ONGC supply base tender rises from the grave
What shocking speed! Eighteen months after its pre-bid for a tender to set up an additional western offshore supply base ONGC finally sent out the minutes on August 4, 2017.
Some see this as a sign that this tender, first conceived six years ago, is back from the dead. But others insist ONGC has no choice but to go ahead eventually because its Nhava supply base in Maharashtra is hugely overstretched, supporting operations at Mumbai High and the adjoining offshore fields.
"We released the minutes and they are uploaded on our site," confirms an ONGC officer in the Mumbai offshore logistics department. "No date has been fixed to submit the bids." At ONGC's current pace you can expect bids to be accepted sometime before flying cars and teleportation devices become ubiquitous.
"We just want the project to come," says a likely bidder. "Such delays spoil ONGC's reputation.
Foreign collaborators don't take us seriously when we ask them to bid in ONGC tenders." Is anyone still interested? "Adani is keen," we are told. "They keep inquiring about ONGC's seriousness and have set up a team to work on this tender." Reliance Defence and Engineering (formerly Pipavav Shipyard) is also expected to bid.
"Usually, we give 21 days for bid submission after pre-bid minutes are issued," adds ONGC. "But due to confusion over GST we might hold another pre-bid."