Under the project, a total of 10 SPPs, each having 10-30 MW capacity, will be set up in the private sector from which the government will purchase electricity at competitive rates.

According to official sources, the Power Cell, a reform-implementation agency under the Power Ministry, has finally chosen six bidders as responsive to award the SPP projects.

Initially, a total of 32 local firms participated in the pre-qualification process and then 18 of them collected the request for proposal (RFP) and submitted their respective bid documents.

There are allegations that the Power Cell has made half of the bidders non-responsive rejecting their proposals on very silly grounds.

Among the non-responsive bidders, five have questioned the intention of the Power Cell and lodged complaints with the Power Ministry to look into the matter.

Noorpore Power Company Ltd, Prime Energy Ltd, Associates of Dandy Group and ECBL, Hosaf Power and RAK Ceramics are among the complainants.

Receiving the complaints, the sources said the Power Division in an official note has questioned the wisdom of the Power Cell.

It said these firms have been declared non-responsive because they did not submit some papers like power of attorney, consortium agreement and company board resolution, which were included in the rejection clause. "But it should be a matter of rethinking how far it is justified to include the submission of such papers in the rejection clause," the note said.

The note further advised to give the non-responsive bidders seven days' time to submit the required papers. "If such papers are received as complementary one in the RFP, the tender would be more competitive," the Power Division observed.

Ignoring this advice, the Power Cell has finalised the list of the responsive bidders and sent it to the Power Ministry for approval.

When contacted, a top official of the Power Cell expressed his ignorance and said, "They have gone to finalise the list of the responsive bidders following the instruction of the Power Division."

"We've fully complied with the Power Division's instruction and there is nothing wrong," some officials said on condition of anonymity.

The six SPPs for which sponsors have been made responsive are 10MW Sirajganj, 20MW Barabkunda, 20MW Feni, 20MW Tangail, 20 MW Narsingdi and 30MW Maona power plants.