expecting the Department to call for a second round of bidding. He had planned to submit revised rates based on prevailing market prices in the re-tendering process.

Fodder availability

Another concern is the availability of branch fodder. The tender specifies Banyan, Peepal and Basari tree branches and leaves. Cutting branches from trees on Government property or along roadsides is prohibited and can result in FIRs.

With obtaining such fodder from private land becoming increasingly difficult, questions have also been raised over how the contractor will meet the required quantity and ensure uninterrupted supply.

Due to severe time constraints and pressing forest-related operational issues, the department approved a single-bid tender following official sanction from the Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF). With only five days remaining to make necessary arrangements, the option of issuing a re-tender is ruled out. We have been getting single-bids for several years now.”

   — Dr. I.B. Prabhu Gowda, Deputy Conservator of Forests