In a daring move, Pakistan’s National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC) has blacklisted a Chinese firm and barred it from participating in all tenders/bidding processes for a month for using forged documents. Dawn newspaper reported that NTDC which is a state-owned subsidiary of the Ministry of Energy (Power Division) blacklisted a Chinese company for submitting forged documents during the bidding of a government project.
https://twitter.com/dawn_com/status/1449599219984121858?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwHowever, there is no explanation for a short term ban if the company was caught forging documents to grab contracts and also the name of the company has not been disclosed. The copy of the debar order has been served to the NTDC managing director (MD), chairmen of the Water and Power and Development Authority and Pakistan Engineering Council, the MDs of National Engineering Services Pakistan and Public Procurement Regulatory Authority, the Central Power Purchasing Agency-Guarantee chief operating officer (CEO) as well as the CEOs of all power distribution companies.
“The Chinese firm is hereby blacklisted and barred from participating in all NTDC bidding/tender process with immediate effect for a period of one month on account of submitting forged and fake documents,” Dawn has quoted a letter issued a couple of days ago from the office of the NTDC general manager.
While the name of that Chinese firm has not been mentioned, from the letter it is assumed the said company was blacklisted for a short while in a case related to Nuclear Power Plants.
“However, this office order will have a prospective effect in terms hereof and shall not be applicable on the existing contracts under execution (if any),” the letter, under title ‘Blacklisting of the Chinese Firm/Tender No. NPP-04M (R)-2020 for procurement of insulator hardware assemblies including Pre-RTV-Coated 160kN Disc Insulator (Anti-Fog Type, Porcelain or Glass) for 500kV D/C Quad Bundle Transmission Lines for Power Evacuation from K-2/K-3 Nuclear Power Plants’, reads.
A lot of Chinese firms are engaged in infrastructure development in Pakistan like road, power and construction.
So far there is no information about any reaction of China to the ban of a Chinese firm by Pakistan. Earlier, in July, 13 people including nine Chinese engineers had died when a bus carrying construction workers in northwest Pakistan’s mountainous region was attacked. They were involved in Dasu dam power project. China had demanded 48 million dollar as compensation as well as security cover for the project.