LAHORE: After around seven months, Pakistan Railways authorities are likely to complete on Wednesday (today) the process for licencing catering services in eight express trains running on Karachi-Lahore-Rawalpindi routes besides a restaurant at the Lahore station.

Tenders had been invited in March for dining cars and kitchen portions to be attached with Khyber Mail, Allama Iqbal Express, Awam Express running between Lahore and Karachi Cantt, Pakistan Express between Rawalpindi and Karachi Cantt besides four sets of railcars running between Lahore and Rawalpindi in addition to a restaurant at platform No 2 of Lahore station.

Technical and financial proposals had been separately submitted by 10 parties on April 15, the last date for submission of bids.

Scrutiny of technical proposals submitted by M/s Abdul Shakoor, Shakeel and Co, National Catering Co, Mehdi and Sons, Muhammad Yaqoob, Sindh Catering Service, First National Pakistan, Sadiq Caterers, Abdul Ghafoor and Pakistan Railways Advisory and Consultancy Services, a subsidiary of the PR, had been completed.

The financial proposals were not opened though and the parties were informed through a letter that bids would be opened on July 7.

After nearly two months, PR authorities informed the parties through another letter that “the date for opening of financial bids fixed on 07.07.2014 has been cancelled. The advertisement for fresh bids for dining cars has been given in newspapers for which 15.10.2014 is fixed. You are directed to get back your previous financial bid documents… ”

An advertisement in national dailies read: “… all technical proposals would be opened on Oct 15, 2014, at 11:30am in the presence of the bidders or their representatives” and that “only the financial proposals of parties fulfilling the technical criterion would be opened. The bidders would be informed in advance about the date and time of opening of financial proposals”.

Published in Dawn, October 15th, 2014