(RBI/Chennai Regional office/Estate/46/24-25/ET/870) The Pre-Bid meeting for the captioned work was conducted as mandated in the tender document on February 26, 2025 - at 11:30 hrs. at Conference Room-1, 2nd floor, Reserve Bank of India, Chennai. At the outset, Capt. A. Sudhakar, DGM (P&S), welcomed all the participants of the pre-bid meeting and advised the vendors to freely seek clarification on various statutory and non-statutory facets of the tenders. The following staff members of RBI and firms / prospective tenderers were present during the pre-bid meeting: | Sl. No. | Name and Designation of the RBI Officials | | 1 | Capt. A. Sudhakar, DGM (P&S) | | 2 | Lt. A. Bosco Dhanaraj, AGM (P&S) | | 3 | Shri Ramesh S, AGM (Estate) | | 4 | Maj. Rakesh K P, Manager (P&S) | | 5 | Shri Tamil Mani P R, Assistant (P&SE) | | 6 | Shri Vignesh J, Assistant (P&SE) |
| Sl No. | Name of the Firm/Company | Name of the Representative | | 1 | Bavani Security Night Patrol Pvt ltd | Shri S Venkatesh | | 2 | Bharatheeyam Security Services Pvt ltd | Shri Haridoss M | | 3 | Everwin Security Services Pvt ltd | Shri Sugajanarthan G | | 4 | Industrial Security Intelligence India Pvt ltd | Shri P Somasundaram | | 5 | SIS limited | Shri A Abdul Hameed | Queries raised by the above companies / firms vis-à-vis clarifications are as follows: | Sl. No. | Queries / Proposals | Clarification furnished by RBI Officials | | 1 | Is there any exemption from the Earnest Money Deposit (EMD) applicable to Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs)? | No EMD exception is applicable for MSEs for this contract.
The EMD exception is applicable for MSEs for the contracts whose estimated cost is up to ₹10 Lakh (including all taxes, duties, etc.) | 2
| Can Client Certificates be obtained from clients for works other than fire services?
| The client certificates from clients with whom fire services contracts (including contracts with combined scope of work) by the tenderer was in force or in force are only applicable, i.e., deployment of trained fire safety personnel to banks, central government institutions, financial institutions, corporate houses, large companies, international/domestic airports, etc. The certificates should be obtained from a minimum of three clients, confirming the bidder's satisfactory service to them, preferably within the last three years. These certificates should be submitted on the client's letterhead, in the format provided in ANNEXURE XVII in the tender document.
Additionally, it is reiterated that submission of the Client Certificate is mandatory for agencies/service providers who have rendered fire services at any office of the Reserve Bank of India, including the Chennai office, in the last five years. | 3
| Should the Client Certificates be in the same format as specified in the tender document, or can they be in a different format?
Frequent requests for Client Certificates may lead to client dissatisfaction and displeasure. | It is expected that the client certificates be obtained in the format specified in ANNEXURE XVII on the client’s letterhead, as far as possible. However, certificates may be in different formats, provided they include all 13-line items as specified in the Client Certificate in the tender document. | | 4 | Should the Workmen Compensation Policy be specific or general? | The Workmen Compensation Policy and All Risk Policy should be taken in the name of the Reserve Bank of India, Chennai, and these policies must specifically cover this contract only. The minimum coverage under the Workmen Compensation Policy shall be equivalent to the wages paid to the workmen deployed for the fulfillment of the contract. The All-Risk Policy shall cover the contract value. Both policies must be valid for the entire contract period. Additionally, it should be noted that the Workmen Compensation Policy should include a notional extension of employment. The Policy should cover the employees travel to and from the workplace, and any other travel associated with work. | 5
| Employees whose wages exceed ₹21,000 per month are excluded from the Employees' State Insurance Act, 1948. Is there any reimbursement equivalent to the ESI employer's contribution (3.25% of salary) for availing health insurance policies that cover medical claims from RBI? | No | | 6 | Is the revision of the minimum wage rates, including the basic rates and Variable Dearness Allowance, applicable to the Fire Officer? | No, the revision of the minimum wage rates is not applicable to the Fire Officer. His rate will remain a fixed amount throughout the contract period. It is further clarified that the rate for deploying the Fire Officer should be quoted as a fixed amount per day, and the rate should not be less than ₹1,540 per day.
The rate for the Fire Officer will be revised based on the indexation formula in paragraph 62 under the GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS OF THE TENDER & TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THE CONTRACT (SECTION VIII) during the renewal of the contract. | 7
| Is the service charge fixed during the contract, or is it subject to change? | The service charge will not be revised during the entire contract period. The service charge should be quoted as an absolute value, not as a percentage.
The service charge will be revised based on the indexation formula in paragraph 62 under the GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS OF THE TENDER & TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THE CONTRACT (SECTION VIII) during the renewal of the contract. | 8
| Must the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) contribution be paid for multiple relievers in the event of deploying two or more relievers under unforeseen circumstances? Does this additional cost need to be factored into the service cost?
| The Bank will reimburse the EPF employer’s contribution for one reliever each in the case of Fire Guards and Fire Supervisors. The agency must ensure payment of both the employer’s and employees’ contributions to the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) for all deployed fire guards and fire supervisors, including all the relievers. If more than one reliever is deployed in a month, the agency must pay the employer’s contribution to EPFO at its own cost. The Bank will not reimburse more than one reliever in either case. Whether to factor this additional cost into the service charges is at the agency’s discretion. Agencies quoting rates for Fire Guards and Fire Supervisors without accounting for at least one reliever in each case may be liable for rejection.
To ensure the EPF component for relievers, the agencies should quote at least ₹75/- per day for one fire guard and at least ₹85.48 per day for one fire supervisor. The calculation for arriving at the above numbers is appended:
For Fire Supervisors:
(3 Supervisors + 1 reliever)
PF employer contribution for one supervisor per month = 1950 (provided his salary is ₹15,000/- or more)
Amount to be quoted for one supervisor for one day = ₹1950*4 supervisors*12 months
_________________________________
(365 days*3 supervisors)
= ₹85.48
Fire Guards:
(6 Fire Guards + 1 reliever)
PF employer contribution for one fire guard per month = 1950 (provided his salary is ₹15,000/- or more)
Amount to be quoted for one fire guard for one day = ₹1950*7 fire guards*12 months
_______________________________
(365 days* 6 fire guards)
= ₹75.00
The agencies must ensure the full payment of both employer and employee contributions for all the fire guards and supervisors, including the relievers deployed. Under no circumstances should PF payments be made on a pro-rata basis. | | 9 | Is there a dress code for the Fire Officer? | It is expected that the Fire Officer will be appropriately turned out in uniforms, company’s badges, identity cards provided by the agency, belts, and formal shoes. It is the agency's responsibility to provide all of these to the Fire Officer.
Further, it is reiterated that the contractor shall provide two pairs of uniforms per year at their own cost to the staff deployed for the work. The uniforms shall include a shirt and jacket (with 'FIRE SAFETY' inscribed on the back), black pants, fire helmet, socks, lanyard with whistle, winter jersey, raincoat/umbrella for the rainy season, torches and safety shoes. These items shall be provided to the staff at all posts at the contractor's own cost, and the Bank shall have no liability whatsoever in this regard. Additionally, one dedicated mobile phone with adequate balance shall be provided to the Fire Team. | | 10 | Is there a minimum ceiling for the service charge, as applicable in the Government e-Marketplace Portal? | There is no minimum service charge followed by the RBI. However, agencies are expected to include all expenditures related to providing managerial, supervisory, and administrative services to ensure the work is completed through the deployed fire-fighting staff. Agencies should factor in the cost of two sets of uniforms, reflective jackets, safety helmets, safety shoes, and formal shoes for the Fire Officer. No amount should be recovered from any fire-fighting staff, except for statutory deductions. Tenderer quoting “NIL” Service Charge is liable to be rejected. | 11
| The contract value is calculated for 365 days. If the contract is renewed for subsequent periods and the contract period falls in a leap year, how will the contract value be calculated? | The contract value will be calculated for 366 days during a leap year.
For the Fire Officer, their component will be fixed based on the number of working days in the contract period. | 12
| Is the Purchase Preference for Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) quoting a price within the price band of L-1 + 15%, as per the Public Procurement Policy followed in the Government e-Marketplace portal, applicable here? | No | 13
| There are various documents to be uploaded as part of the tender process. Is it necessary to upload scanned signed copies any original document? | The scanned copies of the original documents (such as any previous work order etc.) without any signatures, can be uploaded. | | 14 | Please provide the breakdown of the scheduled quantities in Price bid | The Rate towards deployment of Fire Supervisors and Fire Guards should be quoted inclusive of all expenses to be incurred including all taxes (except GST), all statutory charges, cess, reliever charges, etc., or any other applicable tax/charges levied by the Government.
2. Rate towards deployment of Fire Officer should be quoted as fixed amount per day for the entire contract period. This rate should not be less than ₹1540/- (Rupees One Thousand Five Hundred and Forty Only)
3. The service charge should be quoted in lump sum amount, not in percentage, for 365 days.
Note:
(i) The agencies are instructed to quote rate for one Fire Guard /Fire Supervisor / Fire Officer per day in the respective lots in the Price Bid. The system will automatically calculate for the required quantities and required number of days.
(ii) The prices should be quoted exclusive of GST. The system will automatically calculate GST. | | 15 | Will any penalty be imposed if the Fire Officer takes leave, given that it is difficult to find a reliever for the Fire Officer?
| The rate for the Fire Officer will be paid on a pro-rata basis, according to the formula mentioned in paragraph 15 under the GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS OF THE TENDER & TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THE CONTRACT (SECTION VIII). The Fire Officer is not expected to take prolonged leaves. | | 16 | What is the value of Earnest Money Deposit? | The value of Earnest Money Deposit (EMD) is Rupees one lakh only. Proof of remittance with transaction number (Scanned copy) for EMD shall be attached/ uploaded in MSTC website. The bidders are also advised to send the proof of remittance with transaction number (scanned copy) to the email ID: psechennai@rbi.org.in | | 17 | Regarding previous experiences, if some contracts involve a combined scope of work, including both security guards and fire guards, can these be mentioned? | Yes, you are advised to clearly mention this when uploading the documents. | 2. Above clarifications are issued for the information for intending bidders. Minutes of pre-bid meeting shall form the part of bid document / Agreement. All the terms and conditions and specifications of the bid document shall continue to remain same. Hence, it shall be signed and submitted along with the tender by the tenderers. Submission of Bids shall be construed to be in conformity with the bid document and above clarifications. 3. Corrigendum: | Existing paras | Revised Paras | (With reference to para 2 under SECTION V - on page no.28)
Declarations in respect of conditions at para 2B (1 to 5) of the Tender, as per the format in Annexure – XII | Declarations in respect of conditions at para 1B (1 to 5) of the Tender, as per the format in ANNEXURE XIII | (With reference to para 2 under SECTION V - on page no.28)
Certificates from the clients (minimum of three clients) for having rendered satisfactory service to them by the bidder, preferably during the last three years as per the format given in Annexure – X. | Certificates from the clients (minimum of three clients) for having rendered satisfactory service to them by the bidder, preferably during the last three years as per the format given in ANNEXURE XVII | (With reference to para 2 under SECTION V - on page no.28)
Details of bankers as per Annexure – VIII. | Details of bankers as per ANNEXURE V. | (With reference to para 2 under SECTION V - on page no.28)
Banker’s Solvency Certificate as per the format in Annexure – XVII. | Banker’s Solvency Certificate as per the format in ANNEXURE XVI | (With reference to para 2 under SECTION V - on page no.29)
Copy of Power of Attorney as per Annexure – IX (Original to be submitted by the successful Tenderer to the Bank). | Copy of Power of Attorney as per ANNEXURE X (Original to be submitted by the successful Tenderer to the Bank). | The Regional Director
Reserve Bank of India
Fort Glacis, No. 16,
Rajaji Salai,
Chennai – 600 001 | |