The pre-bid meeting for the captioned work was conducted in Conference Hall at MOB on February 7, 2020 at 11:00 AM in the presence of Reserve Bank of India (hereafter called as Bank) officials where the following prospective tenderers participated. The meeting was attended by Shri Jayant Kumar Banthia, Independent External Monitor.
The following queries were raised by the tenderers in the meeting and Bank’s response to the same is also provided below:
| Sr. No. | Requirement of the Bank as per Tender Document | Queries raised | RBI Remarks |
| 1. | Section V- Special Condition of Contract
Point 15 & 16 | | Should the contractor make arrangements for loading/unloading of cargo to/from the vehicle? | The Bank clarified that loading/unloading of cargo to/from the vehicle shall be arranged by the Bank. |
| 2. | Section III - Scope of Work
Point 7 | In last three years, 130 sorties per year have been executed on an average. | Can the Bank define its annual minimum requirement in terms of no. of hours on a monthly basis rather than sorties in a year? Can RBI let us know how many hours were flown for these 130 sorties / year? What was the duration when these sorties were carried out and how many times in a year the helicopter was called to carry out the task? This is because the helicopter is not based in Nagpur and has to be ferried from main base / other bases for which we need to include the hours into total costings. | No, the Bank cannot give any annual minimum commitment. However, it was informed that each sortie may range from 4-5 hours (both ways) depending upon the location. Last year 8 schedules of 10-15 days (2 sorties per day) each were prepared. |
| 3. | Section III - Scope of Work
Point 8 | Operator should be able to provide charter service within 120 hours’ notice through e-mail. | This is a very short notice. We request that RBI may plan to give at least 3-4 weeks’ notice since the helicopter is likely to be deployed on some other charter work and needs to be recalled and re-positioned in Nagpur. | The requirement of the currency cannot be foreseen. Hence, the operator is expected to provide the helicopter within scheduled time. |
| 4. | Section III-Scope of Work
Point 1 | | Can the Bank provide the details of twelve locations mentioned in the tender document. Whether Mi-2 helicopter can be landed in these twelve destinations? | Bank will provide coordinates for these twelve locations on demand (request mail to issuenagpur@rbi.org.in). With regard to the type of helicopter that can be landed needs to be checked by the concerned tenderer. |
| 5. | Section IV - Commercial Conditions
Point 1. Eligibility | Subsection 1.1 & 1.2 states that bidder should possess NSOP and C of A of each carrier. | Please clarify “air carrier”. We assume it is C of A of each helicopter offered by the NSOP holder. | Yes. The bidder needs to upload the “C of A” for each helicopter meeting the tender requirements. |
| 6. | Section IV - Commercial Conditions
Point 3. Prices | Subsection 3.2 -
Tenderers shall quote all-inclusive price (including handling, loading/unloading, fueling cost navigation cost, expenses at the airport such as scanning, weighing charges, insurance expenses etc.), but excluding GST. | The costs towards these services cannot be estimated at this stage. We request that these charges should be reimbursed to the contractor at actuals | The Bank clarified that loading/unloading of cargo to/from the vehicle shall be arranged by the Bank.
The bidders are expected to provide the final quote inclusive of all the charges. The Bank will not reimburse any other charges. |
| 7. | Section V - Special conditions of Contract
Point 8 | Refuelling at all places to be arranged by Bidder | Actual costs for fuel positioning are not known at this stage and are also variable. We request that charges should be reimbursed at actuals. | The bidder is advised to undertake a detailed study of the locations and provide the final quote inclusive of all the charges. |
| 8. | Technical Details - Schedule D
Point 2 | Whether the air carrier is owned by the bidder; If not details of arrangement made along with documentary evidence | Does it mean agents who are not operating such jobs can be given contracts? This would only add costs since the agents will add their own commissions etc. We feel that RBI should mandate that only those NSOP holders who actually have helicopters on their NSOP only to be permitted to bid. Only those NSOP holders who have a minimum of 2 helicopters of such capability and whose helicopters are not committed on long term contracts should be permitted to bid on this contract. | The bidders are advised to make a competitive bid. All bidders should possess valid NSOP for the past 3 years. The bidders are also advised that the helicopter/s offered to us should not be committed elsewhere on long-term basis. |
| 9. | Section V-Special Condition of Contract.
Point 12 | The sortie may carry precious cargo in return journey with a Bank’s representative and a Police Escort personnel. | If Bank’s soiled note will be brought back in return journey then how the screening, etc. will be done as there are no checks at most of the destination helipads? | The permission for bringing back soiled currency will be given by the concerned currency chests and RBI. |
| 10. | Section IV: Commercial Conditions
Point 1.7 | Track record of a bidder should be clean without any involvement in illegal activities or financial frauds. There should not be any case with the Police/ Court/ Regulatory authorities against the bidder or proprietors/partners/directors in case of Proprietorship/Partnership firm/company. | Can the Bank confine this up till conviction of financial frauds and illegal activities? | The Bank clarifies that if bidders or proprietors/partners/directors are involved in any case with the Police/Court/Regulatory authorities then they are open to bid based on the declaration that they have not been convicted in the matter. Further if the concerned tenderer becomes the successful bidder then update with regard to conviction in the case has to be provided to the Bank. The Bank reserves the right to review / terminate the contract. |
| 11. | Not provided in the tender document | | If Bank can include position and de-position of helicopter from the base of the helicopter to Nagpur and back? | The Bank cannot include and provide for any reimbursement for positioning and de-positioning of the helicopter to Nagpur/Raipur and back. |
| 12. | Not provided in the tender document | | Who will be responsible for the security of the helicopter and the successful bidder’s staff as these are Naxalites area? | It is the responsibility of State Government / Police to ensure the safe movement of treasure/remittance. Further, Bank obtains landing and sanitization permission from local police before sending the remittance |
| 13. | Not provided in the tender document | | One of the bidders has requested to include the condition that “If any contractor has been debarred or blacklisted by any state government or government agency then the same will not be allowed to bid for the contract” or take an undertaking to this effect from the bidders. | As of now, the above clause is not included in the tender and Bank does not intend to include the same at this stage. |
| 14. | Not provided in the tender document | | Can Bank help the tenderer in doing recce of these twelve locations? | Recce of the location is not a condition of the tender. However, if the tenderer desires, then the same may be carried out under their own arrangements. |