CDA opens Rs16bn bids to outsource cleanliness operations in Islamabad

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ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) is all set to outsource cleanliness and garbage collection services across Islamabad after financial bids were opened on Monday. Sources said that a joint venture (JV) of Atlas Pak Waste Management Company and another JV comprising NJC, MMC, and Imperial Venture were in the final race. However, Atlas Pak, a Turkish company, submitted the lowest bid for both packages — rural and urban. Under the Rs16 billion project, the CDA will outsource garbage collection, transportation of waste to the Losar landfill site in Rawalpindi, and cleanliness arrangements across Islamabad for a four-year term. CDA officials said the Turkish company submitted the lowest bid for both packages compared to the other JV. “In both bids, there was a total difference of Rs380 million,” said an officer involved in the bidding process. He said the lowest bid would now be referred to the consultant and, after completion of formalities, the work would officially be awarded for four years. It is relevant to mention that the Turkish company, despite securing the highest marks during the technical bid evaluation process, was declared non-responsive due to “technical reasons”. As a result, the other JV was left alone in the race. However, sources said that when the matter was brought to the attention of CDA Chairman Sohail Ashraf, he inquired about the issue. The Turkish company pleaded that despite securing the highest marks, the CDA had excluded it from the race against the set rules. The company was declared non-responsive for not submitting a document with the technical bid, which, according to the company, was already attached with the financial bid, and both bids were submitted on the same day. Sources said the CDA chief asked under which law the company was declared non-responsive if the required document was already in CDA’s custody with the financial bid. Sources said the Turkish company submitted a grievance, and eventually the Grievance Redressal Committee (GRC) declared the company responsive. Subsequently, the CDA opened financial bids on Wednesday, and the Turkish company’s bid surprisingly emerged as the lowest. “Had the Turkish company not been declared responsive, the CDA could have faced a loss of Rs380 million in this project,” said a CDA official. During the last two years, tenders were floated several times but were later cancelled. Now, after two years, the contract appears set to begin. The previous contract expired in February last year. It may be mentioned that currently there is no system in place for rural areas, where the CDA carries out secondary garbage collection occasionally. In the absence of any system, residents of rural areas are forced to throw waste in open spaces. In some areas, people also dump garbage in nullahs, damaging the environment. The CDA has around 1,100 regular sanitation workers, who will also be placed at the disposal of contractors for cleanliness work. Islamabad, otherwise known as a planned city, does not have a landfill site, and the city’s waste has been transported to Losar in Rawalpindi for the last few years. The CDA was formed in 1960 but has so far failed to establish a landfill site for the capital city. Instead of having a permanent site, the civic agency has continued shifting the landfill location from one place to another. Before moving to Losar, the CDA dumped garbage in the residential sector of I-12. Published in Dawn, July 24th, 2026

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