NEW DELHI: The tender process for Karnataka’s ‘108’ ambulance services has faced further delays due to pending inquiries and the cancellation of previous tenders. According to sources, the inquiries related to the tendering process have not yet been completed, causing a setback in the procurement process.
The health department of Karnataka had cancelled the tender process for ‘108 – Arogya Kawach’ on June 8 following the detection of anomalies. This particular tender had been in process since January. Two separate inquiries were ordered in relation to the tender process and the poor performance of the company GVK (now Green Health Services), which has been operating the ‘108’ ambulance service in Karnataka for over a decade.
D Randeep, the commissioner of the Health and Family Welfare department, stated that the previous two tender processes had been cancelled due to detected anomalies. He mentioned that an officer allegedly involved in including a questionable clause in the tender document had been removed from their position, and a departmental inquiry had been initiated. The completion of the ongoing inquiries is awaited before the tender process can be restarted for the third time.
In the initial tendering process held in January, GVK was one of the three companies shortlisted, alongside Ziqitza and EdSpark. The state government had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with GVK in 2008. However, due to poor performance and the low quality of the ‘108’ services, the government terminated its contract with GVK in 2017. Nevertheless, GVK continued to operate the service as the tender process for a replacement was delayed.
Randeep added that the new tender process might require an additional ten days to be finalized. During the inquiry, it was discovered that GVK had provided false information during the bidding process. As a result, a ‘debarment committee’ was established and the stakeholders of the company were summoned to appear on June 6. However, the stakeholders requested more time to respond, and they ultimately appeared before the committee on June 17. The committee received three separate complaints against GVK and requested a detailed report. The stakeholders have been given another opportunity to present their case with additional documents before the committee reaches a final decision.
The debarment notice sent to GVK highlighted several issues, including the company’s failure to disclose a pending lokayukta case, false information about its chief operating officer, and the mismanagement of 500 ambulances during its operation.
As the inquiries continue and the stakeholders provide their responses, the future of the ‘108’ ambulance services tender process remains uncertain. The authorities are committed to ensuring a fair and transparent process while addressing the concerns raised during the previous tendering attempts.