HP to man e-procurement platform of K'taka Govt

Bangalore, Dec 1 (UNI) Marking a significant milestone in its fast growing public sector business in India, Hewlett-Packard (HP) India today signed a multiple service agreement (MSA) with the Karnataka Government to run an e-procurement platform across the State, taking the tendering process digital.

The e-procurement platform, in a couple of years, would cover the entire gamut of procurement by the state government running into Rs 13,000 crore annually.

At a function held here today, HP signed the MSA with the state government after successfully testing its proof of concept, based on a similar process now in vogue in Japan.

HP India Managing Director Balu Doraisamy told newspersons after the agreement was signed that the public sector income for HP in India was about 20 per cent of its total revenue, which was growing 25 per cent annually. Currently, it had projects in ten states, of the country.

Over the five-year period of the agreement, HP would be richer by Rs 32 crore, the lowest it had quoted among other bidders, including the TCS-SAP consortium and Wipro.

Karnataka e-governance Secretary Rajeev Chawla told UNI that the rate quoted by HP was almost 100 per cent lower than its immediate competitor, the TCS-SAP consortium.

He said that initially for six months, the e-platform would run as a pilot project covering six agencies, including the Krishna Baghyajala Nigama, the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan of education department, the Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited, Karnataka State Highway Improvement Project and Karnataka Drugs Logistics and Warehousing Society.

The platform would be extended to other departments in a phased manner within the next two years by which time the licensed contractors would also be familiar with the system.

Karnataka Chief Secretary Malati Das, speaking on the occasion, said that though Andhra Pradesh first introduced an e-procurement system, Karnataka was the first to put in place an end-to-end solution that was totally transparent in nature and encompassed not only procurement, but also track the progress of work and payment.

Mr Chawla said the tenderers would have to pay little more than the tender document under the new system which would not only hasten the process of decision making, but also improve efficiency. It would also provide room for fair, free and fearless participation of tenderers.

Mr Doraisamy said HP would provide necessary training, the solution and if necessary, certain infrastructure requirement for the purpose. Though a 50-member team was involved in the proof of concept stage, the number of staff required would increase as the platform grew in size and depth.

UNI VK GD PKS RS1936