HAL denies finalising PwC for R&D benchmarking, says no firm chosen yet

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The Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd on Saturday clarified that it has not finalised any consultancy firm to benchmark its Research and Development (R&D) processes.

The clarification comes in response to some social media posts claiming that it has selected PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) for the task.

"A few posts on social media (X) have falsely stated that HAL has finalised the selection of a consultancy firm, PwC to benchmark its R&D activities," the HAL said in a statement.

"HAL would like to state that no firm has been finalized yet for the benchmarking of its R&D processes," it added.

According to HAL, it had issued a Request for Quotation (RFQ) for engaging a consultancy firm to conduct a benchmarking study of its R&D framework against global Aerospace and Defence companies.

The decision to initiate this benchmarking exercise was taken based on the recommendations made by the high power committee on Public Undertakings as part of HAL's continuous improvement and modernization efforts.

"The selection process is being conducted through a transparent and competitive methodology on the Government of India's GEM Portal in compliance with all applicable procurement guidelines. The process is currently ongoing," the Defence PSU said.

Reiterating that no official award of work has been made so far and any information suggesting otherwise is premature and incorrect, HAL said it remains committed to upholding transparency and fairness in all its procurement actions.