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While this is one of the biggest tenders for India and
speaks volumes about the way e-governance is being spread within the country-odd
bidding conditions being put in by National Informatics Center (NIC) are
deterring local companies from participating in this tender.
With e-governance catching up fast within the different
segments of government of India NIC has floated a tender to procure 10,000
laptop computers for giving an “e” touch to the judicial system of the
country. The tender, which is for all the judges of the districts and
subordinate courts - is likely to
be finalized within a month's time.
Experts in the industry feel – that while this is one of
the biggest tender in the Indian history - it is favoring global MNC brands,
which are well established in India. At the same time it is not providing a
level playing field for other Indian brands to compete with global majors.
This worry stems from the fact that-according to the norms
and conditions of the tender-only those organization are eligible to bid for
this project which have sold 15,000 or more laptops in the country within the
last two years. While big brands like IBM, HP and Acer will automatically
qualify for the tender on grounds of the above condition- other brands like
Wipro will not be able to bid for this. This condition is especially putting
Indian vendors into a tight spot.
“It is very strange to see these type of roadblocks being
put in by NIC in front of companies like Wipro. If you look at our laptops - it
is well received by the industry in different segments and we have an extensive
after sales support network within the country. However, we do not qualify on
the 15,000 laptops selling point–hence we cannot bid for this project,”
informs, a highly placed source from Wipro on conditions of anonymity.
On the other hand – sources close to NIC feel that this
type of condition is necessary for big tenders like this and especially when it
comes to providing after sales and support on high-end IT equipment like laptops
– this is the only way to make sure that only 'vendors with quality' bid
for the project.
Dismayed by this condition -there are certain industry
experts who have already approached the NIC as well as Ministry of Information
Technology in order to explain their point of view to them. “We have conveyed
our point to NIC and even the ministry of IT.
Our products are not inferior to these big global brands in any way and
we should keep this in mind. All we want is a level playing field for
everybody,” adds a source close to the industry.
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