The tender conditions necessitate three technically eligible bidding parties to come forward in order to proceed to the second stage of the bidding process
With the period for submitting technical bids for the Taj Mansingh auction lapsing on July 9 because only two bidders came forward, the long-delayed auctioning process is in limbo yet again. The tender issued on June 16 was the third one to be floated by the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), in its attempt to auction the licence rights to the hotel property at Plot No. 1, Man Singh Road.
The tender conditions necessitate three technically eligible bidding parties to come forward in order to proceed to the second stage of the bidding process, which includes submission of financial bids.
However, since only two parties have submitted technical bids, the future of the auction, scheduled for July 18, stands uncertain. “As of now, the bids have been sealed. The matter will have to be referred to the council,” said the NDMC official in-charge of this matter.
After the first auction attempt for this property, held on January 30, failed to attract the requisite number of bidders, NDMC floated a tender with less stringent technical conditions —scheduling an auction for June 19. This, too, attracted only one bidder and had to be annulled on June 14. However, there was no further relaxation on the conditions in the current tender.
“How much more can we relax the technical conditions? We can’t allow just anybody and everybody to bid for the property,” the NDMC official said.
NDMC vice-chairman Karan Singh Tanwar had told The Indian Express last week that if the current tender fails to attract enough bidders, the council might have to make crucial changes to its bidding procedure in a fresh tender.
“We might have to amend the process so that two bidders are sufficient to go forward with the financial bids. Of course, there is also the possibility of relaxing the technical conditions,” he said.