Tube Well Tenders in Pakistan

What tube wells tenders cover

Local geology decides much of the cost. In Punjab and Sindh plains a well may be drilled to a modest depth in alluvium, while in Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and parts of Sindh the water table can be deep, saline or erratic, so notices specify depth, diameter and yield tests carefully. Bidders who know the aquifer conditions in a district can price risk more accurately than outsiders.

A large share of current work involves solar tube wells, where the pump is powered by a panel array and inverter in place of grid or diesel supply, along with rehabilitation of old wells whose pumps, motors or filters have failed. Operation and maintenance contracts for existing wells are also advertised, usually for one year. Water quality testing is increasingly included in scope, because drilling to the wrong depth can produce brackish or arsenic-affected water that makes the well unusable. Bidders who bring a hydrogeological view of the area, and who can propose test pumping and quality tests, show real competence.

• Drilling and boring of new tube wells to specified depth and diameter
• Supply and installation of casing, strainers and gravel pack
• Submersible, turbine and centrifugal pumps with motors
• Control panels, starters, cables and rising mains
• Pump house, delivery chamber and water storage tank construction
• Solar powered tube wells with panels, inverters and mounting structures
• Rehabilitation, cleaning and re-boring of old wells
• Operation and maintenance contracts and water quality testing

Who issues them

Public Health Engineering departments, water and sanitation agencies (WASA), tehsil and town municipal administrations, irrigation and agriculture departments, local government bodies, rural development programmes, cantonment boards, housing authorities and donor funded water projects are the main buyers. Contractors are well drillers, pump suppliers, electromechanical firms and civil contractors, many of them family firms with their own rigs working in a particular region. Rural support programmes and NGOs also buy tube wells for villages, often with community contribution, and these projects can follow the donor rules rather than public procurement rules.

Rules and procedure

Federal buyers follow the Public Procurement Rules, 2004; provincial departments follow Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan procurement rules, and bids appear on e-PADS or the provincial portals. Works above certain values require the contractor to be registered with the Pakistan Engineering Council in a suitable category, usually in civil or electromechanical, and many departments run their own contractor enlistment as well. Evaluation is generally single stage, two envelope, with technical compliance and then lowest evaluated bid, and bid security of a few percent is typical. Contract payment often depends on a successful yield test, so confirm in advance how test pumping is witnessed and recorded, and what the remedy is if yield falls short of the specification.

How to bid

1. Study the bill of quantities for depth, diameter, pump duty point in cubic metres per hour and head, and electrical works.
2. Check the PEC category and enlistment required for the estimated value and confirm your registration is active.
3. Visit the site, ask local drillers about the strata and water quality, and price drilling risk accordingly.
4. Submit the technical and financial bids with bid security before the deadline, on e-PADS or in sealed envelopes.
5. If awarded, drill and test as specified, record pumping test data, and obtain the engineer approval needed for payment and release of performance security.

Documents you will usually need

• PEC registration certificate in the required category
• Departmental enlistment letter where required
• NTN and sales tax registration
• List of drilling rigs, pumps and machinery owned
• Completion certificates for similar tube well works
• Bid security and affidavit of no blacklisting

Tips from the notices we track

• Be explicit about what happens if the well produces less than the specified yield, since disputes arise here.
• Match pump and motor ratings to the head calculation, not just to the brand in the notice.
• For solar wells, check panel capacity and inverter ratings against the pump motor load.