BMC's Global Vaccine Tender Fails To Attract Bidders, Deadline To Be Extended

THE Brihan Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has received no bids for its global expression of interest (EOI) floated last week to procure one crore vaccine doses, reports Indian Express.

On 12 May, BMC floated a global tender for the purchase of vaccines, and the bidders were to send their queries related to the tender by 16 May.

"No bids were received till Sunday. We will wait till the last day of the EOI and then decide on extending the deadline for the tender, "said P Velrasu, Additional Municipal Corporation (Projects), officer-in-charge of vaccine procurement.

The company securing the tender would have to deliver the vaccines within three weeks of the issue of the work order, according to the EoI.

BMC expected to get bids from Pfizer, Moderna, Sputnik and Johnson & Johnson, and Indian manufacturers Bharat Biotech and Serum Institute of India (SII).

Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson and Johnson are not approved for use in India.

The EoI included a requirement that bids from companies in countries that share land borders with India will not be admitted, which effectually bars any company from China.

"We are not aware of the Central government's current policy. But we have decided to put in this condition in the tender to ban Chinese firms from participating in the EoI. There is a question on the quality aspects and other specifics of the Chinese vaccines. We are not accepting that (WHO approval)," Velrasu told the reporters.

Officials from the BMC have indicated that the corporation may extend the deadline.