Chattogram Port Authority (CPA) has cancelled a five-year tender for transferring empty containers at the General Cargo Berth (GCB) area following objections from operators over eligibility conditions.
The tender, floated on 14 June, was cancelled on 9 August through a notice signed by CPA Director (Traffic) Golam Md Sarwarul Islam. CPA Secretary Syed Rifayet Hamim confirmed the cancellation, saying it was done on the authority’s orders.
Several operators had alleged that the tender conditions restricted competition and could favour two operators, Saif Powertech and Everest Port Services.
The main point of contention was a requirement that bidders must have experience handling containers using their own empty container handlers and tractor-trailers. Operators said the condition could exclude most potential bidders, as only Saif Powertech and Everest Port Services had been allowed to operate their own empty container handlers inside the port for the past 17 years.
Following objections, a pre-bid meeting was held on 16 July under CPA Member (Finance) Md Mahbub Alam Talukder. Several conditions were relaxed, including reducing the required work experience from Tk50 crore over the previous 10 years to Tk40 crore in any five years during the last 25 years. The maximum permissible age of equipment was increased from one year to two years, and the security deposit was reduced from Tk1 crore to Tk50 lakh.
However, the own-equipment requirement remained unchanged.
After the meeting, the bid submission deadline was extended to 10 August. But amid continued objections, CPA cancelled the tender on 9 August.
President of the Berth Operators, Ship Handling Operators and Terminal Operators Owners Association Fazle Ekram Chowdhury said the restrictive criteria could limit participation to one or two companies.
“Restricting participation to just one or two bidders is not right. It makes port operations unnecessarily expensive and far less cost-effective,” he said.
Chowdhury said the specialised nature of the work did not require a completely open market, but the qualification criteria should be relaxed to ensure broader participation.
He said previous tenders floated in 2013 and 2017 did not include such restrictive conditions.
