Minister of Economic Development Fayyaz Ismail disclosed on Wednesday that the government has received 137 unsolicited proposals without bid till date.
Speaking at the ceremony held to award the power generation and distribution for Addu City project, Minister Fayyaz stated in response to a reporter's inquiry that the ministry has submitted most of the proposed projects to the economic council while 20 are already under discussion.
Minister Fayyaz noted that most of the unsolicited proposals were lobbied by firms from India and China, while some companies from the Middle East and Europe have also proposed projects on housing, water supply, sewerage and power.
"We're working to award and mobilise projects to establish water and sewerage in all islands currently lacking these systems, by the middle of the coming year", he said.
According to the minister, the government has received around 20 proposals without bid for water and sewerage projects. He stated that the ministry is currently assessing whether the proposed project costs are in line with the government budgets for such projects.
The minister added that the government decided to award projects without bid in order to quickly provide the required services for the people.
The Public Finance Act allows the government to award projects financed by foreign aid or concessional loans, or mega development projects undertaken by the government, to a contractor determined by the president based on the counsel of the cabinet or parliament committee. However, the Act stipulates that such contractors must possess the technical and financial capabilities to carry out the projects tasked.
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