12 firms qualify for Saaf Pani project

LAHORE

Punjab Saaf Pani Company (PSPC) has pre-qualified 12 globally-acclaimed companies having experience of implementing engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) projects to execute Khadim-e-Punjab Saaf Pani Programme in the first phase in rural areas of 35 tehsils of 10 districts of the province. 

Officials said PSPC had invited pre-qualification applications for award of 14 contracts worth US $ 1.15 billion in first phase to implement safe drinking water solutions (water filtration plants) in 35 priority tehsils of 10 districts of Muzaffargarh, Dera Ghazi Khan, Rajanpur, Bahawalpur, Lodhran, Rahimyar Khan, Sahiwal, Faisalabad, Kasur and Okara. 

They said more than 23 million rural people of 7,496 villages would have sustained access to safe and clean drinking water in the wake of execution of first phase of multi-billion dollar project. 

They said 30 companies from USA, Turkey, Austria, China, Pakistan, Australia, Germany, UAE and Malaysia had provisionally qualified because of notarisation and attestation of their submitted documents were still awaited. 

The qualified companies included De Nora-SKAFS International (USA-Pakistan), Vinci and FZC (France), Hyundai (Korea), Sultan Mahmood & Company-ESER Contracting (Turkey-Pakistan), Beijing Enterprises, China Railway, China Gezhouba Group, China Aerospace Construction and Anuhi Shui An Construction Group (China), Dam & Water Works Construction Co, SABIR Mahab Ghodss Consulting Engineering Co, AMCORP Engineering & Consulting (Iran-Pakistan) and Veolia Water Systems (United Arab Emirates).

These companies will be issued request for bid documents, officials said, adding that 24 companies had also been disqualified for failing to meet the requisite technical and financial criteria and failing to provide technical information. 

To ensure utmost transparency in the award of contracts, PSPC has announced that the aggrieved parties may submit their grievances to Grievance Redress Committee within 10 days of the notification related to disqualification and provisional qualification. 

PSPC had received more than 440 pre-qualification proposals for 14 contracts from 64 international companies, some of them had collaborated with local Pakistani companies to execute the project in the form of joint venture. 

Safe and clean drinking water supply project is a mega project costing approximately US$ 3,000 million, which will cover 137 tehsils (20,000 villages) to provide basic necessity of life to over 50 million rural population in province of Punjab. This landmark programme will provide safe drinking water to every household within 0.5km radius in a comprehensive, integrated and sustainable manner. 

The project will benefit over 50 million people residing in rural and peri-urban areas of the Punjab province in next three years. So far, 80 water filtration plants have been installed in five tehsils of South Punjab, including Minchinabad, Khanpur, Hasilpur, Dunyapur and Lodhran to provide safe drinking water to 250,000 individuals.

BSF delegates: An 18-member delegation of Indian Border Security Force (BSF) arrived in Pakistan for biannual talks on Tuesday.

The Indian delegation, arrived in Lahore through Wagha Border headed by Add DG Suri Rajnikanth Mishra, was greeted by Sutluj Rangers Commander Brigadier Shaukat. During the meeting, the two sides are expected to discuss ceasefire violations. The biannual meetings have been a regular fixture over the years to improve coordination and understanding between the two border forces.