HC orders fresh tender for retail outlets in Chennai airport

The Madras High Court has directed the Airports Authority of India to call for fresh tender for operation of general retail outlets at the airport here.
Justice M Duraiswamy issued the order while setting aside the bid submitted by Bengaluru-based Evolve Business Ventures on the ground that it was contrary to the tender conditions listed in the October, 2016 Request For Proposal (RFP).
In a recent order, he held that co-bidder Bhawar Lifestyle and Evolve Business Ventures were closely linked to each other, which violated clause 2.2.1 (c) (vi) of RFP.
According to the clause, proposals of such companies shall be deemed to have conflict of interest affecting the bidding process, the judge noted.

The two companies had engaged a common consultant who had 'mistakenly' mentioned the account ID of Evolve Business Ventures in Bhawar Lifestyle's earnest money deposit challan.
The judge directed the AAI (Southern Region) represented by its Regional Executive Director, Chairman of AAI, New Delhi, and the Airport Director of International Airport here to call for a fresh tender for appointment of master concessionaire to design, build, finance, operate and maintain the outlets.
He was passing orders on a petition by Travel News Services India Private Limited, New Delhi, which had also bid for the project.
Despite objections by it, the AAI had gone ahead with the tender process and declared Evolve Business Ventures as the highest bidder in December, 2016, the petitioner claimed.