Altogether four international bidders -- De La Rue, Oberthur Technologies, PERUM PERURI and 3M Technologies -- are in the race for the project. But the evaluation committee headed by Chief of Protocol Mukti Nath Bhatta has found 3M Technologies not meeting the set criteria. [break]
“The firm has been found offering lower quality technologies,” said a source privy to the evaluation on condition of anonymity.
It means the firm is out of the race.
The initial evaluation has indicated that France-based Oberthur is likely to win the project as it has offered the lowest price. It has offered to supply a passport booklet at the cost of US$ 3.5.
But the source said, “The price is not necessarily a deciding factor. We are evaluating the technical specifications of the French firm minutely as there may be some deviations from the requirements mentioned in the bidding document.”
Another source said that the French company has not provided documentary evidence to support its claim that the passports personalization printers, which the firm has offered, have been used in at least two countries. As per clause 7 of the bidding document, the personalization printers should have been used in at least two countries.
“In this case, the firm is likely to go out of the race,” said the source.
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