Mumbai: BMC goes to market to procure 1 crore doses

The civic body has created a storage facility for vaccines at Kanjurmarg. Pic/Bipin Kokate

Evincing its keenness to buy vaccines from the open market, the BMC on Wednesday released an expression of interest for 1 crore doses. The move comes amid an acute shortage of shots across vaccination centres in Mumbai.

As per the EoI, the civic body has called for manufacturers and distributors to come forward with their offers in the next six days. The bids will be opened on May 18 and the suppliers will have to provide the doses within 3 weeks of receiving a work order.

"MCGM has resolved to make every possible effort in future also to acquire sufficient quantity of Covid-19 vaccines to vaccinate all eligible citizens of Mumbai on war footing in the next 60-90 days," said BMC chief Iqbal Singh Chahal on the global tender.

Also Read: BMC to float global tenders for Covid-19 vaccines: Mumbai Mayor

Sources said a medical technical committee will evaluate the quotes. To ensure timely delivery, the corporation will also keep a penalty clause - 1 per cent of the contract value for each day of delay.

Officials said the BMC has already created a vaccine storage centre at Kanjurmarg. The walk-in facility is maintained at temperatures between 2 and 8 degrees Celsius. If any prospective supplier requires a temperature less than 2 degrees, then they will have to provide the required storage till the vaccination point, says the EoI document.

The tender conditions also stress that no bordering countries will be allowed to participate, ostensibly aimed at keeping Chinese vaccines at bay. The supplies can be done in batches, said a civic official.