Covid-19 vaccine tender: All bids junked by BMC

People wait outside a vaccination centre at Malad on Friday. Pic/Satej Shinde

None of the nine vaccine suppliers who had responded to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) global tender for one crore doses has been able to qualify for the process owing to incomplete documentation. However, a BMC official claimed that the civic administration contacted Dr. Reddy's Laboratories on Friday regarding supply of the Sputnik V vaccine. The official indicated that the distributor was ready to supply some stock on an experimental basis, but, the quantity is not yet known.

The BMC had issued an expression of interest on May 12 to procure vaccines. The administration extended the deadline of submission of bids twice, as the potential suppliers needed time to submit all the documents including their contracts with the vaccine manufacturers. The extensions were given till May 25 and then till June 1.

"It was especially important to examine the business relationships between suppliers and manufacturers to ensure timely and smooth supply of vaccines. In addition, the municipal administration was constantly looking into the availability of stocks by studying four main aspects - in how many days the vaccine will be supplied, how much stock will be supplied, vaccine rates and terms and conditions of payment," said a senior civic official.

A beneficiary takes the jab at Madhv Bagh temple in Girgaon. Pic/Ashish Raje

Post the final deadline, the municipal administration scrutinised all the required documents submitted by the nine potential suppliers. At the end of the scrutiny, none of the suppliers qualified for the process due to incomplete documentation.

Left with no option, Additional Municipal Commissioner (Project) P Velarasu reached out to Dr. Reddy's Laboratories, distributor of the Russian vaccine Sputnik V.
"The laboratory is ready to give some stock of Sputnik V on an experimental basis by the end of June. The storage method of this vaccine is slightly different, hence we will test the same after receiving the stock," said Velarasu. The BMC has also discussed more supply of the vaccine in July and August. Accordingly, detailed discussions will be held with the distributor over the next eight to 10 days.

Also Read: Mumbai: The unsung role of peripheral workers in vaccination drive

Even at the standing committee meeting, the civic administration mentioned that there was little hope of getting stock through global tenders of vaccines. "The BMC will request the state government and the central government to supply vaccines," said Iqbal Singh Chahal, municipal commissioner.

Jabs for restaurant staff

The BMC has decided to conduct a vaccination drive for staff of restaurants and hotels aged between 18 and 60 years. In this regard, instructions have been given to all 24 ward offices to submit the data of staff by June 7. The final road map will be decided on June 8.

1 cr
No. of doses for which the BMC had floated the global tender