In a bid to ensure the quality of public assets created by accredited agencies, the Finance Department has tightened its grip on the process for selecting agencies to be entrusted with the execution of works in departments, public sector undertakings, and autonomous bodies which do not have a permanent engineering wing.
The government had constituted a committee headed by the Secretary (Finance and Expenditure) and comprising the Chief Technical Examiner, Chief Engineer, Public Works Department and head of the Department of Civil Engineering, Government Engineering College here to advise it on the selection and accreditation of agencies. Reputed non-government organisations such as Nirmithi Kendra, Costford, and cooperative societies adept at doing such works too would be considered for accreditation.
The committee had reviewed the functioning of the accredited agencies and voiced its concern over the quality of works completed by many of them. It also felt that the economy and quality of public assets should not be compromised. In this context, the committee has revised the guidelines for the selection process. It has been proposed to set scores for evaluating the agencies and they would be grouped on the basis of the scores secured by them. Out of 100 points, the minimum score for accreditation has been fixed at 30 points. The volume as well as the cost of works to be awarded to an agency would be decided on the scores they secure in the evaluation process.
Fresh applicationFinancial capacity of the agency, experience and expertise, liabilities to the government as well as financial institutions, litigations involving the agency, penal action initiated for breach of contract or failure to abide by the standards laid by the government for executing a work and such other factors would be considered in the ranking process. The accreditation period has been reduced from five to two years. Accredited agencies too would have to submit fresh application for renewal.
Departments, PSUs and autonomous bodies can seek the service of such agencies for implementing their works without tender. The revision of guidelines assumes significance in the wake of a surge in complaints about the works taken up by various agencies and also the local self-government institutions.
