ISLAMABAD: Owing to stringent criteria set by the Capital Development Authority (CDA), the majority of contractors are out of the race for the Shaheen Chowk underpass project, for which the civic agency is all set to open tenders on Friday (today). Under this project, the CDA will construct an underpass at the junction of Khyaban-i-Iqbal and 9th Avenue.
According to documents, the project, worth Rs1.3 billion, is supposed to be completed in 180 days. The qualification marks (eligibility criteria) stated that 40 out of 100 marks are for work experience i.e. 20 marks for those companies that had completed a project worth at least Rs1.5 billion within 100 days during the last five years. Similarly, 20 marks are set for those companies, currently executing any project worth Rs1.5 billion.
Sources said that only a few private companies can fulfil these stringent criteria.
Moreover, the CDA did not attach the design drawing with the tender documents. When the contractors asked the CDA, the civic agency uploaded the drawing on July 9, merely two days before opening the tender. Ideally, the drawing should have been uploaded with the tender documents. According to sources, several contractors have approached the CDA for extra days as they wanted to study the drawings before submitting their bids. The CDA had introduced such criteria for the Serena Interchange, which was later named ‘Jinnah Square Interchange’, and the F-8 interchange, as it wanted to get these projects completed on an urgent basis.
However, issues surfaced in both these projects: the design of the F-8 interchange is still questionable, while the Jinnah interchange is facing drainage issues, leading to inundation in the Diplomatic Enclave.
An officer of the CDA on Thursday claimed that the diplomatic enclave had almost been dewatered, and now a permanent solution would be worked out for proper drainage. Similarly, recently, rainwater accumulated in the Serena underpasses, making the road impassable for around half an hour.
“There is no war-like situation in the country; the development projects should be carried out in accordance with their natural timeline. Both CDA’s projects, Serena and F-8, which were executed in haste, are already facing scrutiny,” said a source, adding that because of harsh criteria, only a few construction companies participate in the bidding process.
“There should be healthy competition amongst the contractors so that the CDA could get good rates,” said an official, adding that when only a few companies are eligible, then there are fewer chances that they would submit bids below the Notice Inviting Tender (NIT) rates.
“Whichever company wins this tender on Thursday, it should be given ample time to complete this project in accordance with international standards; even if the project is completed a little later than 180 days, there is still no issue. Technical mistakes should be avoided,” the official said.
A CDA officer, however, defended the said criteria, stating that the civic agency wanted reputed companies with vast experience to execute such projects. “We want to get projects completed in time to avoid cost escalation and provide relief to citizens. As far as the rates are concerned, projects are designed on market rate schedule (MRS) rates. If we talk about the past, many CDA projects had dragged on for years,” he said.
Published in Dawn, July 11th, 2025
