Indian firms unhappy over Govt tender on bulletproof jackets

As the Union Home Ministry prepares to procure light weight bullet proof jackets for its para-military forces, some of the indigenous manufacturers have raised objections over certain conditions in the tender procedures including depositing a "huge" sum as earnest money.

As the Union Home Ministry prepares to procure light weight bullet proof jackets for its para-military forces, some of the indigenous manufacturers have raised objections over certain conditions in the tender procedures including depositing a "huge" sum as earnest money.

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Nine companies of bullet proof jacket manufacturers including two foreign units have expressed interest to bid for supplying 59,000 jackets but Indian manufacturers feel that they are at a disadvantage because of certain clauses in the tender.

While Home Ministry officials said the tender documentation has been prepared by the CRPF after hectic consultations and past experiences, the manufacturers feel that the time given to them for depositing the earnest money of over Rs two crore was insufficient as the tender opened on July 5, 2009 and was to close on July 27, 2009.

Some of the manufactures, who did not wish to be named, feel that fulfilling another condition of providing five sample pieces of the light weight bullet proof jacket within such the short span would be next to impossible as some of the materials need to be imported.

The manufacturers said the high-end jackets are not available in showrooms or stores and is a restricted product which is made on specific orders.