Public sector Coal India Limited (CIL) is fast-tracking the process of procuring more than 360 high-capacity mining equipment valued at over ₹7,000 crore. Responses have already been received for the nine global tenders floated to buy the equipment, an official said.
E-procurement process
CIL said in a statement that the global tenders had been built on a common notice inviting tender (NIT) at corporate level through a transparent e-procurement process that included a reverse auction. The equipment would be used in open-cast mines, CIL’s mainstay of operations. The purchase would be funded through the company’s capital expenditure kitty, it said.
The NIT aims to increase the number of proven supply sources to benefit the company by creating a competitive supply market. The list includes rear dumpers and electric rope shovels.
Tendering for very high capacity drag lines, among the costliest of heavy earth moving machinery, is also on the anvil, officials said.
CIL’s eight coal-producing arms produced 469.7 million tonnes between April 2018 and January 2019, clocking a 6.6% growth, according to a regulatory filing. This year’s target is about 650 million tonnes.
