43 firms barred from waste management outsourcing

New policy aims to streamline services, reduce financial burden

JARANWALA:

The Punjab Local Government and Community Development Department has disqualified 43 out of 106 firms that applied for the pre-qualification process for outsourcing solid waste management services.

The disqualified firms were vying to provide services across seven divisions—Lahore, Gujranwala, Multan, Rawalpindi, DG Khan, Faisalabad and Bahawalpur—as well as the district of Sialkot. Meanwhile, 63 firms have been declared eligible to resume solid waste management services in these areas.

Sources indicate that the Waste Management Companies (WMCs) in these regions had invited applications from prospective and experienced service providers.

These included well-reputed individuals, firms, companies, contractors, and joint ventures for pre-qualification in solid waste management.

The scope of services encompasses waste collection, transportation, and disposal.

A pre-bid meeting was held on May 3 in the respective offices of the WMCs, with an initial submission deadline for pre-qualification documents (PQD) set for May 8. This deadline was later extended to May 30.

The scrutiny process concluded at the end of June 2024.

In April, Punjab CM Maryam Nawaz Sharif announced a policy to urgently outsource all WMCs in Punjab to alleviate the financial burden on the Punjab government and the local government department. This directive mandated the immediate implementation of the outsourcing process.

The qualified firms will now be responsible for various waste management tasks, including door-to-door mechanised waste collection (residential and commercial), open heaps collection, container-based collection, road sweeping (mechanical and manual), establishment of temporary points and transfer stations, road washing (daily and on special occasions), desilting and cleaning of Nallas and small open drains, and the establishment and operation of dump sites.

Aslam Nadeem, Section Officer of the Local Government and Community Development Department, stated that qualified firms would be invited to submit technical and financial bids immediately.

The outsourcing process is expected to be completed by mid-August 2024.

Responding to queries about the disqualification causes, Nadeem mentioned that firms were disqualified for various reasons, including failure to meet eligibility requirements, lack of necessary registrations, non-submission of NTN certificates, failure to provide undertakings of information correctness, being blacklisted, not sharing audited accounts for the last three years, financial incapability, and inexperience of companies and personnel.