Kathmandu, May 20

The Federation of Contractors’ Associations of Nepal (FCAN) has expressed reservations against some of the provisions in Public Procurement Regulations (sixth amendment)-2019 stating that it unjustly targets to punish the contractors.

Bishnubhai Shrestha, immediate past president of FCAN, informed that the regulation has mentioned that if construction of any project is not completed on time, the contractor will be penalised.

“However, timely completion of any project also depends on cooperation and coordination from other concerned stakeholders, like governmental officials, engineers and locals.

However, the regulation has largely ignored this fact and needs to be amended.”

Issuing a press statement today, FCAN has also claimed that in altering the procurement regulations, the government has given an undue advantage to foreign entrepreneurs in the tender process.

Roshan Dahal, general secretary of FCAN, in the statement has claimed that the government lost the opportunity of formulating construction-friendly act, for it issued the regulations against the suggestions provided earlier by FCAN and concerned agencies.

“Rules and laws should be amended in a timely manner to ensure quality of works and that the projects are completed within set deadline. However, the changed regulation puts domestic contractors at a disadvantage, so it needs to be amended again,” the statement reads.

FCAN claims that the national goal of ‘Prosperous Nepal, Happy Nepali’ cannot be materialised due to certain provisions of the regulations.

Shrestha said that FCAN would be compelled to launch an agitation if the provisions that single out the local contractors are not amended at the soonest.