Maharashtra procurement policy to be revamped: Fadnavis

Mumbai, Jul 15 (PTI) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday announced a comprehensive overhaul of the state procurement and tendering system to improve transparency and accountability, saying a high-level committee will be set up to recommend policy reforms. Chairing a meeting on the government's procurement policy at the state secretariat, Fadnavis said the committee will study the existing tender rules, examine suggestions received from various departments and recommend changes. He said the government will issue revised procurement guidelines after the committee submits its report, according to an official release. Fadnavis stated that every administrative decision should be based on a clear policy framework, noting that audit authorities mainly examine whether government decisions conform to prescribed rules and policies. He said the new procurement policy should encourage greater participation of Indian companies, startups and emerging entrepreneurs in government tenders. Instead of relying mainly on previous experience and financial eligibility, the evaluation process should also assign importance to technical capability, innovation, skilled manpower, quality execution and measurable outcomes, he added. The chief minister noted that the government should not award contracts only to the lowest bidder; instead, it should promote the Quality and Cost-Based Selection (QCBS) method, which considers both quality and price, and also evaluate the total lifecycle cost of projects before awarding contracts. He directed officials to integrate information from different departments on the MahaTender portal so that details of contracts awarded to a contractor across departments are available on a single platform. This, he said, would help prevent excessive concentration of government work with a few contractors. The chief minister also called for stronger contract management through effective service-level agreements, better risk management, regular monitoring of project implementation and improved contract drafting to reduce disputes and litigation. He said government departments should focus on clearly defining the expected outcomes of projects instead of prescribing highly restrictive technical specifications in tenders. This would encourage industry to offer innovative solutions and promote research and adoption of modern technologies. He also asked officials to study international best practices in public procurement and examine the experience of the Nagpur, Pune and Nashik Metro projects to reduce costs, improve quality and adopt lifecycle cost assessment in future infrastructure projects. Tool Tech Chairman Atul Khanna made a presentation on reforms in government procurement, including pre-request for proposal (pre-RFP) consultations, early contractor involvement, deliverable-based contracts, independent technical support systems and standardised tender documents, the release added. PTI MR NSK