Rajasthan
Improve Transparency In Awarding Contracts, Urges Printing Industry | Jaipur News
Jaipur: The printers’ community urged the state governments, including Rajasthan, to improve transparency in awarding contracts and create a level playing field for all irrespective of size in the industry.
Besides contracts, they also want the government to intervene and end the cartelization in the paper industry. In fact, printers in Rajasthan have been worst affected in sourcing papers at right prices and they are losing out to other markets in cost competitiveness as they have to shell out higher rate compared to others.
Speaking on the sidelines of governing council meeting of All India Federation Master Printers, its president Raveendra Joshi said the terms and conditions of government tenders are designed in such a way that it becomes difficult to for a new entrant to bag an order.
“Mostly, the tenders are designed to favour a few players. This is not happening in Rajasthan alone. The same practice of awarding tenders is prevalent in other states. Criteria like having previous experience of supplying to the government, minimum threshold of big size orders done in the past and several others in this order tilt the scale in favour of a few.”
Joshi said such barriers do not allow large number of printers having medium and smaller size business operations to participate in the tenders. “When a large number of people participate, the government gains as the prices are discovered through healthy competition,” added Joshi.
Not only the tendering process, but the problem of getting papers at the right prices is also haunting the printers in Rajasthan.
Besides contracts, they also want the government to intervene and end the cartelization in the paper industry. In fact, printers in Rajasthan have been worst affected in sourcing papers at right prices and they are losing out to other markets in cost competitiveness as they have to shell out higher rate compared to others.
Speaking on the sidelines of governing council meeting of All India Federation Master Printers, its president Raveendra Joshi said the terms and conditions of government tenders are designed in such a way that it becomes difficult to for a new entrant to bag an order.
“Mostly, the tenders are designed to favour a few players. This is not happening in Rajasthan alone. The same practice of awarding tenders is prevalent in other states. Criteria like having previous experience of supplying to the government, minimum threshold of big size orders done in the past and several others in this order tilt the scale in favour of a few.”
Joshi said such barriers do not allow large number of printers having medium and smaller size business operations to participate in the tenders. “When a large number of people participate, the government gains as the prices are discovered through healthy competition,” added Joshi.
Not only the tendering process, but the problem of getting papers at the right prices is also haunting the printers in Rajasthan.
